Frank Wayne Robison (1948-1991)

Frank Wayne Robison
Woody
Born:	7 Feb 1948 Fillmore, Utah
Died:	4 Feb 1991 Tooele, Utah
Father:	Harold Raymond Robison
Mother:	Maxine Lowder
Siblings:	Baby Robison Frank Wayne Robison Eugene Lowder Robison Harold Lowder Robison Julie Fern Robison Geneil Robison
Spouse:	Kaye Mortensen

Obituary

Saltas, John. Private Eye, February 19, 1991, page 3: J Spot Collateral Damage I don't remember exactly when or where I met Woody. In 1972, I had just graduated from high school and had taken fold with a number of latent hippies, party-monsters, long-hairs, ragamuffins, pool shooters, quasi peace-niks, and hemp philosophers, all of whom where - and remain - remarkably great people. Woody was part of that group. At just 18, and bearer of a low draft lottery number, I did what most sane males in my situation did: I enrolled in college. Armed with the advice of two older brothers who had served in Viet Nam - both decorated - two more who were in the service but not sent there, and the nasty reports from several friends who saw the Ho Chi Minh Trail up close and personal, college did indeed seem prudent. But when Woody had left his high school in Fillmore just a few years earlier, the military likely was not only a ticket out of small-town Utah but a very honorable option. He joined the Marines and served two tours in Viet Nam. With one of the best beards on the planet and a head of hair that rivaled Sampson's, Woody hardly seemed a battle-hardened vet. His gentle, peaceful demeanor and low-caliber temper certainly masked any inner terror. The incongruity was that while most of us pretended to be peace-loving hippies, Woody, the Nam vet, came closest to the real thing. He passed the time as a surveyor, played some tennis, and had a fantastic cacti collection. He loved animals and children, caring for both with a tenderness not usually associated with a large man. His favorite phrases were "wow" and "hey, man," spoken with perfect softness. Woody was not loose with heroic tales of battle. He wore his medals in his heart and in his conscience, not in the puffs of smoke of macho barroom talk. However, as any Viet Nam historian or veteran can tell you, to be a Marine in Viet Nam circa 1967-1969, as Woody was, was not a very healthy place to be. Woody served his country honestly and honorably, but his Viet Nam experience haunted him every day and every night. Some of his high-school friends did not come home alive; Woody, some would often say, simply did not come home. In the few times he talked of Viet Nam, his tales were always horrifying. I don't remember the date or place (a Marine would know), but in a major battle, Woody's unit charged up a valley only to be inflicted with 80% casualties before the battle ended - something like 300 killed or wounded. His worst tale, though, was this: At one base camp, some "soul brothers" were in their tent listening to some "soul music" and "just jiving." Somebody, an American who didn't like "soul brothers," tossed a phosphorous grenade or molotov cocktail into their tent, lighting the tent and the men inside. Reacting to their screams, other men attempted to douse the tent with water from the fire buckets. Trouble was, someone, apparently in junction with the grenade tosser, had filled the water buckets with gasoline. The "soul brothers" all died. In the jargon of today's feel-good military speak, those men were Collateral Damage. So was Woody. Outside of his penchant for collecting guns and shooting them - at targets - not much military remained of Woody after Viet Nam except his deep pride, his "Soldier of Fortune" magazines, and his distaste for war. He was hurt and confused when he returned home to an ungrateful America, and by the poor treatment he and his fellow vets received. If anyone ever epitomized the spirit of "love the troops-hate the war" it was Woody, and despite knowing what he knew, he'd do it again. Frank Wayne "Woody" Robison died February 4, 1991, at home. KIA. Peace at last. We miss you, Woody. You were and are a hero.

DeseretNews.com Archives, Wednesday, February 6, 1991, Page B6:

DEATH: FRANK ROBISON

Frank Wayne "Woody" Robison, age 42, died February 4, 1991 at his home in Tooele.

Born February 7, 1948 in Fillmore, Utah, a son of H. Ray and Maxine Lowder Robison. Member of the LDS Church, he served in Vietnam as a Marine for two tours of duty. He was also a gun collector. 

Survivors: father; brother, Gene, Salt Lake City; sisters, Julie Adams, Grantsville; Geneil Vigil, Tooele.

Graveside services will be held on Thursday, February 7th, 10 a.m. in the Tooele City Cemetery. Friends may call at Tate Mortuary one hour prior to the service.

T 2/6 N3 2/6

Sources

*Nickname: Woody [from Mike Herren; obit]

*Despain, Carrie Robison and Garner, Melba Despain. History & Genealogy of the Franklin Alonzo Robison Family, p. 31.

*Deseret News Archives, Wednesday, August 13, 1997, Obituary: Robison, Harold Raymond

*Price, Paul Eugene. Jacob Mica Truman Family Histories, p. 50.

*Marriage place variant: Las Vegas [Truman Histories]