By Madhuri Dey
Dec. 24, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Robert L. Howard, better known by his nickname Bob Howard, passed away on Wednesday in Waco. He was seventy years old at the time of his death. He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer for a very long time. He held the post of a colonel in the army and had served gallantly in Vietnam for many years. The most significant aspect of his career is that he is one of the most adorned and admired soldiers of the United States. He was nominated for the Medal of Honor three times, the only soldier to have had this honor.

Bob Howard passed away sometime in noon at a hospital in Waco. He had been admitted in the hospital for about three weeks, ever since his health had deteriorated dramatically. The news of his demise was conveyed by a close family friend, Benito Guerrero, who had served alongside the colonel as a sergeant major in Vietnam. Bob Howard will be buried in Washington D.C., at the Arlington National Cemetery, accompanied by all the ceremonies that are performed in the burial of a soldier. A memorial service will be held at San Antonio.

Bob Howard is survived by three children. He will be remembered as the man who had not bid goodbye to his military life even after retirement, as one with extraordinary valor and commitment to the country. He had been nominated thrice for the Medal of Honor, but as it could be conferred on one person only once, was not awarded the two other times. His peers have commented that he actually deserved all three.