This handsome man is my Uncle Bob, also known as Rt. Lt. Col. Robert L. Barker. My cousin posted this pic of her dad on FB this morning, and I stole it. I remember this photo at my grandmother's house along with pictures of my dad and my other uncle. But Uncle Bob was always the most handsome. This is what my uncle had to say about the photo:The picture was taken in Wichita Falls a few days before Mom, Nanny Barker, Mama and Papa Guyton, Cindy and Pam took me to Dallas to catch the plane to Ft. Benning, GA. On Aug. 18, 1965, my battery and all the 3d Brigade, 1st Cav, boarded buses for Charleston Navy Base and boarded the USNS Rose bound for Vietnam.
A few years later, I made that same leg of the trip with my uncle as he went back to Vietnam (he did three tours). We boarded the plane in Wichita Falls and flew to Dallas. My uncle and I boarded the plane first and chose our seats while the enlisted men waited. As a little girl, I was so excited to fly, to be with my uncle, etc. I didn't really understand the emotional side of what was going on. I did understand that Uncle Bob was the coolest!
To all veterans, and especially my friends and family who served, thank you.
5 comments:
On Aug. 18, 1965, my battery and all the 3d Brigade, 1st Cav, boarded buses for Charleston Navy Base and boarded the USNS Rose ...
I was a passenger on the USNS Rose seven years earlier (as a 13 year old boy), when my family returned to the US from Turkey. We boarded in Istanbul and debarked in NYC, making more than a few port calls in the Med along the two-week voyage home. I probably had a whole helluva lot better trip on the Rose than your Uncle Bob.
And that is a very nice picture of Uncle Bob.
Nice photo and wonderful story. You should be proud. Thanks to your uncle and all the vets today!
Great story, Lou. Thanks for sharing it.
Buck,
It is amazing that you sailed on the same ship at in different eras.
Jo,
Thanks. I've always been proud of Uncle Bob.
Becky,
Thanks, anytime.
Thanks!
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