Robert A. Hefford was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1933. His family lived in Melrose, north of Boston throughout his childhood years. After graduating from Melrose High School, Bob then went through Northeastern University, in Boston, where he graduated in June 1957 as a Distinguished Military Graduate of the Army ROTC program. He was commissioned as a Regular Army Second Lieutenant, Signal Corps. After Officers Basic Course he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he went through Airborne training and received his parachutists badge. He was then accepted for flight training, received his Army Aviator rating at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1958, and qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1959.
He then served a three-year European tour where he commanded the Headquarters Troop to the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, Germany. Upon return to the United States, he attended the Armor Officer Advanced Course, and after graduation in 1964, he served the first of his two tours in Vietnam as an Army Aviator. Captain Hefford served that year, during 1964 and 1965, assigned to the 13th Aviation (Delta) Battalion where he flew armed UH-1B (the B-Model Huey gunship) helicopters with the 121st Aviation Company in Soc Trang.
Upon return to the U.S., Bob was an instructor pilot at the Aviation Center in Fort Rucker until his reassignment to Vietnam in 1967. During this second tour, Major Robert Hefford commanded B Troop, 7th Squadron (Air), 17th Cavalry.
During his two assignments as a pilot, and later as commander of a unit of gunship helicopters, there were many intense engagements with the enemy; that being the nature of their work. The aircraft that he flew were hit and damaged by enemy fire on numerous occasions. By the time he had seen his last combat he had received the Purple Heart and multiple awards for valor, including the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism, the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army Commendation Medal with V-Device. The citation for one of those is shown here.
CITATION
The Silver Star
Date of action: 21 January 1968
Robert A Hefford, Major, Armor, Troop B, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry, is awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action, 21 January 1968 while serving as a mission commander during the TET offensive, an enemy force attacked the provincial capital of Kontum. He was performing low level recon in advance of the friendly force when he engaged enemy forces. In an attempt to force the enemy into an exposed position he made repeated firing passes with rockets and mini-guns to protect friendly ground forces. As his aircraft received seven hits from hostile fire, which (also) wounded him in the face, hand, leg and one eye, he observed an OH-6A helicopter hit by hostile fire which wounded the pilot and killed the scout observer. He placed his helicopter between them and the hostile forces in order to draw enemy fire onto himself. After the extraction he landed at Kontum airfield and transferred the wounded personnel to his aircraft and delivered them to the hospital at Pleiku despite his wounds he continued to perform his mission. His extraordinary heroism in close combat against a large enemy force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
After returning from Vietnam for the last time in 1968, Robert Hefford had additional noteworthy assignments. He served a Pentagon assignment in the Army Aviation Directorate, then as a Lt Col he was Commander, 1st Sqdn (Air), 17th Cavalry, 82nd Airborne Division. He later served as Commander of the Dallas District of the Recruiting Command. His first position after promotion to Colonel in 1979 was Director of Armor Aviation of the Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In 1981 he became Senior Army Advisor to the Adjutant General, Texas Army National Guard in Austin. He retired from the military there in 1984.
Following military service, Bob was employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety as Plans and Operations Officer for the Governors Division of Emergency Management, and by the Texas Department of Insurance as Director of Research and Special Projects, retiring in 1994. He is married to the former Valerie Ann Mitchell of Providence, Rhode Island, they have five children, and seven grandchildren. Patriot Col. (Ret.) Robert (Bob) Hefford passed away Saturday, May 26, 2018 in Georgetown, Texas.