Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Uniform, Military |
Source |
Cedar Falls Historical Society |
Iowa History Era Tag |
Expansion, Confrontation & the Farm Crisis (1964-1990) |
Chronological Tag |
Postwar United States (1945-1970s) |
Catalog Number |
2018.018.023 |
Credit line |
Cedar Falls Historical Society - Cedar Falls, Iowa |
Description |
Pictured above is a U.S. Army military coat. This coat was worn by Lt. Robert Hibbs of the 2nd Battalion during the Vietnam War. Lt. Hibbs was in command of the 2nd Battalion on an observation mission to scout out Viet Cong companies. The company spotted an enemy company coming right for them. With Lt. Hibbs expertise, he prepared the men for an attack and emplaced two antipersonnel mines in their path. Once they got close, Lt. Hibbs detonated them. Lt. Hibbs was at the front lines to help his company retreat by throwing hand grenades at the charging Viet Cong. As the Battalion was retreating, they caught the second Viet Cong company by surprise. Lt. Hibbs charged right toward the Viet Cong and went to rescue the wounded US soldiers. While rescuing the wounded, Lt. Hibbs sacrificed himself so his comrades could escape. For his bravery and ultimate sacrifice, Lt. Robert Hibbs was given the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor a soldier can receive in the American Military. For any use other than instructional resources, please check with the organization that owns this item regarding copyright restrictions. |
Additional Research & Sources |
During the time of the Vietnam War (1964-1973), 115,000 Iowans were employed in the military. They played a major role in all aspects of the war from fighting in combat to National Guardsmen maintaining security within the United States. The Iowans that went to Vietnam were very young with the average age of men deployed being only 19 years old. Also, the majority of Iowans who went to Vietnam were from working class families. There were 5 Iowans who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, and only one, Lt. Robert J. Hibbs, received his postmortem. By the end of the war, there were 869 Iowans who had been killed in Vietnam including one of the very last soldiers to die, LCpl. Darwin Judge, who was killed on April 29, 1975. The war ended on April 30, 1975 with the fall of Saigon. The state of Iowa did not only send soldiers to Vietnam, but also food and supplies. Iowa produced corn for the Southeast Asia foreign aid program. Ordinance plants were reactivated in Burlington, Iowa. These ordinance plants made weaponry which helped the war effort. (iptv.org) Iowa Public Television Resource and Additional Information: Click Here Standard SS-US.9-12.2 Iowans Influence US History and Standard SS-WH.9-12.26 Iowans Influence World History: A lesson on Iowa and the Vietnam War could be created, specifically highlighting the story of Lt. Robert Hibbs. |
Primary/Secondary Source |
Significant - State/National |
County Tag |
Black Hawk |
People |
Hibbs, Robert |
Relation |
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Multimedia Links |
Click here to view/hear the file. |
Search Terms |
War War & Conflict Vietnam Militarism Military life Military uniforms Soldiers |
Legal Status |
Ownership of this resource is held by the Cedar Falls Historical Society and has been provided here for educational purposes only, specifically for use in the Iowa Museum Association's "Teaching Iowa History" project. It may not be downloaded, reproduced or distributed in any format without written permission from the Rights Holder. For information on U.S. and International copyright laws, consult an attorney. |
