Letter to the editor: Brother saved lives during war, recently celebrated 85th birthday

My big brother, Robert L. Bryant (Bobby), had his 85th birthday on Aug. 8. I thank God for taking care of him.

Bobby graduated from Edmunds High School on June 5, 1959. Four years later he graduated from The Citadel. He entered the Army and ended up in Danang, Viet Nam, as Col. Bryant, base commander. Known for their choppers with sharks' teeth painted on them.

As a child, I liked to find errors in the paper and circle them.

Mom got a letter from him, and we both answered him. He answered mine but said, "If you edit this, I will not write you again." Needless to say, there have been many cards and letters since.

One day his unit was flying over Laos, and one of the choppers was shot down. Bob radioed to base that he was going down to get the men out. They radioed back, "They are all dead. Come back to the base." He cut his radio off and went down and pulled eight of the nine out alive. I ran into one of them in Manning at SAFE Federal last year. When asked if he wanted to put in for a medal, he said, "Could I get a case of toilet paper instead?"

After returning home, he put in to adopt an orphan from Viet Nam. He was sent an 18-month-old boy from the orphanage in Danang. Jeremy Robert Bryant retired after spending 20 years in the Army.

Bob and his wife, Patricia, live in Vermont.

BETTY JEAN COLEMAN

Summerton