PERRYSBURG, Ohio — Jack Robinson grew up in the small town of Hubbard, Ohio, about 15 minutes northeast of Youngstown.
Serving his country was a family tradition, as his father marched in Africa with General Patton in World War II. So when most of his friends were either drafted or enlisted into the U.S. Army, Robinson decided to sign up himself. His father was thrilled; his mother was not.
"So I went home and told my Mom I enlisted in the Army. I thought she was going to kill me," Robinson, 75, who now lives in Perrysburg, said. "My dad looks at me and says, 'Proud of you, son.'"
And it was off to basic training in 1967, where the Army learned how good a mechanic he was. Robinson was fast-tracked to helicopter school and eventually sent to Vietnam, where he served from 1968-70, as a crew chief for Huey helicopters.
Their job was to attack the enemy, transport troops and sometimes rescue their fellow servicemembers.
Sixteen percent of soldiers were Black and there were occasional incidents between white and Black troops, Robinson said. But that was not the case on his helicopter.
He said they'd get a call on the radio and “You listen and you never ask, was the guy Black? White? Fat? Thin? All we wanted to know is, the location and how many of you are there?”
Robinson's helicopter was shot at many times, and there is one close call he will never forget.
When he returned to base after a mission, somebody noticed a bullet hole in the rotor. Then they noticed a bullet hole roof of the Huey. Then a hole in the floor right where he’d been sitting. The bullet had come straight through the cockpit and just missed Robinson’s head by inches and he never knew it.
One incident that shaped the rest of his life came when he and his crew were parked along a beach and a young boy approached the helicopter wearing a backpack. They had been warned of civilians — even kids — being used for sabotage.
Robinson had no other choice. He shot the child in the chest and he exploded. The kid had a bomb.
That incident has haunted Robinson for 20 years. He has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, but a Veterans Affairs counselor recommended he write a letter telling that very story to help his recovery. Sometimes putting a haunting memory into words helps the healing process. And for Robinson, it has.
When he came back home to the U.S., it was obvious to him that Americans didn’t like the Vietnam War or those who served in it.
Robinson returned home from the war in 1970 before his 21st birthday after serving three years in the Army. He worked for General Motors for 50 years before retiring and has settled in Perrysburg, where he's lived since 2012.
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