Sam A. Roberts Col.

Colonel Sam Alfred Roberts, 95, passed away peacefully on Oct 1, 2014 at St. Patrick's Hospital in Missoula, Montana surrounded by his loving family. Roberts was born in Boise, Idaho to Sam and Gracia Roberts, who eventually moved to Helena, Montana.
Roberts was educated through high school in Helena. He attended the University of Montana, and was on the Grizzly football team. He later graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
He chose a career in the Army Air Corps in 1941. He later joined the U.S. Air force, and retired after 33 years as a full colonel.
His career led him around the world from pilot training in the Army Air Corps, New Mexico, bombing raids over Japan in WWII, to such places as Texas, Arizona, Washington, D.C., England, Vietnam and Nebraska.
His military assignments included Guam and the Pacific Rim during WWII to command positions at a bomb wing in New Mexico, Arizona, and Burma as Air Attaché to the U.S. Ambassador, Upper Heyford Air Base, England as a base commander, Vietnam as the intelligence briefer to the two, four-star generals that commanded the U.S. forces in Vietnam, and finally Offutt AFB in Nebraska as Director of the Joint Services-Strategic Targeting Staff of our nuclear arsenal.
Roberts was with the last bombing mission that flew over Japan that led to the end of World War II in the Pacific. And, in 1968-69 Roberts represented Army General Creighton Abrams at the Paris Peace Talks.
The colonel came home and retired in Missoula, Montana in 1972 where his four children joined him to attend his alma mater, the University of Montana.
Active as a lay leader at various air force bases throughout his career, Bishop Elden Curtiss appointed Roberts as the director of the Catholic Cursillo, Search and Genesis programs in the Diocese of Helena.
Roberts enjoyed the mountains and hunting, fishing, scuba diving, boating, travelling, and raising his four children.
To talk to Sam Roberts is to drift to a past generation in which he believes patriotism, leadership, and character were leading qualities in America. He was concerned about what his grandkids were going to grow up and think about him. "I hope that they will think that I was somebody that they could admire and had the qualities and gifts that would be helpful to them," he once said.
Colonel Roberts' leadership style was to never ask his men to do anything that he would not be willing to do himself. His father was his first idol. "Army all the way," he said about his father Sam Sr. who died in 1941.
Roberts who lettered in football at the University of Montana 1938-39, learned to fly at Hale Field in Missoula with Dick Johnson.
The Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, Senator Mike Mansfield, and President Richard Nixon were among the mid-1950's visitors to Burma. Mansfield was as happy to see one of his former U of M students as Roberts was to see him.
In the mid 1960's, while working under the Joint Chiefs of Staff at Strategic Air Command Headquarters in Omaha, Roberts briefed presidents Kennedy and Johnson and the Secretary of NATO on possible nuclear threats to our county as he was the director of the Joint Strategic Targeting Planning Staff.
During the 1968 Vietnam Tet Offensive, the North Vietnamese attacked the Army of South Vietnamese headquarters where Roberts was living. "Unfortunately, lives were lost but the enemy was stopped at our compound," he said. Later actor Jimmy Stewart visited the compound, along with 16 colonels, to dedicate a plaque to honor the 19 American military men that were killed defending the compound.
His awards and decorations included, Army Commendation Medal, USAF Commendation metal, Joint Services Commendation medal, Air Medal-2 awards, Bronze Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit-2 awards, Republic of Vietnam Distinguished Service Medal, Order of the Knight. Theater ribbons included three theaters, four battle stars, and Presidential Unit Citation Award-315th bomb wing.
Roberts served on the University of Montana Local Executive Board and the President's Advisory Council for many years, and served on U.S. Senator Burns' and Congressman Rehberg's Military Academy Review Board.
In 1998, the University of Montana Army ROTC celebrated his 80th birthday with a display in their hall for honors, named the Roberts Wall of Honor.
His organizations and memberships included being a member of, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus as a forth degree Knight, Sigma Chi Fraternity, Missoula Rotary Club and the American Legion. He also founded the Missoula Five Valleys Pachyderm Club where he helped to educate voters.
A loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, Colonel Roberts is proceeded in death by his father and mother, Sam and Gracia, and his sister Phyllis Roberts. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Kathleen of Missoula; four children, Kristine (Darrell) of Anchorage, AK, Sam III (Charlotte) of Burke, VA, Shawn (Mark) of Chugiak, AK, and Randall (Doreen) of Missoula; six grandchildren: JamieLynn, DJ, Mandy, Sarah, Sim, Randall Ray; and one great -grandson Braedin. He is survived by two brothers, retired Col. Raynor Roberts, and Jack Roberts; one niece and five nephews.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Wounded Warriors Project
Visitation will be at Garden City Funeral Home in Missoula on Monday, Oct 6 from 4-7 p.m. with a Vigil/Rosary to begin at 7 p.m. Funeral Mass will be held at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church on Tuesday, Oct 7 at 10:30 a.m. with burial to follow at Western Montana Veterans Cemetery in Missoula. A reception will follow the burial at Garden City Funeral Home.

Read Col. Sam Roberts's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.