It isn’t unusual to fulfill somebody who belongs to a “navy household,” however Robert Bostwick of Caddo Mills is a rarer case as he’s a third-generation particular operations soldier.
Now retired, Robert and his spouse, Stephanie, personal the B-Tactical gun vary and retailer in Caddo Mills, however he took the time to talk at this month’s Lunch Break Particular on the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum about his household’s legacy of navy service.
“I did not actually perceive the individuality of what my state of affairs was, being third era, till I really began trying into it,” Robert stated. “We’re three generations of particular operations troopers who participated in six wars.”
Bostwick’s grandfather, Howard Edward Bostwick, first enlisted within the U.S. Army throughout World Warfare II and served as a paratrooper who jumped through the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. Years later, through the Korean Warfare, he led a recon workforce in North Korea however was taken prisoner and remained MIA for greater than two years.
“As you possibly can think about, the bodily toll that being a prisoner took on him was fairly in depth,” Robert stated. “He was captured in November 1950 and eventually returned house three years later, in November 1953.”
Regardless of what he endured as a prisoner of struggle in Korea, Howard Bostwick continued along with his navy service with the 72nd Special Forces group, during which he led Operation White Star missions in Laos and Cambodia within the late 50s-early 60s, earlier than the U.S.’s official entry into the Vietnam Warfare.
“It was with this group that Howard helped with the transition into particular operations as we consider them at the moment,” Robert stated.
Howard ultimately retired in 1965 and handed away in 1993.
“I do know I would love to listen to a few of his tales,” Robert stated.
As for Robert’s father, Michael Lynn Bostwick, he enlisted in 1966 through the Vietnam Warfare, the place he too served as a paratrooper. From 1967 by way of 1969, Michael served as an assistant recon workforce chief on a number of deployments, during which he was wounded twice.
After the Vietnam Warfare, Michael served as an Airborne teacher in Georgia till he retired in 1986.
“Me and my siblings have been largely born in Georgia whereas he was an teacher,” Robert stated.
As for Robert himself, his particular operations profession has taken him by way of two branches of the navy and at the very least three totally different protection contractors and companies.
Robert’s service initially started when he enlisted within the Army through the Bosnian Warfare, the place he served with the twenty third Particular Techniques Squadron and was additionally, like his father and grandfather, a paratrooper. Ultimately, he was ordered by a commander to go to school for officer coaching.
“I laughed and stated, ‘Man, mo one in my household has ever carried out that, so I do not suppose I am the appropriate man,’ however he instructed me I used to be gonna do it, so I used to be transferred to Texas A&M College-Kingsville’s ROTC, the place I used to be ranger platoon commander,” Robert stated. “I used to be there till simply after 9/11.”
After his stint at A&M-Kingsville, Robert submitted a number of functions for particular operations however was denied every time.
“It was very discouraging, however I spoke about it with my dad and he recommended that I look into switching branches, which is one thing I hadn’t even considered earlier than,” he stated. “Then, once I checked out how particular operations was being developed, I made a decision to modify to the Air Drive.”
Whereas within the Air Drive, Roberts initially served in Operations Iraqi Freedom nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than he was despatched to Afghanistan.
“After my first time in Iraq, I used to be again house on depart and I used to be making wedding ceremony plans with my spouse, after we have been engaged on the time, however the U.S. navy referred to as with different plans,” Robert stated.
Whereas deployed in Afghanistan, Robert was shortly confronted with each a harsh setting and ultimately took on a solo mission.
“It was fully totally different terrain from Iraq. I went from flat desert to a mountain space … and once I say ‘mountain space,’ that may’t be overstated. I’ve by no means been in that harsh of an setting in my life, not even in coaching,” he stated.
“We have been a gaggle of three and two days in, I misplaced my first man and we had to return and do a physique restoration,” Robert continued. “I despatched the opposite man to ship the physique, so it grew to become simply me and one junior operator on a base, who was serving to me handle my tools.
“It was not excellent.”
After retiring from the Air Drive in 2006, Robert went on to work for safety firm Triple Cover, and went again to Iraq. Later, he obtained a job at L3 Communication (now L3Harris) during which he traveled to a number of international locations within the Center East, Europe and Africa gathering intelligence on terrorist teams and handed them alongside to U.S. Particular Operations Command. After his time with L3, he joined the CIA and was quickly despatched to the boarder between Pakistan and Afghanistan with a mountain workforce.
Robert’s time with the CIA would ultimately show to be his final time with particular operations earlier than lastly retiring in 2021 after struggling a extreme leg damage.
“We have been despatched into part of the mountains that was so inaccessible that the navy had given up on it,” Robert stated. “About quarter-hour after getting off the telephone with Stephanie and Piper (his spouse and daughter), I needed to cross a stretch of huge, open terrain the place there was nothing obstructing the view of the enemy.
“I felt my knee leg fly again and thought the man in entrance of me had kicked me, however I had been shot. What had occurred was a bullet had basically blown my calf off and traveled into my leg, however after quite a few surgical procedures, medical doctors have been in a position to get the bullet out.”
