Posted by David E. Hurley on March 21, 2026:

What a great man! Warrior, teacher, author, thinker, historian, linguist and great friend. From humble beginnings Bob rose to heights and will be remembered long after his passing by academics, friends, and classmates and the many graduates of West Point who he touched in his tenure as Professor of History. He was my roommate and long time friend. He came out for my second wedding to be a groomsman and take us back to our youth. He was the "Plebe Parent" for my son when he attended West Point. We had the commissioning ceremony in his back yard. Bob was always ready to tell me something about the US entry into WWI that I didn't know, and it was a lot. In some ways he changed the way historians thought about that time in WWI. How many of us can lay claim to that? All you had to do was ask and he would do. But what I remember Bob most for was that he was the man who got me through Ranger School as my Ranger Buddy. As a city boy I was lost in the woods, but Bob knew his craft and would say to me, "You can eat that bush, but don't eat that one!" And then we would have a good laugh remembering. Remembering...that's what I will do often thinking about Bob and remembering.

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