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Bob Kalsu

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Bob Kalsu
Birth nameJames Robert Kalsu
Born(1945-04-13)April 13, 1945
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
DiedJuly 21, 1970(1970-07-21) (aged 25)
FSB Ripcord, Thua Thien, South Vietnam
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branch United States Army
Years of service1968–1970
Rank First lieutenant
Unit 101st Airborne Division
Battles / warsVietnam War
Awards Bronze Star
Purple Heart
American football career
No. 61
Position:Guard
Personal information
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school:Del City (Del City, Oklahoma)
College:Oklahoma
NFL draft:1968 / round: 8 / pick: 199
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference
Kalsu's name (third row, middle) on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

James Robert Kalsu (April 13, 1945 – July 21, 1970) was an American professional football player who was an All-American tackle at the University of Oklahoma and an eighth-round selection in the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL).[1] Kalsu joined the U.S. Army as an officer after the 1968 season and was killed in action in the Vietnam War in 1970.

Kalsu was one of two professional football players killed in the Vietnam War and the last to be killed serving as a soldier in a war until Pat Tillman in 2004.

Biography

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James Robert Kalsu was born on 13 April 1945 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and attended Del City High School. Kalsu was a starting guard for the Buffalo Bills in the 1968 season, playing the entire season and was the Bills' team rookie-of-the-year.[2]

Following the 1968 season, to satisfy his Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) obligation, Kalsu entered the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant and arrived in South Vietnam in November 1969 as part of the 101st Airborne Division. On July 21, 1970, Kalsu was killed in action at the Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord when his unit came under enemy 82-millimeter mortar fire while stationed near the A Shau Valley in Thua Thien Province.[1][3] His family has declined to talk in detail about the circumstances surrounding his death.

When Kalsu had left for South Vietnam, Kalsu had to say goodbye to his wife, Jan, and his daughter Jill. On July 23, 1970, two days after his death, Jan gave birth to his son, James Robert Kalsu Jr, at the Kalsu home in Oklahoma City, and was informed that he had died only hours later. Kalsu was one of two professional football players killed in action during the Vietnam War along with Don Steinbrunner, a former Cleveland Brown player who died on July 20, 1967. Kalsu and Steinbrunner were the first professional players to be killed in action since Al Blozis of the New York Football Giants died during World War II in 1945. Kalsu remained the last professional player to be killed in action until Pat Tillman died in the Afghanistan War in 2004.

Legacy

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  • FOB Kalsu in Babil, Iraq, was founded and named after him by the 105th Military Police Company from Buffalo, New York, in early 2003. The name was chosen in a way to honor his sacrifice for his country and his connection to the Buffalo Bills.
  • In 1999, NFL Films produced a feature on Kalsu that was nominated for an Emmy Award.[3]
  • In 2000, the Buffalo Bills added Kalsu's name to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame.[3][4][5]
  • In 2002, the replacement company at Fort Campbell was named in honor of him – 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company.[3]
  • Del City High School's football stadium bears his name.
  • There is a CrossFit Work Out of the Day (WOD) named in his honor.[6]
  • There is a post office in Del City, Oklahoma, named for Kalsu. The legislation was signed in law by President Barack Obama on November 5, 2015, and the post office was dedicated on November 5, 2016. The official name of the post office is the James Robert Kalsu Post Office, located at 4500 SE 28th Street in Del City, where Kalsu played high school football before enrolling at the University of Oklahoma.[7]

Awards and decorations

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Badge Parachutist Badge
1st Row Bronze Star Medal
2nd Row Purple Heart Medal Army Commendation Medal National Defense Service Medal
3rd Row Vietnam Service Medal
with 3 bronze Campaign stars 		South Vietnamese Gallantry Cross
with Palm 		Vietnam Campaign Medal

See also

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  • Elmer Gedeon and Harry O'Neill – the two Major League Baseball players killed in World War II.
  • Tim James – Basketball player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army on September 12, 2008.

References

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  1. ^ a b Nack, William (July 23, 2001). "A Name On The Wall: Football player Bob Kalsu was the only U.S. pro athlete to die in Vietnam". Sports Illustrated. p. 60.
  2. ^ Rockin’ the Rockpile: The Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, p. 567, Jeffrey J. Miller, ECW Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55022-797-0
  3. ^ a b c d Rockin’ the Rockpile, p. 513
  4. ^ "Bills honor Vietnam casualty". Beaver County Times. Pennsylvania. wire services. November 13, 2000. p. B4.
  5. ^ Brown, Chris (May 30, 2011). "Bills teammates still remember Kalsu". Buffalo Bills. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ^ "CrossFit Football | Strength & Conditioning for the Power Athlete". Archived from the original on February 14, 2011. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  7. ^ "Congressman Russell to Dedicate James Robert Kalsu Post Office". February 3, 2016. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
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