Spec 4 Robert “Bob” Hamor / United States Army

“Bob was a very different person when he returned from Vietnam,” said his brother, Dick, in an interview for this piece. “If there was a loud noise, he would immediately hit the deck. It was kind of scary.”

Robert “Bob” Hamor was born in Biddeford, ME July 8, 1947, but spent the better part of his life in NH. The family settled on Atherton Avenue in Nashua in 1966. He spent a year at Boston University, Franklin College of Photography, and was then drafted into the Army in March 1967.

This was a tough time to go to Vietnam. Military operations were escalating, calling for more troops. Bombing against North Vietnam intensified. There were high casualties, causing morale problems among the US troops. Hanoi began planning the now-infamous Tet Offensive for the coming winter. And at home, the American public became more disillusioned about the war and what the US was doing there.

Hamor attended boot camp at Fort Dix in New Jersey, then moved on to Fort Belvoir in Fairfax County, VA, where he attended a school to learn about field generator repair and maintenance. He graduated with an MOS designation of 91D, Tactical Power Generation Specialist. In this capacity, the technician is responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing internal combustion engines, which provide power wherever and whenever it is needed by the Army. He was then sent to Vietnam, where he was assigned to the 327th Signal Battalion, which is part of the 1st Signal Brigade.

Hamor was based at Long Binh Post, an Army base located between Bien Hoa and Saigon. The base functioned as a U.S. Army base, logistics center, and major command headquarters for United States Army Vietnam (USARV). It was one of the largest posts of its type in Vietnam. From this point, Hamor would be helicoptered out to various fire bases in the jungle to install or repair generators and radio equipment. A helicopter would bring him to the assigned fire base and retrieve him a day or so later when the work was completed.

Hamor’s brother, Dick, related the following as told by his brother. “Vietnam is a hellishly hot place. Ordinarily, soldiers wore pants and no shirt, but rather a flak vest to be cooler. In one instance, it was late at night, and I was suddenly needed somewhere in the jungle to install a generator. The helicopter crew chief who was to bring me out told me to dress warm for this trip. I thought he was kidding. I only wore my vest. Ordinarily, the helicopters flew at tree-top level, where it is still very warm, even at night. In this case, the ship was flying at around 13,000 feet to keep away from ground fire. Even in Vietnam, 13,000 feet up is damn cold. When we landed, I went from the freezer back into the oven. It was strange. The crew chief wasn’t kidding.” 

During that time, Agent Orange was being sprayed liberally to defoliate the thick jungle growth. The US military started using Agent Orange in Vietnam in 1965. By the late 60’s, after several studies, the government began to realize the toxicity of the chemical. Tests showed the ill effects it had on lab mice. Still, Agent Orange use was continued until 1971.

Dick Hamor relates a story told to him by his brother, Bob. “We were installing a generator and some radio equipment at a fire base. We were on a hill in the middle of the jungle, outside and fully exposed. One of the guys was on top of the radio tower. An Air Force plane flew directly overhead, dumping a load of Agent Orange. A few moments later, the guy on the tower scrambled down and puked his heart out. All of us were pretty sick.”

Hamor was due to leave Vietnam in September 1968. He was offered an “early-out” if he would serve one extra month “in-country.” He left Vietnam in October 1968. Although he wasn’t actually firing on the enemy, Hamor lived through some of the most trying times “in-countr,y” including the infamous Tet Offensive in January 1968.

It was around 2005 when his family noticed Hamor acting oddly. He would forget things and act in ways never before exhibited. This led him to the VA hospital in Tilton, NH, where he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. By this time, the Veterans Administration doctors had been able to link Agent Orange to Parkinson’s and early dementia.

Dick Hamor remembers visiting his brother at the VA hospital in Tilton, “We went into a ward where maybe 20 guys were just sitting around in wheelchairs, with their mouth wide open, staring off into space. I asked a nurse what was wrong with them. He replied that they had all been exposed to Agent Orange, causing dementia among other maladies. And this was how they ended up.”

Dick Hamor continues, “The staff at the Tilton VA hospital were very familiar with Agent Orange and what it could do. They took good care of my brother and did what they could.”

Robert “Bob” Hamor passed away from the effects of Agent Orange on September 2, 2018. He is buried at Lovell Lake Cemetery in Wakefield, NH.  Although his brother thought he never fired a shot, we remember him for his service and devotion to the country.

US Service Personnel Profiles –  By Gary Ledoux April 28, 2025