|
ON 20 DECEMBER 1967, at West Point, New York, Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Gross made his last military formation. As in everything in which Bob was associated, the last formation was a study in perfection. The day, warm for December, was brilliant and the sky a beautiful blue and white patchwork quilt, handcrafted by Mother Nature for that very day. The honor guard from his Cadet Company, the United States Military Academy Band, the friend and relatives, all presented a picture that Bob must have appreciated. It was as he would have planned it himself.
Bob was born to Roy and Mildred Gross in Detroit, Michigan, on 20 January 1929. His boyhood was like that of any young American growing up in the 1930's and 1940's. He had his share of jobs, his share of fun, his share of friends. One close friend of that period recalls the sandlot football and baseball and occasionally going "over the fence" at the University of Detroit football games. He noted that as an only child, Bob led a somewhat sheltered youth. On occasion, this caused Bob to be the object of kidding by other children, many of whom received a street corner boxing lesson for their trouble, for Bob was rangy, fast, and an excellent boxer. The friends of his youth remember Bob best for his outgoing personality, his forward and direct manner with adults, and his ability to remain mannerly at all times.
Bob graduated from the University of Detroit High School in 1946, attended the University of Detroit from 1946 to 1949 and entered the military academy in July 1949.
The cadet years for Bob Gross started out notably. One of Bob's roommates recalls:
The Pointer ran an article about Bob's first day as a cadet. He arrived with suede shoes and a DA haircut. When the firstclassman who greeted him started to brace him, Bob said that he was tired and would appreciate being shown to his room. He added that after a good night's sleep that he would be willing to start being a cadet.
Apocryphal or not, the anecdote shows Bob as he was: never very excitable, seemingly unworried.
Bob's roommates, reminiscing about him, made some astute observations:
He had a serious air, quickly supplanted by a sense of humor, which affected all with whom he came in contact.
He was a loyal and trustworthy friend, who would respond to a classmate's need without hesitation.
His best subject was Portuguese, but he had some problems with other departments. When kidded about not standing high enough in the class to get anything other than Infantry, he would always laugh and say that was what he wanted anyway.
After graduation in 1954, Bob went to the Basic Infantry Officers' Course and Airborne School at Ft. Benning. He hated airplanes and used to laugh about getting airsick when he saw one. He is quoted as describing his experiences in jump school as the hardest way to earn $100.
In November 1955, Bob married Rita Rogers at West Point; they were subsequently blessed with two children, Courtland and Gabriella.
Bob Gross' military career described formally: assigned to the 3d Infantry Regiment at Fort McNair; Aide-de-Camp to the Commanding General, Fort MacArthur, California; Company B (later Headquarters and Headquarters Company), 12th Cavalry (Korea); Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics, University of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Foreign Area Specialist Training Program (Brazil); Aide-de-Camp to Military Group Commander Brazil; S2, 2d Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam. In addition to the schools mentioned, Bob graduated from the Infantry Officer Career Course, received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Scranton, and was a doctoral degree candidate in Latin American area studies at American University, Washington, DC.
Bob Gross' military career was described by his superiors as follows:
Major General F. N. Roberts - The thing that most impressed me about Bob was his cheerfulness. No matter what the weather, the job he had to do, or the Old Man's temper, Bob stayed cheerful; his big grin made him nice to have around. But more than that, he seemed to epitomize the motto of his Alma Mater. This was especially true in the matter of duty. Bob was a precisionist; he demanded precision and set the example himself. He had the highest standards of duty, honor, and patriotism - always, he was a soldier.
Major General R. R. Linvill - Bob demonstrated a genuine effort to continually portray those attributes of the professional soldier acquired years ago at West Point. It will be difficult for us to assess the tremendous loss that his death has created. Our only consolation is that he left an indelible impression of his goodness on all who knew him.
Knowing Bob was a little like knowing an ebullient, likeable, and sometimes slightly eccentric dynamo. If Bob typified anything, it was the efficient, tireless, thoroughly competent military officer. He was a great believer in "troop-leading" people into going along with his ideas, and it usually worked. When confronted with someone as positive as himself, Bob wasted no time "banging heads," but sought an acceptable accommodation - and then on with the business at hand. If he was impatient with some people for their slowness or lack of comprehension, it was not for personal reasons, but because he had a job to do for Uncle Sam, and he wanted to get it finished so that he could start on another. Always a great asset to a party, Bob played as hard as he worked, but he never stepped down from the pedestal of officer and gentleman.
Although reluctant to leave his family, Bob was especially pleased to join the Big Red One in Vietnam. While conducting a search for a missing soldier, the helicopter in which Bob was riding crashed and burned; Bob died on 10 December 1967 in the 106th General Hospital, Kishine Barracks, Japan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal, and the Joint Service Commendation Medal.
The true essence of a man's character is not contained in the words spoken of him while living, but in how he is remembered when gone. We who knew him recall Bob Gross as an outstanding officer, a loyal friend, a devoted son, and a loving husband and father.
|
