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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly WI '61
ROBERT JOHNSON HEFFERON No.15443
Class of 1946 Drowned August 31, 1958 in a sailboat accident
on Lake Ontario, Canada, aged 34 years. |
A deeply religious man, a devoted father, and a dedicated
soldier-"Rob" was all three, and each was reflected
in the other two. As a Company Commander in Korea, he kept constantly
in mind the dignity and individuality of each man in his command.
He thought much of his responsibility to them. His sense of fairness,
blended with a Christian compassion, carried for him their respect
and affection. His basic premise was that the best possible support,
given freedom from harassment, given a clear picture of what
had to be done and why it had to be done, the American soldier
would produce the best that was in him. Most times he was right.
The foregoing paragraph attempts to portray the serious side
of a seemingly unserious man, for Rob gave the impression of
being a carefree spirit. His manner was relaxed; his sense of
humor, close to the surface. He was an eager participant in any
type of social affair, He was well liked by all who knew him.
He extracted the most possible enjoyment from each unforgiving
minute.
This buoyancy was not destroyed by what most of us would have
considered a bitter turn of events. Having served his time in
Korea, Rob was denied a relatively comfortable billet in Tokyo
and was sent North instead as the Ordnance Maintenance Officer
for the 24th Division. Within days, the Division, and Rob, was
back in Korea for another tour. He later returned to Northern
Japan to serve two years as the Ordnance Maintenance Officer
of the XVI Corps. His reaction to all this was gratitude for
having had the opportunity to obtain experience in Ordnance maintenance
at three different levels.
He was still seeking maintenance experience when he moved
into a new field of materiel: special weapons. After three years
of schooling at the Ordnance School, at Sandia Base, and at the
Canadian C & GS, he was ready to move on to greater responsibilities.
His untimely death prevented it.
The tragedy that took both Marge and Rob was a shock beyond
description. Rob would have had faith that it was the will of
his Creator and not to be challenged. We can do no less.
-James K. Hoey Class of 1946
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