"Army Spec 4 Richard N Robey, 20 of Rt 1 Spencerville, was killed in action in Vietnam July 4, (1967) according to word received by his parents, John and Ruby Robey. He was hit by shrapnel from an exploding mine in Da Nang. No other details were available at the time.
Richard Neal Robey, a 1965 Spencerville High School graduate entered the Army on February 1,1966. He was a Combat Engineer In Vietnam assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Company D, 39th Engineering Battalion of the 45th Engineering Group 18th Engineering Brigade.
Since the incident more information has become available by eye witnesses
---- "TELL MY MOTHER I LOVE HER" ----
From those present :
During a mine sweeping operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam It was reported that Robey was having problems with his mine detector. Robey stopped and tried to figure out what was wrong. He tried to re-calibrate the detector with the help of 1st Lt. Shamblen. The two knelt on the ground in the middle of the road as they worked on the detector for a few minutes. After getting it to work, Shamblen turned back to the south. Robey started his way to the north. But 21-year Richard Robey didn’t take three steps away from Shamblen when an explosion rocked the area. Robey fell to the ground — something had exploded on his right hip. He was down and badly wounded. Shamblen rushed to his aide and found he was still alive. Then company medic Bob Daniels landed on the scene”. “I treated his wounds and hung at least one IV,” Daniels recalls. Minutes later, a medivac helicopter was on the scene. “I helped put Robey on the medivac,” Shamblen recalls with a great amount of sadness in his voice. “The last thing he said to me was: “Tell my mother I love her.”
Investigation of the incident was pointing toward a Russian sawhorse gun that was being tested by the Communists at that time. Speculation was that a sniper using the weapon probably hit one of the four grenades Robey was carrying that day.
Surviving besides his parents are 5 brothers, John, Jr, Franklin D, William Q, David D with the US Navy in Newport, RI, and Donald , at home and 5 sisters, Mrs Rex (Dorothy) Shaffer, Mrs Williard (Florence) Nolan, Mrs Raymond ( Mary) Young and Carol and Nancy Robey, at home."
Richard Neal Robey, a 1965 Spencerville High School graduate entered the Army on February 1,1966. He was a Combat Engineer In Vietnam assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Company D, 39th Engineering Battalion of the 45th Engineering Group 18th Engineering Brigade.
Since the incident more information has become available by eye witnesses
---- "TELL MY MOTHER I LOVE HER" ----
From those present :
During a mine sweeping operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam It was reported that Robey was having problems with his mine detector. Robey stopped and tried to figure out what was wrong. He tried to re-calibrate the detector with the help of 1st Lt. Shamblen. The two knelt on the ground in the middle of the road as they worked on the detector for a few minutes. After getting it to work, Shamblen turned back to the south. Robey started his way to the north. But 21-year Richard Robey didn’t take three steps away from Shamblen when an explosion rocked the area. Robey fell to the ground — something had exploded on his right hip. He was down and badly wounded. Shamblen rushed to his aide and found he was still alive. Then company medic Bob Daniels landed on the scene”. “I treated his wounds and hung at least one IV,” Daniels recalls. Minutes later, a medivac helicopter was on the scene. “I helped put Robey on the medivac,” Shamblen recalls with a great amount of sadness in his voice. “The last thing he said to me was: “Tell my mother I love her.”
Investigation of the incident was pointing toward a Russian sawhorse gun that was being tested by the Communists at that time. Speculation was that a sniper using the weapon probably hit one of the four grenades Robey was carrying that day.
Surviving besides his parents are 5 brothers, John, Jr, Franklin D, William Q, David D with the US Navy in Newport, RI, and Donald , at home and 5 sisters, Mrs Rex (Dorothy) Shaffer, Mrs Williard (Florence) Nolan, Mrs Raymond ( Mary) Young and Carol and Nancy Robey, at home."
"Army Spec 4 Richard N Robey, 20 of Rt 1 Spencerville, was killed in action in Vietnam July 4, (1967) according to word received by his parents, John and Ruby Robey. He was hit by shrapnel from an exploding mine in Da Nang. No other details were available at the time.
Richard Neal Robey, a 1965 Spencerville High School graduate entered the Army on February 1,1966. He was a Combat Engineer In Vietnam assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Company D, 39th Engineering Battalion of the 45th Engineering Group 18th Engineering Brigade.
Since the incident more information has become available by eye witnesses
---- "TELL MY MOTHER I LOVE HER" ----
From those present :
During a mine sweeping operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam It was reported that Robey was having problems with his mine detector. Robey stopped and tried to figure out what was wrong. He tried to re-calibrate the detector with the help of 1st Lt. Shamblen. The two knelt on the ground in the middle of the road as they worked on the detector for a few minutes. After getting it to work, Shamblen turned back to the south. Robey started his way to the north. But 21-year Richard Robey didn’t take three steps away from Shamblen when an explosion rocked the area. Robey fell to the ground — something had exploded on his right hip. He was down and badly wounded. Shamblen rushed to his aide and found he was still alive. Then company medic Bob Daniels landed on the scene”. “I treated his wounds and hung at least one IV,” Daniels recalls. Minutes later, a medivac helicopter was on the scene. “I helped put Robey on the medivac,” Shamblen recalls with a great amount of sadness in his voice. “The last thing he said to me was: “Tell my mother I love her.”
Investigation of the incident was pointing toward a Russian sawhorse gun that was being tested by the Communists at that time. Speculation was that a sniper using the weapon probably hit one of the four grenades Robey was carrying that day.
Surviving besides his parents are 5 brothers, John, Jr, Franklin D, William Q, David D with the US Navy in Newport, RI, and Donald , at home and 5 sisters, Mrs Rex (Dorothy) Shaffer, Mrs Williard (Florence) Nolan, Mrs Raymond ( Mary) Young and Carol and Nancy Robey, at home."
Richard Neal Robey, a 1965 Spencerville High School graduate entered the Army on February 1,1966. He was a Combat Engineer In Vietnam assigned to the 3rd Platoon, Company D, 39th Engineering Battalion of the 45th Engineering Group 18th Engineering Brigade.
Since the incident more information has become available by eye witnesses
---- "TELL MY MOTHER I LOVE HER" ----
From those present :
During a mine sweeping operation in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam It was reported that Robey was having problems with his mine detector. Robey stopped and tried to figure out what was wrong. He tried to re-calibrate the detector with the help of 1st Lt. Shamblen. The two knelt on the ground in the middle of the road as they worked on the detector for a few minutes. After getting it to work, Shamblen turned back to the south. Robey started his way to the north. But 21-year Richard Robey didn’t take three steps away from Shamblen when an explosion rocked the area. Robey fell to the ground — something had exploded on his right hip. He was down and badly wounded. Shamblen rushed to his aide and found he was still alive. Then company medic Bob Daniels landed on the scene”. “I treated his wounds and hung at least one IV,” Daniels recalls. Minutes later, a medivac helicopter was on the scene. “I helped put Robey on the medivac,” Shamblen recalls with a great amount of sadness in his voice. “The last thing he said to me was: “Tell my mother I love her.”
Investigation of the incident was pointing toward a Russian sawhorse gun that was being tested by the Communists at that time. Speculation was that a sniper using the weapon probably hit one of the four grenades Robey was carrying that day.
Surviving besides his parents are 5 brothers, John, Jr, Franklin D, William Q, David D with the US Navy in Newport, RI, and Donald , at home and 5 sisters, Mrs Rex (Dorothy) Shaffer, Mrs Williard (Florence) Nolan, Mrs Raymond ( Mary) Young and Carol and Nancy Robey, at home."
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