More detail on this person: Maj Robert P Salzman, 17 Obituaries Key West Citizen, The (FL) - Monday, October 7, 2002 Maj. Robert P. Salzman, U.S. Army Special Forces, retired, died Oct. 5, 2002, at his home in Merritt Island, Fla., after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He was 72. The only child of Herman and Heliesse Salzman, Bob was born on a farm in Hay River, Wis., on Nov. 9, 1929. At 17, he began a 22-year military career as an enlisted man in the Army Field Artillery. After assignments to military bases in the United States and Japan, and a tour of duty on the battlefields of Korea, he was accepted to Officer Candidate School in Fort Sill, Okla., and was commissioned as an artillery officer in 1957. Five years later, in 1962, Bob became a member of an elite fighting force mobilized by President John F. Kennedy for military operations in Southeast Asia - the U.S. Army Special Forces. He served four tours of duty in Viet Nam, and as a Green Beret participated in numerous special operations. He takes with him the knowledge of acts of remarkable valor that will never make the pages of history books. Bob was cited many times for his bravery on the battlefield. His military decorations include a Bronze Star with two oak leaf clusters, the Combat Infantry Medal, two Purple Hearts for wounds received in Korea and Viet Nam, a Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, a Korean Service Medal with five bronze stars, a United Nations Offensive Medal, a Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, a National Defense Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, an Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and many others. Between tours in Viet Nam, Bob met his wife Carol while assigned to Fort Sill. They shared the next 34 years of their lives, and she was at his side when he left this world for his next assignment. After retiring from the Army in 1968, Bob began a 13-year career in marine sales and service in Miami, becoming a certified OMC mechanic. After moving to Merritt Island in 1982, he launched a 20-year career in real estate with Daignault Realty. Bob was most proud of his years in military service to his country. He was active for three decades in local and national chapters of the Special Forces Association, serving as president of Chapter 21 half a dozen times over the years. He also was a member of the Retired Officers Association and the Military Order of World Wars. Today he is with legions of friends and comrades in whatever Valhalla is reserved for such warriors of great courage. He is survived by his wife, Carol, of the home; a daughter, Christi Koz, of Saratoga, Calif.; two granddaughters, Carley and Grace, of Saratoga; father-in-law, Henry Tuell, and mother-in-law, Eunice Tuell, both of Duncan, Okla.; sister-in-law Vicki (David) Lynch, of Duncan; brothers-in-law, Hank (Linda) Tuell, of Red Lodge, Mont., and Tom (Kathy) Tuell, of Marathon, Fla. Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Wylie Baxley Merritt Island Funeral Home, 1360 N. Courtenay Parkway. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the funeral home chapel, with a military burial at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Bushnell National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Brevard Hospice & Palliative Care or The American Cancer Society.
Burial information: Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL
This information was last updated 07/29/2020
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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