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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/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1968–1970
RankFirst lieutenant
Unit101st Airborne Division
Battles/warsVietnam War
AwardsBronze 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
Player stats atPFR
Kalsu's name (third row, middle) on theVietnam Veterans Memorial

James Robert Kalsu(April 13, 1945 – July 21, 1970) was an Americanfootballplayer who was anAll-Americantackle at theUniversity of Oklahomaand aneighth-roundselection in the1968 NFL/AFL draftby theBuffalo Billsof theAmerican Football League(AFL).[1]Kalsu joined theU.S. Armyas anofficerafter the 1968 season and waskilled in actionin theVietnam Warin 1970.

Kalsu was one of twoprofessional footballplayers killed in the Vietnam War and the last to be killed serving as a soldier in a war untilPat Tillmanin 2004.

Biography

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James Robert Kalsu was born on 13 April 1945 inOklahoma City,Oklahoma,and attendedDel City High School.Kalsu was a starting guard for theBuffalo Billsin the1968 season,playing the entire season and was the Bills' teamrookie-of-the-year.[2]

Following the 1968 season, to satisfy hisReserve Officers' Training Corps(ROTC) obligation, Kalsu entered theU.S. Armyas asecond lieutenantand arrived inSouth Vietnamin November 1969 as part of the101st Airborne Division.On July 21, 1970, Kalsu waskilled in actionat theBattle of Fire Support Base Ripcordwhen his unit came under enemy 82-millimetermortarfire while stationed near theA Shau ValleyinThua 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 twoprofessional footballplayers killed in action during the Vietnam War along withDon Steinbrunner,a formerCleveland Brownplayer who died on July 20, 1967. Kalsu and Steinbrunner were the first professional players to be killed in action sinceAl Blozisof theNew York Football Giantsdied duringWorld War IIin 1945. Kalsu remained the last professional player to be killed in action untilPat Tillmandied in theAfghanistan Warin 2004.

Legacy

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  • FOB KalsuinBabil,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 Filmsproduced a feature on Kalsu that was nominated for anEmmy 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 atFort Campbellwas named in honor of him – 1LT J. Robert Kalsu Replacement Company.[3]
  • Del City High School's football stadium bears his name.
  • There is aCrossFitWork Out of the Day (WOD) named in his honor.[6]
  • There is a post office inDel City, Oklahoma,named for Kalsu. The legislation was signed in law by PresidentBarack Obamaon 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 bronzeCampaign stars 		South Vietnamese Gallantry Cross
with Palm 		Vietnam Campaign Medal

See also

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  • Elmer GedeonandHarry 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. ^abNack, 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,ISBN978-1-55022-797-0
  3. ^abcdRockin’ 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 fromthe originalon March 1, 2016.RetrievedFebruary 19,2016.
  6. ^"CrossFit Football | Strength & Conditioning for the Power Athlete".Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2011.RetrievedOctober 6,2010.
  7. ^"Congressman Russell to Dedicate James Robert Kalsu Post Office".February 3, 2016. Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2016.RetrievedMarch 25,2016.
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