The 35th Infantry Regiment Association salutes our fallen brother, SP4 Robert George Guinn, who died in the service of his country on June 4th, 1970 in Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam. The cause of death was listed as Small Arms/AW. At the time of his death Robert was 20 years of age. He was from Lincoln Park, Michigan. Robert is honored on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Panel 9W, Line 7.
The decorations earned by SP4 Robert George Guinn include: the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm Unit Citation.
(A neat bee story from his good buddy and medic, Jim "Doc" Hall)
After we came out of Cambodia in mid-May 1970 Bravo Company 2/35th was assigned to guard engineers who were clearing back the brush outside the wire at Camp Radcliffe. This was by far the easiest duty that we had during my time there.
As a medic I was pretty well allowed to hang out anywhere I chose to during this time so naturally I chose to hang out with my buddy Guinn.
On this particular day I was sitting on a fallen log and Guinn started one of his stories.
Now when Guinn got started with a story he put everything he had into it. He talked with his hands and arms. He danced around on his feet. He swiveled his hips. His ears twitched. He bobbed to the left and the right. And He started laughing before he got even close to a punch line.
So Guinn started a story. He hadn't gotten very far when this little bee came around and started buzzing at his head. While going through all his other story mode gyrations he also started swatting at the bee to shoo him away.
The bee left and Guinn forgot where he was in the story so started all over again but soon the bee was back. Guinn was twitching and dancing and laughing and swatting at the bee and soon lost track of his story but he got the bee shoo'd away for the 2nd time. And I started laughing.
Again Guinn re-started the story with all the requisite movements and again the bee returned and buzzed his head. I was laughing and Guinn was getting a bit miffed by the whole thing but he managed to chase the bee one more time.
After the bee's retreat I was laughing so hard at the site of this that I almost fell off my log. Guinn for once didn't see the humor in it and I told him "it's just a little bee, it won't hurt you, leave it alone."
Well, Guinn calmed down and started his story all over again with none of the body movements left out of the mix when again the little bee made his appearance. This time it wasted no time. It immediately flew to me and stung me under my right eye.
Now it was Guinn's turn to lose it. He fell down laughing.
Within a few minutes the right side of my face blew up to twice its size and my eye closed. When we got back to Camp an hour or two later Guinn insisted that we have a picture taken of the two of us. One of my most prized possessions is that picture of Guinn and I side by side with Guinn looking at my swollen eye and laughing.
About 3 weeks after this Guinn was killed by a sniper as he sat helping to secure a landing zone for resupply. I got there as quickly as I could but it was just too late. I couldn't help my old buddy.
Rest in peace old Friend. I love you Buddy. ---- Doc Hall
Robert is buried in Ferndale Cemetery, Riverside, MI
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