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<em>Gus Blakely Robinson</em>, son of Walter Robert and Margaret Blakely Robinson, was born in Ryan, OK. He came from a large and caring family—the third of 8 children. Growing up in Henrietta, TX, he attended public school there through 7th grade and was an exceptional student.</p>
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Gus spent a lot of time with his cousin Herb Vest, playing “soldier” and learning together in Henrietta. They were very close and both wanted to be Army officers. Herb also was serving in Vietnam at the time of Gus’ untimely death and was the escort officer who brought Gus back for interment at West Point.</p>
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The Robinson family moved to Hemet, CA, when Gus was 14 years old. Continuing to excel, he graduated from high school after achieving a distinguished academic record. He applied for a congressional appointment to West Point, but his congressman’s quota was filled for that year. Reapplying the following year, he joined the Academy with the Class of ‘67 on 1 Jul 1963.</p>
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Gus quickly proved to be an outstanding cadet friendly and popular with all of his classmates. His upbeat attitude, despite the rigors of Beast Barracks, was an inspiration to his classmates and a great help in “weathering the storm.” When “Beast” ended, Gus moved into Company A-l, where he proved to be a constant source of inspiration and mischief for his classmates. His good nature seemed always to prevail, regardless of the hardships of plebe year. His sense of humor found the bright side of every challenge.</p>
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Gus met the love-of-his-life, Denise Berg of Bergen, NJ, in his plebe year. She was attending Ladycliff and worked in the Hotel Thayer gift shop. They spent countless hours planning their future together, and she was the reason Gus lived for each weekend. They knew they were destined to marry and have a family. They married after graduation and daughter Suzanne Michelle was born on 31 Aug 1969.</p>
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Gus was commissioned into Armor. After a short honeymoon and graduation leave, the endless schooling began. First Ranger, then branch school and, after the obligatory one-year assignment to an Armor unit, Gus and Denise traveled to Mineral Wells, TX, where he began training as a helicopter pilot. Completing the training in an exemplary fashion, Gus took additional training and qualified in the AH-1G Cobra.</p>
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Reporting to Vietnam in November 1969, he was assigned to A Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry at Pleiku. Although recently trained in the AH-1G, as a young captain, he served as the Scout Platoon Leader and qualified in the OH-6. He quickly learned the techniques and pitfalls of this very dangerous mission; hovering over suspected enemy positions, looking, and probing for the elusive enemy in a machine always on the edge of its performance envelope. Gus did it well, with absolutely no hesitation, with a smile and friendly comment, as he embarked on each day’s mission, but not without his share of encounters with withering enemy fire. His personal courage and leadership were an inspiration to his platoon members and kept up the morale of these young men, who were so often and so deeply in harm’s way.</p>
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The day of 12 Apr 1970 dawned like most spring days in the Highlands of Vietnam. April had been a particularly bad month for A Troop; at least two regiments of NVA had been laying siege to the SF camp at Dak Seang, just north of the fire base at Ben Het in Kontum Province. Nothing moved in or out and the area was strewn with the remains of aircraft downed by enemy fire. A Troop was working out of Dak To, in support of the local South Vietnamese Ground Forces in a very mountainous region west of the SF camp, looking for the NVA and always finding them. In the center of the area was Hill 763, a nondescript name for a very ominous mountain. Gus was leading his scouts as they searched near the top of Hill 763 for the NVA. He lost his young life in the courageous performance of his duties. The NVA and Hill 763 claimed a good man on that fateful day. It took 3 days and heroic efforts from his A Troop companions and many others before Gus was returned to his loved ones and friends. His observer, riding with him on that fateful day, remained a POW until his safe return in March 1973. Gus was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, 17 Air Medals, and the Purple Heart.</p>
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We mourn the loss of our friend and classmate, taken so young from his promising life. Never again would he see his daughter Suzanne, only 3 months old when he left for Vietnam, or fulfill the plans that he and Denise had made such a short time before at West Point.</p>
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Ruth Blakely Powers, his aunt, wrote this poem for Gus after attending his funeral.</p>
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<em>A Tribute to a Soldier</em><br />
<em>We said good bye to you with tears upon our faces.</em><br />
<em>Our tears were wiped away with the pride we felt for you.</em><br />
<em>You stood so proud and straight as a soldier should do. You were going off to war in the jungle of a far-off place.</em><br />
<em>All alone we stood the lonely days—awaiting the long year through.</em><br />
<em>You came home today and tears were upon our faces. Our tears were wiped away with the pride we felt for you.</em><br />
<em>We all stood proud and straight as a soldier would would want us to.</em><br />
<em>As we left you in the marble jungle of a far-off place. All alone we’ll stand the lonely days—awaiting this long life through.</em></p>
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<em>—Gary and Ed ‘67</em></p>
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