TABB, ROBERT ERNEST

RIP  8 January 2018

Name: Robert Ernest Tabb
Branch/Rank: UNITED STATES ARMY/E6
Unit:  A/7/17 CAV
Date of Birth:  4 April 1945
Home City of Record:
Date of Loss: 12-April-70
Country of Loss: SOUTH VIETNAM
Loss Coordinates: 144630 North  1073905 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: OH1A #16634
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno: 1593

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews and CACCF = Combined Action
Combat Casualty File.  Updated with information from JJ-M - VHPA 2017.
2020 w/information from Christian Rice.

REMARKS: 730327 RELEASED BY PRG      U.S. thought MIA

ALIVE IN 96/RET MSGT/LIVES GEORGIA

 

Subject:   Update information on POW Robert Ernest Tabb
Date:   Tue, 1 Aug 2017 00:48:22 +0000 (UTC)
From:   Justin Jackson-Mann 
   
https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/panel/battle/70041420.HTM  gives the description of
how he was taken prisoner and who was lost with him.  His unit was the A/7/17 CAV

 
A/7/17 CAV 
Incident reference: 70041230.KIA 
This information is available on CD-ROM. 

 
Kontum Province, II Corps, South Vietnam Location, Hill 763 Description: A/7/17th
Cav reported returning to the Hill 763 area and reopening the search for the missing
crew, from the OH-6A lost on the 12th. On the first pass, the Scouts received only
light fire so the Blues were inserted. Because of heavy fire and direct hits on some
of the Lift ships, only 14 men made it into the LZ. They began to work their way to
the crash site, only to find the pilot dead and the observer missing. They came upon
a bunker and an AA weapon being manned by the NVA. They quickly silenced the
weapons and killed all the occupants of the bunker. The pilot's body was immediately
flown back to the base camp. 
 
Note the pilot was CPT Gus Robinson and the Observer was SP4 Robert Tabb.
Tabb was captured by the NVA and released in 1973. 
 
Comments: CPT Robinson, Gus Blakely; pilot; KIA OF; SP4 Tabb, Robert Ernest;
observer; POW; 

 
The source for this information was A/7/17 history by WO1 Charles E. Smith III

 
http://www.vhpa.org/KIA/K11691.HTM info for Captain Gus Blakely Robinson
(for other person involved in the incident) who was killed during the action that
resulted in Tabb's capture and at the Virtual Wall at 
http://www.virtualwall.org/js/Profile.htm
 
 
The helicopter he went down in was an OH-6A Cayuse tail number 67-16634.