A famous man lives near me, and I was just privileged to read his story. Bill Robinson is a large man. His personality is larger than life as well. He is one of our nation’s heroes and survivors of war.
Bill Robinson is quoted as saying, “We sometimes fondly say that we classify ourselves as the longest rescue in history.” He can justifiably attest to that. He spent 2,703 days in the hands of the North Vietnamese. His capture was during a rescue, something that his unit was assigned to do.
On September 20, 1965, Bill Robinson and the crew of an Air Force search and rescue helicopter team were sent on a mission to find and rescue an F-105D Thunderchief near the North Vietnam and Laotian border. Captain Willis B, Forby, the pilot of the Thunderchief, along with Robinson and two other crew members of the helicopter rescue, were liberated from North Vietnam seven and a half years later.
Reading about Bill Robinson’s childhood is akin to reading a tragedy and triumph story. His birth was difficult, and it was considered lucky that he lived. After that, in one seeming miracle after another, he survived life as a child. Early on, he was a “bleeder,” hemorrhaging with any small accident. He survived a drowning where his uncle saved him and administered live-saving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. During a tonsillectomy, his heart stopped, and the doctors declared him dead. Minutes later, he was miraculously revived.
Bill became a survivor. He was a tough kid, raised by his mother with help from his paternal grandparents. Unfortunately, his mother passed when he was young, and he was left to be raised by his grandparents and neglected over the years by his father. All the tragedies made him tough and resilient and prepared him for the hardships he would encounter in Southeast Asia.
Bill joined the Air Force in the summer of 1961 and vowed he would make it a career. He failed his first physical in early November of that year but passed the next one just before Thanksgiving. He started basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, and after completing that, he started training as a helicopter mechanic. In 1961 the U. S. was barely involved in Vietnam. The next few years after Kennedy’s assassination would change that as Lyndon Johnson escalated U.S. involvement. From his early days in the Air Force until 1965, Robinson was stationed in Korea, where it was pretty peaceful and relatively easy duty. He honed his skills as a mechanic.
By April 1965, Robinson found himself in rescue operations in Vietnam. The helicopters he was assigned to support were not made for rescue and had little modification and firepower to take them into enemy territory. From April to September, he flew with the crews rescuing downed pilots and aircrew when possible. September 20 ended that part of his Air Force career.
Robinson’s team set out to locate and attempt to rescue a downed aircraft in Laos. An F-105 Thunderchief, an armed reconnaissance aircraft, had gone down under heavy enemy fire. Bill’s helicopter, code named Dutchy 41, set out to locate it and rescue the pilot. Dutchy 41 was escorted by several fighter planes. The fighter planes took small arms fire and had to retreat. Dutchy 41 was running low on fuel and without protection but wanted to stay with the rescue as the pilot had been located. They swung the rescue cable to the downed pilot, who got in its harness, and they got him off the ground. In the process, the helicopter took damaging ground fire and began to stall with the added weight. Instead of rescuing the pilot, it too went down. The jungle floor provided a cushion as the helicopter fell from the sky. Three men were able to escape the downed helicopter. Bill was one. The standard procedure was to blow up a downed copter within an hour after a crash. Another rescue helicopter came within range but could not see the downed men.
They were immediately taken prisoner. It began seven and a half years of hell for Bill. It was rare for an enlisted man to be taken prisoner. Most of those in the hands of the North Vietnamese were downed pilots and crew. It was early on in America’s involvement there in war and conflict that would last for years. POWs were political pawns of the communist North Vietnamese.
Like other POWs, Bill Robinson was tortured. He spent time in several prison camps, including the notorious Hanoi Hilton. Years went by. His family was notified of his status. He was a known prisoner as pictures of him in captivity circulated.
The signing of the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 set the stage and timeline for the American withdrawal from the Vietnam conflict. It also set out the guidelines for the release of the American POWs. It was known as Operation Homecoming and was in three phases for those held in Laos, North Vietnam, and China.
On February 12, 1973, Bill was in the first phase released. One hundred and sixteen men were set free that day, loaded on a C-141 transport. The POWs were seated in order of capture which put Bill near the front. The men drank coffee and tea and asked dozens of questions. They were told they would encounter “culture shock” as women had thrown their bras away. Robinson responded with his usual humor that the POWs were used to that.
The repatriated POWs were flown to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, where enthusiastic crowds greeted them. The prisoners were debriefed, fed well, and allowed to shop in the BX and enjoy their freedom. Back at home, Bill’s family gathered around the television and watched as Bill stepped off the transport plane. The room exploded with celebration and excitement at their first glimpse of their brother and grandson.
While in captivity, Bill Robinson and several other enlisted men had been instructed in officer training. It passed the time in the long years and was a sign of hope for three enlisted men who had been held so long. The captive officers who trained them recommended the commissions as soon as they were freed. It came under review. The Air Force was reluctant to grant the commissions. It went to President Richard Nixon, who, when asked about granting them, was quoted as saying, “Hell Yes!”. Shortly thereafter, Bill Robinson became Lieutenant Robinson.
The POWs were honored at a reception at the White House where President Nixon called on the nation to “honor the POWs and be glad their ordeal has ended.” That matched Bill Robinson’s philosophy of “forget and move on”. He was less than thirty years old.
Bill was awarded the Air Force Cross and the Silver Star for his actions on September 20, 1968, and as a POW. Bill married, had children and continued his Air Force career. He attempted to train as a pilot but did not complete the training. He divorced and married several more times.
In 1995 Bill, accompanied by his third wife, returned to Vietnam to work on a film titled Reunion. Bill visited many of the sites where he was held and had conversations with those involved in his capture and captivity. That year President Bill Clinton announced the normalization of relations with Vietnam.
Retired now, Bill Robinson continues to tell his story to history groups, veteran’s groups, students, and others. His story is part of our historic involvement in an unpopular war. Bill Robinson is an American hero, and his story is a big part of the history of that era. He now resides in Monroe County, Tennessee. He says he dwells on the good things, and every day is like Christmas.
