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Contact Info
Home Town El Reno, Oklahoma
Last Address San Antonio, Texas
Date of Passing Apr 20, 2004
Location of Interment Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery (VA) - San Antonio, Texas
CSM Chilton was a veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Served in Africa, Italy, France and Germany during World War II. In Vietnam he was the Command Sergeant for the 101st Airborne Division, 3rd Brigade. Retired as Command Sergeant Major. Recipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with "V" device with one oak leaf cluster, Meritorious Service, Air Medal with 5 oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Infantryman's Badge and Master Parachustist Badge. Preceded in death by his parents, William and Pearl Chilton; son, William Robert Chilton. Information extracted from obituary in San Antonio Express News, April 23, 2004.
Robert C. Chilton was born and raised in El Reno Oklahoma. In 1942, at 18 years of age,
he joined the US Army in Oklahoma City. Trained in Ft. Sill OK and Camp Wallace, TX, then to New York where
he boarded the "Gripsholm", a Swedish Liner converted for troops. Nov.8, 1942, Pvt. Robert C. Chilton landed in North Africa and fought the duration of the African Campaign with the 1st Armored Division. Sept.9, 1943
he was in the Salerno, Italy invasion followed by the Anzio Italy beach head encounter, then on to southern France, 1944. Crossing the Rhine River into Germany at Worms, battles were fought through Stutgart and Nuremberg and then on into Austria. When the war in Europe ended May 1945,
he was in Salzburg, Austria, having been in WWII 2 years and 11 months.
He returned home on the Queen Mary arriving in New York Oct.1945.
He graduated from Ft. Benning GA and became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, NC. Here
he gained the rank of 1st Sergeant. From there, a family accompanied tour to Germany and two one-year tours to Korea followed. In 1968,
he was among the first to receive the then new rank of Command Sergeant Major. This same year, 1968,
he went to Vietnam where
he was with the 101st Airborne Division.
His last battle before returning to the United States was "Hamburger Hill".
His last tour of duty was in Ft. Myer, VA where
he was the Command Sergeant Major of the "Presidents Honor Guard" - 3rd Infantry Old Guard.
He retired on June 30, 1972 with 30 years service having served in the Infantry, Armor, Airborne and Intelligence Units. Command Sergeant Major Robert C. Chilton, Retired, now lives in San Antonio, TX near Ft. Sam Houston and remains active in military affairs.
He is 1999 President of the Alamo Chapter 82nd Airborne Association.
Description This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.
