Almost 20 people from six states who gathered for a family reunion in Clifton this week headed to downtown Waco to pay a visit to the Waco Vietnam Veterans Memorial and see the name Robert L. Springer etched in black granite.
The family is now spread across the United States and had not held a reunion since 1981.
James Springer said when his big brother, who the family called R.L., died serving his country he was already a decorated soldier and was awarded with three high medals after his death, including the Silver Star.
Waco native 1st Lt. Robert L. Springer Jr. was killed in Vietnam on May 5, 1968.
James Springer, of Colorado, said he was an instructor in the Marine Corps when he learned of his brother’s death.
“It was like, if you saw the movie, ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ when my brother was killed I was the sole surviving son. They yanked me back from overseas,” James Springer said. “They told me I’d never go overseas again.”
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He said their father died during World War II when they were young, leaving Robert Springer Jr., who was two years older than him, to care for him and their sister.
“He pretty much raised me,” James Springer said.
Their older sister, Mary Darst, of Houston, teased James that he was the spoiled youngest of the family. R.L. was the peacemaker, she said.
“He was the good guy in our trio,” Darst said.
James Springer named his son Robert L. Springer III.
In addition to the Silver Star Medal awarded the month Robert Springer Jr. died, he also earned a Bronze Star Medal with an oak leaf cluster, indicating it was awarded a second time, and “V,” indicating it was awarded for valor; and an Army Commendation Medal with an oak leaf cluster and a “V.”
“If you know anything about the medals, the Silver Star is a big deal,” James Springer said. “But a Silver Star and two Bronze Stars and two Army Commendations and two Purple Hearts is, well that’s a big deal.”
His other medals included the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with rifle bar and the Good Conduct Medal.
“He was an officer, and the only way I could be better than him was to be an enlisted Marine as opposed to an Army officer,” James Springer said with a laugh.
Robert Springer Jr.’s Silver Star was awarded for gallantry in action in Vietnam on March 10, 1968. He and several men in the platoon he was leading were wounded by enemy small-arms fire, according to Tribune-Herald archives. He moved to assist his radio telephone operator who had fallen into a canal and could not stay afloat because of his wounds. Springer held the man above water level until a medical corpsman could arrive, according to Tribune-Herald archives.
The Bronze Star Medal was awarded for heroism in Vietnam Feb. 27, 1968. His platoon came under fire and he noticed one man was pinned down by heavy fire. He positioned himself on an open trail and drew the enemy fire away from the trapped man and was able to silence the enemy position with rifle fire, according to Tribune-Herald archives.
Springer’s cousin, Wayde Dansby, said this was a very different type of family reunion. Dansby said he did not know the Waco memorial existed but once he heard of its origins he knew the family needed to include a visit to the site in the reunion.
“I like it,” Dansby said. “I’m glad he’s honored. This is beautiful.”
When the Waco Vietnam Veterans Memorial was first dedicated on May 15, 2004, the black Indian granite marker included the names of 64 McLennan County veterans who died while serving in Vietnam. Work to create the memorial started after Manuel Sustaita, founder and now president of the Waco Citizens for a Vietnam Veterans Memorial, took a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.