Scope and Contents

One folder of after action reports, briefing points and summary reports document Colonel Charles 'Bob' Nulsen's service during the Vietnam War as Senior Advisor for the Phouc Binh Thanh Special Zone in War Zone D, August 1962 - August 1963.

Biographical / Historical

Charles Kilbourne Nulsen, Jr., was born at Fort Benning, Georgia, on November 6, 1923. After graduating from Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Virginia, in June 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army on July 6, 1943. He graduated fro~ Infantry OCS, Fort Benning on 2 December 1944 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry. He entered the United States Military Academy in July 1945, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1949.


He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry and was assigned successively to the Army Ground General School, Fort Riley, Kansas, and the Infantry Officers Basic Course, Fort Benning, Georgia. In September 1950 he was transferred to the 351st Infantry, Trieste, where he was assigned as a platoon leader. From March 1951 to July 1952 he served as aide-de-camp to the Commanding General TRUST, Trieste. From July 1952 to July 1953 he again served in the 351st Regiment, this time as a Company Commander.

Colonel Nulsen served as a Company Commander in the 511th A.I.R., 11th Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from October 1953 to July 1955. He then attended the 1955-56 Infantry Officers Advanced Course, Fort Benning, Georgia. During the period September 1956 to February 1958, Colonel Nulsen was a graduate student at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana. In June 1958 he obtained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Tulane University. From 1958 to 1961 he served as a Special Forces instructor in the Special Warfare School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. While serving on the faculty, Colonel Nulsen was responsible fer writing the U.S. Army's field manual on Special Forces Operations and Guerrilla Warfare and assisted in writing the first doctrinal material on cpunter-insurgency.

Colonel Nulsen attended the 1961-62 Course at the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and upon graduation was sent to the Republic of Vietnam where he served as a Senior Advisor to the Vietnamese Commander of Phuoc Binh Thanh Special Zone until August 1963. In September 1963 he was reassigned to the Tactical Department, United States Military Academy, where he served as Plans Officer, Office of Military Instruction, until May of 1966. He returned to Vietnam and from May 1966 through February 1967 he served successively as the Brigade S-3 of the 196th Light, Infantry Brigade, and Battalion Commander of the 3d Battalion, 21st Infantry. From March through July 1967, he was assigned to the G3 Section, I Field Force, Vietnam. COL Nulsen was Chief, USMA-OCS Branch, DCSPER, DA, from September 1967 to July 1968 after which he attended the Army War College, graduating in June 1969.

From July 1969 through September 1970 he was assigned as Deputy G1, XVIII Airborne Corps, and commanded the First Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 30 September 1970 to 17 January 1972. He was then assigned as Deputy Director, Military Advisor School until 1 July 1972 when he assumed the duties as Deputy Assistant Commandant of the Institute for Military Assistance, JFK Center for Military Assistance, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. On 20 August he was appointed Acting Director, Joint and Strategic Forces Directorate, Concepts Analysis Agency, Bethesda, Maryland, an activity reporting to Assistant Chief of Staff for Force Development,
Department of the Army.

He retired from the United States Army on 1 May 1975.

From September 1975 to June 1976, he worked as an assistant to the President, Information Management Systems. Inc. In July 1976 he accepted a position with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in its Division of Safeguards. In 1988 he retired from NRC and was an independent consultant from 1988-1990. In 1990 he retired to New Hampshire, only to be called into service as Chairman, Board of Selectmen for the town of Springfield from 1992-1995. He retired (at last) in 1995.