Meet Robert (call me Bobby) VandeLinde
Bob VandeLinde was born on December 20, 1929, in Hamlin, West Virginia, the son of Dennie and Mabel VandeLinde. Bob VandeLinde graduated from Hamlin High School in 1947 and participated in baseball, basketball, football and boxing. At the age of 17, Bob VandeLinde entered Marshall College where he made the varsity football team, which played in the 1947 Tangerine Bowl. Bob VandeLinde enlisted in the US Army in 1948 and took his basic training under the famed 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SFC VandeLinde was awarded his Airborne and Glider Wings on April 1, 1949, at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was then assigned to Company K, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. SFC Bob VandeLinde's regiment landed in Korea on September 25, 1950, three months after the start of the Korean War. While behind enemy lines, SFC VandeLinde made two combat jumps. The first jump was north of Pyongyang at Sukchon and Sunchon and their mission included recapturing American prisoners while engaging 6,000 enemy troops. SFC Bob VandeLinde was wounded on October 22, 1950, while serving with Company K, 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, near Sukchon, Korea, while leading an eight-man forward outpost and protecting his company from a surprise attack. Some sixty years later, his actions on this night were recognized when SFC VandeLinde was awarded the prestigious Silver Star in a July 22, 2011 ceremony at the National D-day Memorial.SFC Bob VandeLinde made his second combat jump on March 23, 1951, at Munsan-ni, approximately 20 miles from Seoul. SFC VandeLinde's company fought in many other battles including Bloody Inji, Hill 342-Wonju, and Punggi Pass, and he was wounded on two other occasions. SFC Bob VandeLinde distinguished himself on many occasions and is the recipient of many awards including the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Presidential Citation, Navy/Marine Citation, Korean Service Medal with four combat stars and one arrow head; Korean War Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army of Occupation Medal; and upon his return from Korea in 1951, SFC Bob VandeLinde met Jean Ella Vickers. Bob and Ella Jean were married on March 6, 1952, and have two sons, Terry and Marvin, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Bob VandeLinde is the author of three books on the military. The first, A Tribute to Lincoln County Veterans, covers Lincoln County Veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, and the proceeds from the sale of this book were donated to assist Lincoln County band students. The second book, RESPECT: Forgotten Heroes, features the stories and experiences of forty individual Veterans. The third book, KOREA: Why Were We There? What Were We Fighting For?, was partly autobiographical and written to help people realize the sacrifices that our service members made to bring freedom to South Korea. On August 12, 2011, Bob VandeLinde was declared "Warrior of the Day" by the Wounded Warriors organization. The following day, fifty-nine years after he last donned a parachute during the Korean War, Bob VandeLinde took to the skies as a guest of the Wounded Warriors and jumped out of an airplane in tandem with a US Navy SEAL. Bob VandeLinde is a proud American and veteran who enjoys speaking to service clubs, VFW's, American Legions and schools about patriotism, military history and personal experiences.
Bob VandeLinde was born on December 20, 1929, in Hamlin, West Virginia, the son of Dennie and Mabel VandeLinde. Bob VandeLinde graduated from Hamlin High School in 1947 and participated in baseball, basketball, football and boxing. At the age of 17, Bob VandeLinde entered Marshall College where he made the varsity football team, which played in the 1947 Tangerine Bowl. Bob VandeLinde enlisted in the US Army in 1948 and took his basic training under the famed 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SFC VandeLinde was awarded his Airborne and Glider Wings on April 1, 1949, at Fort Benning, Georgia, and was then assigned to Company K, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. SFC Bob VandeLinde's regiment landed in Korea on September 25, 1950, three months after the start of the Korean War. While behind enemy lines, SFC VandeLinde made two combat jumps. The first jump was north of Pyongyang at Sukchon and Sunchon and their mission included recapturing American prisoners while engaging 6,000 enemy troops. SFC Bob VandeLinde was wounded on October 22, 1950, while serving with Company K, 3d Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, near Sukchon, Korea, while leading an eight-man forward outpost and protecting his company from a surprise attack. Some sixty years later, his actions on this night were recognized when SFC VandeLinde was awarded the prestigious Silver Star in a July 22, 2011 ceremony at the National D-day Memorial.SFC Bob VandeLinde made his second combat jump on March 23, 1951, at Munsan-ni, approximately 20 miles from Seoul. SFC VandeLinde's company fought in many other battles including Bloody Inji, Hill 342-Wonju, and Punggi Pass, and he was wounded on two other occasions. SFC Bob VandeLinde distinguished himself on many occasions and is the recipient of many awards including the Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Badge, Korean Presidential Citation, Navy/Marine Citation, Korean Service Medal with four combat stars and one arrow head; Korean War Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army of Occupation Medal; and upon his return from Korea in 1951, SFC Bob VandeLinde met Jean Ella Vickers. Bob and Ella Jean were married on March 6, 1952, and have two sons, Terry and Marvin, eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Bob VandeLinde is the author of three books on the military. The first, A Tribute to Lincoln County Veterans, covers Lincoln County Veterans from the Civil War to the Vietnam War, and the proceeds from the sale of this book were donated to assist Lincoln County band students. The second book, RESPECT: Forgotten Heroes, features the stories and experiences of forty individual Veterans. The third book, KOREA: Why Were We There? What Were We Fighting For?, was partly autobiographical and written to help people realize the sacrifices that our service members made to bring freedom to South Korea. On August 12, 2011, Bob VandeLinde was declared "Warrior of the Day" by the Wounded Warriors organization. The following day, fifty-nine years after he last donned a parachute during the Korean War, Bob VandeLinde took to the skies as a guest of the Wounded Warriors and jumped out of an airplane in tandem with a US Navy SEAL. Bob VandeLinde is a proud American and veteran who enjoys speaking to service clubs, VFW's, American Legions and schools about patriotism, military history and personal experiences.