Every evening when I was a child, I would come in to eat family dinner. The news would be on and they would be talking about American casualties in Vietnam. Even as a kid, I could feel the fear rising up in my gut. I just knew I was going to Vietnam and I was afraid.

Yes, I would have been scared to go, but I would have been even more afraid of dodging the draft.

Running from the draft was something I never could have done. Vietnam was my war and I was destined to go and maybe die in Southeast Asia.

But, it was never to be. I was still in high school when the conflict finally ended.

I was willing to go and face my fear.

Although, I didn’t do it at that time, facing fear is kind of my thing. I was afraid of public speaking, heights and roller coasters. One by one, I knocked those out. But, I never had a shot at knocking out my fear of being shot at on a battlefield.

Times have changed drastically in football since the years of my youth. Maybe the biggest change is

the size of the players.

A 250 pound Offensive Lineman back in those days was considered more than big enough. Now, he’d have to bulk up 50 or 60 pounds at least if he wanted to ever see the field.

The Oklahoma Sooners were coached by Chuck Fairbanks and they won the Big 8 Conference in 1967 with a 10-1 record. The Sooners were led by Quarterback Bobby Warmack, future Heisman winner Steve Owens at Running Back, Offensive Guard Bob Kalsu and Tight End Steve Zabel. On the defensive side of the football, they were led by All American Nose Guard Granville Liggins.

Too small by today’s standards at 6-3, 235, Offensive Guard Bob Kalsu was big enough for the day to make the All American team.

He was also big enough for the Buffalo Bills to use an 8th round draft pick on him. Kalsu was also big enough and good enough to start the entire 1968 season for the Bills and to be named their team rookie of the year.

It appeared that Bob Kalsu had a bright future in the NFL.

But, while a student at Oklahoma, the Dell City, Oklahoma native joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps otherwise known as the ROTC. To fulfill his obligation to the ROTC, he needed to do time in the military. He could have gotten out of it, but he chose not to.
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Bob Kalsu, right in the middle of a blossoming NFL career, was shipped off to Vietnam in 1969. He was married and had a baby girl already and his wife was pregnant.

Kalsu was a 2nd Lieutenant in 101st Airborne, but his unit came under heavy mortar fire and he was tragically killed in July of 1970.

 

There were quite a few NFL players killed during World War II, but only Kalsu and Don Steinbrunner were killed in Vietnam.

That fact didn’t make things any easier on his family and friends. His daughter and son that was born about the same time he was killed never got to know him.

 

 

Over 58,000 Americans were killed in Vietnam including Bob Kalsu. A lot of other Americans had their lives ruined over there. The healthy ones returning home were spit on and called Baby Killers in the airports and other places. Ones returning to school were often told by college professors that they might as well drop the class because they were not going to pass.

It was a senseless and tragic war and the veterans were mistreated by other Americans that were

against the war.

Today, when a military person is seen in an airport people thank them for their service. Often, they will get a standing ovation by civilians. That’s awesome, but I knew guys a few years older than me that were the ones being spit on and cursed.

It’s a little late now, but thanks Vietnam vets for not running off to Canada and serving your country.

Thanks Bob Kalsu of Dell City, Oklahoma for your service. You have more than my respect and I am so sorry that you never got to know your children.