Veterans Day: Captain Bob Akers

Robert (Bob) L. Akers, Jr. retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of captain in 1972. Prior to his retirement he had quite a career.

Bob served in the US Navy (1958-1962) and US Army (1963-1972) and retired after almost 21 years of service. While in the Navy he served aboard the USS Shangri La (CVA-38), USS Walker (DDR-517) and USS Mount Katmai (AE-16). Additionally he spent two years of shore duty in Sasebo, Japan.

He entered the Army in 1963 and after a three year tour in Germany, attended OCS (Officer Candidate School) upon his return from overseas. After OCS he served at Fort Polk as a basic training company executive officer and later as a company commander.

He attended rotor wing flight school and served in Viet Nam in 1969-1970 as an Operations Officer in a Combat Assault Helicopter Company, a gunship pilot, an operations officer at the battalion level and in the twilight of his tour was appointed the Battalion Command Post Forward, Commander.

His helicopter was shot down in August 1969 and he was severely wounded. After Viet Nam he served another tour in Germany and after, at Fort McPherson in East Point, where he retired from active duty in 1972.

After retirement, he served as a Senior Army Instructor for Atlanta Public Schools teaching Army JROTC for more than twenty years. He retired in 2002 from the school system having spent more that forty-two years in uniform.

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