No one can argue that Army 1st Lt. Robert W. Collins of Tyrone was taken too early in the explosion that killed him and one of his men in Mosul, Iraq one year ago.
He may have been just 24 years old, but he made a significant impact as a platoon leader in the Army. So much so that a dozen of his former troops came to Tyrone Monday to witness the ceremony officially renaming the town’s Post Office after their lieutenant.
Afterwards, several of those men spoke fondly of Collins and the leadership he displayed in the field under quite harsh conditions.
When the platoon embarked out on patrol or on a mission, it was Lt. Collins who fired up the same song again and again to “inspire” his unit.
As they left “the wire” each time, the platoon rocked out to Miley Cyrus’ candy-pop tune “Party in the U.S.A.,” said Spec. Seth Paradine.
Collins kept things light when necessary, Paradine said, though the unit faced dangerous circumstance during their tour.
It was common for the platoon to be having a serious discussion when Lt. Collins would pop in wearing a bright orange mullet wig, Paradine said.
Despite his sense of humor, Collins also knew when to be serious given the gravity of the situation, Paradine added. Still, Collins’ funnybone had a big impact on the platoon’s morale, Paradine added.
“He would be the one motivating everybody … and normally officers, that’s not what they do, but somehow he figured out a way to do it,” Paradine added.
“Lt. Collins was by far the best LT that I’ve ever had in my two and a half years in the military,” said Specialist Ryan Chambers, who served as Collins’ driver. “… He was a good person all the way through.”
Collins’ impact was such that the ceremony drew Fayette County’s congressional delegation, as brief remarks were made by Senators Saxby Chambliss, Johnny Isakson and Congressman Lynn Westmoreland. In fact it was Chambliss who took the initiative in the Senate to sponsor the bill to rename the Tyrone Post Office in honor of Lt. Wilson’s contributions.
Or as Acting Postmaster Derissa Shannon put it: “in recognition of his strength and courage.”
Lt. Collins’ sense of humor, often cited by his classmates at Sandy Creek High School, also was present in his mother’s comments at the ceremony.
“We encourage y’all to continue to support the U.S. Postal Service by using ‘snail mail.’” Sharon Collins. “Write letters, pay your bills, rather than relying on that click of a computer to pay online,” Mrs. Collins, said drawing laughter from the crowd.
Mrs. Collins, who is a retired Army lieutentant colonel as is her husband Deacon, thanked the community for its support in the year since her son died in Mosul, Iraq along with PFC William A. Blount of Petal, Miss. when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device.
“We dearly miss Robert, and mourn what if, the possibilities if he’d lived beyond his 24 years,” she said. “… However I know this for certain. Robert continues to inspire and comfort and humor those of us who were lucky enough to know him.”
Mrs. Collins also acknowledged that her son’s death “provided an image of the sacrifices of war that so many in this great nation are very unaware of or unaffected by.”
She went on to say that Lt. Collins’ “strength, spirit, spunk, servant’s heart and smile … live on and encourages each of us to be better people.”
It is unlikely that the young men Lt. Collins led will ever forget his leadership, and with the Tyrone Post Office now bearing his name, it is unlikely anyone in Tyrone will forget either.
To his troops, Lt. Collins’ legacy will always be that of a leader who cared about his charges, not just the stripes on his uniform.
“He was able to separate being a leader and a friend,” Spec. Paradine said. “Not many people can do that at all. … He was a lieutenant first and a friend second.”
