Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History
Robin Bartlett '67 grew up in a three-generation military family, and as the Vietnam war escalated, he enrolled in ROTC when entering college at CMC in 1963. Upon graduation as a Distinguished Military Graduate, he volunteered for Infantry, Airborne, and Ranger training, and assignment to the famed 82d Airborne Division. He got everything he asked for…and more. He led his platoon on more than 50 helicopter combat assaults and search and destroy missions in I Corps parallel to the DMZ and Laotian border in South Vietnam.
His book, Vietnam Combat: Firefights and Writing History, published by Casemate Publishers in March 2023, relates his unusual experiences during that war...some horrific, some humorous. The book has recently won the Independent Publisher Book Award, the Army Historical Foundation Award, and the Military Writers Society of America award for Military Nonfiction. Bartlett holds a master’s degree in media from Pace University in NYC and a BA degree in Comparative Literature from Claremont McKenna College. He is employed by CMC as a Development Outreach Partner and volunteers as an alumni interviewer and Class Liaison for 1966, 67 and 68. He is the President of the NY/NJ Chapter of the 1st Cavalry Division Association, and lives with his wife in Norwood, New Jersey. They have three sons, none of whom have pursued military careers.
Bartlett is the Athenaeum's Veterans Day speaker for 2024, and his presentation is co-sponsored by the Kravis Leadership Institute and the ROTC Program at CMC.