Robert Eugene Schmitz
Company D 1/22 Infantry
4th Infantry Division
KIA 09/16/69
SGT
- E5 - Army - Selective Service
4th Infantry Division
MOS: 11B40:
Infantryman
25 year old Single, Caucasian, Male
Born on Feb 25, 1944
From MARTIN, NORTH DAKOTA
Length of service 1 year.
His tour of duty began on Apr 01, 1969
Casualty was on Sep 16, 1969
in PLEIKU, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE *
Body was recovered
Religion
ROMAN CATHOLIC
Panel 18W - - Line 98
Robert
Schmitz was killed by friendly fire from a supporting helicopter
when he was mistaken for a hostile force at grid reference
AR980692,
approximately 28 kilometers southeast of Kontum airfield.
SGT Robert E. Schmitz' decorations
*
Note
that the above official report of SGT Schmitz's death states that
he was killed by
hostile small arms fire. This is not the case. As can be seen by
the newspaper article below,
SGT Schmitz was killed by friendly fire. SGT Harold Hall, a 3rd
Platoon Squad Leader for Company D
that day, recalls the following about the death of SGT Schmitz:
"...........he was known to everyone as Smitty...........
For
those of us that were there that day, we know that he died when a
Huey Slick Pilot saw movement through the trees,
called in a wrong location and then strafed us two times using
the two M-60s. There were several wounded
but he was the only one that died that day. The newspaper
story states that, he was mistaken for a hostile and fired upon
by supporting aircraft. It is amazing to me that the Army
told his family what really happened
and did not try to cover it up like they often did. "
Thanks to Harold G. Hall for his
contribution to the memory of his fellow Soldier and friend,
SGT Robert "Smitty" Schmitz
Robert Eugene Schmitz
Photo courtesy of Robert's brother Dennis, via Fred Golladay
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, Washington, D.C. -- tip of flagpole pointing to Robert Schmitz' name
Thanks to Gary Hurl for the above items about Robert Schmitz.
**********************
The above article is from John Gabbert via Fred Golladay
**********************
Robert is buried at St Cecilia Cemetery, Harvey,ND.
Grave marker for Robert E. Schmitz
For a tribute to Robert E. Scmitz click on the following link:
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