Robert James Watkins was born 10 Jun 1942 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, his hometown was Fort Meade.
Vietnam War service with Company D, 158th Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Camp Evans RVN.
Entered the Army from Maryland in 1961, tour in Southeast Asia (SEA) began 6 April 1969.
Rank at time of action, Warrant Officer 1 (WO1).
Killed in action, 8 Oct 1969. Posthumously promote to Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2).
CWO2 Robert James Watkins, Jr. is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. His name is also inscribed along with all his fallen comrades on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.
“Gone West”
“On 8 October 1969, Capt. Robert T. Andrews, pilot, and WO1 Robert J. Watkins, co-pilot; comprised the crew of an AH-1G in a flight of two providing protective air cover for a downed UH1H helicopter that was shot down in the extreme western corner of the infamous A Shau Valley, South Vietnam. By late afternoon the Huey’s aircrew was safely aboard a rescue helicopter and the flight of gunships was cleared to begin their return flight to Camp Evans.
Capt. Andrews determined that because of approaching darkness, bad weather and the fact they were low fuel, he would attempt to land in the A Shau rather than risk the return trip under these hazardous conditions. As the aircraft was descending through a cloud layer, the pilot could find no suitable landing area. As the gunship’s fuel supply ran out, the aircrew attempted to set it down in the trees. The gunship landed hard, falling through the thick forest and knocking the pilot out cold. He did not regain consciousness until the following morning.
Capt. Andrews examined Robert Watkins and found his body was ice cold with no heart beat or pulse. The Cobra’s radio was rendered useless during the crash landing. Unable to call for help, Robert Andrews concluded his only option was to attempt to walk out to a recognized area since no one had any idea where to start searching for them. Likewise, he believed his best chance for recovery was to head in a general westerly direction. Five days later, Capt. Andrews was picked up by search and rescue (SAR) personnel who were searching for the downed aircrew.
Based on information provided by the pilot, all search efforts intensified in the border region where the Laotian province of Salavan and South Vietnamese province of Thua Thien meet. However, all attempts to locate the aircraft in the rugged, dense jungle proved fruitless. Robert Watkins was immediately listed Killed in Action/Body Not Recovered.”
Bio Sourced From: Together We Served
