Col. "Bobby" Robert Coleman Bacon

Robert "Bobby" Coleman Bacon, 83, passed away Monday, March 6, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. A celebration of life service will be held at 11:00 AM, Thursday, March 9th, at Thompson's Funeral Home at Greenlawn, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209. Pastor Kim will be officiating the service. Burial will follow at Greenlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Wednesday, March 8th at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Korean Community Presbyterian Church. Those wishing to sign Bobby's guestbook may do so at http://www.thompsonsfuneral.com/obituaries/. Bobby is survived by his wife of 21 years, Sun Ja. They met in 1985 and fell in love soon after. Sun was the "sunshine" of his life. He is also survived by his sons, Robin (Marcia), Bruce (Suzanne), Bill (Trisha), daughter-in-law, Jung Mi Kang and niece, Kay Sanders. The greatest joy in his life was his 10 beloved grandchildren Savannah, Coleman, Jonah, Tori, Linnea, RJ, Sierra, Katie, Saylor, and Kyle. He was preceded in death by his son, Sean Kang, and his older brother, Gary Bacon of San Antonio, Texas. Bobby was a 1956 graduate of West Point with a bachelor's of science in communications. His suite mate and friend was Norman Schwarzkopf, who later obtained the rank of general and served as commander of U.S. Central Command during the Gulf War in 1991. He earned a Masters from the Army War College in Carlisle Barracks. In 1964, as a captain in the Army, Bobby was sent on his first of two tours of duty in Vietnam, where he served as an adviser to a South Vietnamese battalion. While leading troops through the Mekong Delta in the spring of that year, famed war photographer Larry Burrow took a photo that soon after graced the cover of LIFE magazine. During a stint as protocol officer for Army Chiefs of Staff Gen. Harold Johnson and Gen. William Westmoreland, he was involved in organizing the funerals of Sen. Robert Kennedy in 1968 and former president Dwight Eisenhower in 1969. One of his most influential assignments though, may have been as commander of Fort Jackson's 2nd Infantry Brigade from January 1976 to July 1977. His brigade was selected by TRADOC to pilot a program to test the possibility of gender-integrated Basic Combat Training. Up to that point, the Army trained women separately and differently from men. He continued at Fort Jackson until 1982. During his military career he earned many awards and medals; the Silver Star for Valor, the Legion of Merit Award twice and the Bronze Star for meritorious service and Valor, among others. After retiring from the Army, he worked for the UN Peacekeeping Taskforce in Israel and Egypt, as well as military consulting in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the Sinai Peninsula. He loved to travel and bring home treasures to his family. Growing up in Texas, he and his brother Gary were very adventurous; they would hide in a box car and travel from Texas to exotic destinations such as Pawley's Island and Georgia peach farms. He earned money in the summers working shrimp boats off of South Padre Island and South Carolina. He loved spending time with Sun and watching his grandchildren participate in various activities such as sports, performances and pageants. He loved watching the varsity high school football teams his sons coached and America's team, the Dallas Cowboys! He is also very proud of the fact that Army beat Navy this year in football. He always told his wife, children and grandchildren how proud he was of them. "Papa" was a kind and gentle spirit; always giving compliments to anyone he came in contact with. Whether it was coaching kids in Florida or on Fort Jackson, offering job opportunities for those in need or just offering words of encouragement, he wanted to help others in anyway possible. He was a friend, coach and father to many! The family would like to thank everyone who has touched Papa's life. We sincerely appreciate all of the healthcare workers who assisted with his care: Dr. Henry Marion, "my main man", as Papa would say, and his team at Lexington Family Practice for over 20 years continuous care, Palmetto Health USC Medical Group - Orthopedics - Dr. Hopkins & team, Infectious Disease - Dr. Siddique & team, BIMA - Dr. Bennett & team, Palmetto Health Baptist - Surgery Department, 3rd floor - PACU, 6th floor - Medical, Columbia Nephrology - Dr. Wheeler and Columbia Urology - Dr. Kinder, SCOA - Dr. Butler & team. The dignity and respect provided and shown by 8th floor Hospice team will forever be in our hearts!! Our heartfelt thank you to the BEST team - 9th Floor Orthopedics - nurses, techs, unit monitors, secretaries, lab, physical therapy, house keeping, food services, imaging & musical therapy. "Thank you" will never be enough for all you did, not for just the great care you provided, but the holding of his hand, singing of a song, listening to his stories, listening to him talk about his sons, grandkids and the love of his life, Sun! Your compassion should be commended and your personal attention to call him a friend far surpassed our expectations! Our lives have been forever changed by having Bobby "Papa" as part of our life!