Robert Kennedy and Don Holleder, 1964
Published: December 9, 2011
Steve Stibbens ©Stars and Stripes
South Korea, January, 1964: Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy talks with one of his sports heroes, U.S. Army Capt. Don Holleder, during a visit to South Korea. Holleder, coach of the undefeated 1963 Far East champion 7th Infantry Div. Bayonets football team, was an All-American player at West Point who was drafted by the New York Giants but opted to stay in the military. When the fighting in Vietnam intensified in 1967, he asked to be sent there. On October 17, 1967, he was killed by a sniper's bullet while trying to rescue wounded soldiers who had been caught in an ambush. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1985, and the indoor sports center at West Point is named in his honor.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Stars and Stripes' story about RFK's visit to South Korea and meeting with Don Holleder.
A video documentary about Don Holleder, Part 1 | Part 2
