ROBERT R. BOSSERT, MIDN, USN
Robert Bossert '67
Lucky Bag
From the 1967 Lucky Bag:
ROBERT R. BOSSERT
Robert's picture is listed on the "In Memoriam" page of the Lucky Bag without any further explanation or details.
ROBERT R. BOSSERT
Robert's picture is listed on the "In Memoriam" page of the Lucky Bag without any further explanation or details.
Loss
Robert was killed in a helicopter crash near Jacksonville, FL on July 7, 1965 while on summer cruise.
From the Annapolis Capital on July 8, 1965, via the US Naval Academy Alumni Association:
Midshipman Dies In 'Copter Crash
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP)--Three persons - one of them a midshipman of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. - were killed yesterday when a Navy helicopter plunged into the St. John's River near downtown Jacksonville. A second midshipman passenger was reported seriously injured.
Officials at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station where the helicopter was based, said the dead also included the pilot, and a crewman. The surviving midshipman reportedly was thrown from the craft as it slammed into the water and was picked up by a passing boat.
A Naval Academy spokesman today identified the midshipman who was killed as Robert R. Bossert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Bossert, of Rochester, N.Y. The injured midshipman was identified as Robert E. O'Hare, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert S. O'Hare of Richmond, Va.
Both midshipmen were 19-year-old members of the Second Class who were undergoing training at the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, the Naval Academy source reported. Mrs. Esther Washington, who lives on the South bank of the river, said the engine of the helicopter appeared to tear loose and the craft "dropped like a rock."
The 'copter sank in 12 feet of water, the three victims trapped inside. A Navy spokesman said the helicopter left the air station of a local flight and crashed less than half an hour later. No radio distress signals were received from the craft the Navy said.
Other Information
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Robert graduated from Aquinas Institute in 1963 and won a general Regents scholarship. As a freshman in 1959-60, he was a member of the freshmen league football champions. As a sophomore, he was a cheerleader.
From a newspaper article on his funeral mass:
Midshipman Bossert entered Annapolis after graduating from Aquinas Institute in 1963. At Aquinas he was track and cross country teams captain. He was cheerleader for the lacrosse team at Annapolis. He would have been 20 on July 21.
Surviving are his parents, Leonard and Bernadine Bossert; two brothers, James and Richard; two sisters, Carol Ann and Bernadette Bossert; his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred MacGregor.
Robert is buried in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Rochester, New York.
Photographs
From his freshman year high school yearbook
From his sophomore year high school yearbook
From his sophomore year high school yearbook
From Democrat and Chronicle on June 9, 1963
Related Articles
Robert was in 21st Company as a 3/c; if the companies didn't shuffle then he was with Joseph Johnson '67.
Robert is one of 34 members of the Class of 1967 on Virtual Memorial Hall.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
