More detail on this person: HAMPTON - John F.
Roberts, colonel, U.S. Army died Sept. 11, 2012,
in Hampton, Va.
John was born on Christmas Day, 1921 in East
Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. While attending
Louisiana State University, WWII began and he
entered the U.S. Army attending Field Artillery
Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, Okla.,
where he was commissioned a second lieutenant.
He participated in the invasion of Europe and
ended the war in Austria as a first lieutenant and
executive officer of a 105mm howitzer battery.
After the war, John returned to LSU, graduating in
1948.
Upon graduation he reentered the regular Army at
the rank of captain. After returning to higher
commands in the artillery, John also became one of
the pioneers of Army aviation, eventually becoming
a master aviator in various Army fixed wing and
rotary aircraft. Colonel Roberts commanded a
combat aviation battalion in Vietnam and was the
director of instruction at the Army Primary
Helicopter School during the Vietnam War. Colonel
Roberts received many decorations for his courage
including three awards of the Legion of Merit, two
awards of The Bronze Star for Valor, multiple
awards of The Air Medal, The Army Commendation
Medal and others.
In addition to serving in combat in various
European countries and Vietnam, Colonel Roberts
served during peacetime in France and Taiwan as
well as in many posts throughout the United
States. He was an officer of great courage,
ability and determination; no sacrifice was too
great and no detail too small. Colonel Roberts was
a humble yet complex man, a true American
soldier. He was a good and honest man. John will
also be remembered for his friendly nature,
generosity, and his great rapport with children.
He was a role model for his family and a great
proponent of education and ethical behavior. John
was a skilled story teller and his firsthand
accounts of WWII, Vietnam, and his many aviation
adventures will be remembered forever by anyone
lucky enough to have heard them.
John was preceded in death by his first wife and
childhood sweetheart, Dorothy Lee Miller of Osyka,
Miss., whom he married in 1941. She devoted
herself to him and his career. She was buried in
Arlington Cemetery at her death in 1974.
John was widowed a second time. His second wife
was Thelma Bateman.
John is survived by his wife, Goldie Roberts; two
children by his first wife, son, Richard Raoul
Roberts (Karen), daughter, Cheryl Lee Hooks
(Thomas), stepdaughter, Patricia Millington
(Brian), stepson, Bruce Roberts (Amy);
granddaughters, Rochelle Renee Shaw (Bradley)
and Melissa Amber Wilkes; grandson, Thomas
Redge Hooks Jr.; stepgrandson, Zachary Roberts;
stepgranddaughter, Sasha Roberts;
great-granddaughter, Meghan Diane Worthington;
great-grandson, Ray Von Wilkes II; and
great-granddaughter, Chloe Rose Shaw. He is also
survived by his extended family in Louisiana and
Mississippi.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012, at R. Hayden Smith
Funeral Home, 245 S. Armistead Ave, Hampton. A
memorial service will be conducted at 4 p.m.
Thursday at the funeral home by the Rev. Dr.
Charles Bang. Interment will be in Arlington
National Cemetery at a date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the
Wounded Warrior Project or a favorite charity.
View and post condolences on our online
guestbook at dailypress.com/guestbooks.
Published in Daily Press from September 15 to
September 16, 2012
Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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