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FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq (12/31/2011) - Bob Kalsu was
considered an American hero even before he lost his life in the
Vietnam War. Now, almost 40 years later, the 180th Cavalry had the
privilege of contributing to the U.S. Army's attempts to honor him.
Sgt. Maj. Robert Leimer, brigade operations sergeant major, and Lt. Col. David Northridge, deputy commander, both of 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, present a folded American flag and certificate to Maj. Andrew Ballenger, executive officer of 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry, Oklahoma Army National Guard
on December 7, 2011. The flag was the last flag to be flown over Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq. FOB Kalsu was named after Oklahoma native Bob Kalsu, a first lieutenant who was killed in action in Vietnam July 21, 1970. Kalsu was best known for being an All-American football player for the University of Oklahoma, as well as being 1968's "Rookie of the Year" for the Buffalo Bills. The 180th Cavalry will present the flag and certificate to Kalsu's daughter.
Photo by Army Capt. James Robertson |
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Kalsu is best known for his being an All-American Tackle for the
University of Oklahoma football team, as well as being an
eighth-round draft pick of the pro football's Buffalo Bills in 1968.
After his first year as a professional football player, he was named
as the American Football League's “Rookie of the Year.” On top of
his new professional football career, he had a young family,
including a young daughter and a new baby on the way. He had
everything going for him.
But that same year, Uncle Sam came
calling. While going to school at OU, Kalsu had been a member of the
Reserve Officer Training Corps, the Army organization that trains
college students to become officers. After completing the program,
he was not selected for active duty and was allowed to sign with the
Buffalo Bills. Following the 1968 season, he entered the Army to
fulfill his service obligation and was commissioned as a second
lieutenant. After training as an artillery officer at Fort Sill,
Okla., he was assigned to the famous 101st Airborne Division and
soon found himself deployed to the A Shau Valley, one of the most
deadly areas in Vietnam. On July 21, 1970, his unit came under enemy
mortar fire, and as a result, Bob Kalsu was killed in action. His
family was presented with a posthumous Purple Heart
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The U.S. Army again honored Kalsu in 2005. A unit from
the New York Army National Guard, stationed in Buffalo,
N.Y., established a forward operating base, or FOB, in
southern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. They named the
base “FOB Kalsu.” Since then, the base has been a hub for
operations in the region, even more so in the closing days
of the Iraq War.
The final unit to occupy the base
was the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, who were charged
with closing the base down. After lowering the American flag
for the last time, the brigade's deputy commander, Lt. Col.
David Northridge, presented it to Maj. Andrew Ballenger, the
executive officer of the 1st Squadron, 180th Cavalry
Regiment, a unit of the Oklahoma Army National Guard, so
that they would have the honor of presenting the flag to
Kalsu's daughter.
Ballenger, himself a graduate of
the University of Oklahoma, said, “This is a way I can help
show gratitude to the Kalsu family, who themselves
sacrificed and who are heroes in their own right. This is
only a very small token of appreciation to someone whom
every American citizen owes a great debt.”
By Army Capt. James Robertson
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th
Red Bull Infantry Division
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2012
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