Scope and Contents

Approximately 4 linear feet of materials documenting Lieutenant Colonel Robert Alan Edwards' U.S. Army service in Korea and Vietnam. The materials include award citations and certificates; artifacts; photographs; postcards; articles and clippings; reports; correspondence; and service records. A particular item of note is a sensor designed by LTC Edwards and his team to resemble a dog's feces. The materials are dated predominately 1965-1972.

Biographical / Historical

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Alan Edwards was a career U.S. Army officer. Following two tours of duty in Korea, he served two tours in Vietnam. During his first Vietnam tour (1965-1966), he was stationed in Saigon and worked for General Westmoreland. He served as a liaison officer and went to Bangkok every three months to attend SEATO conferences. His second tour (1969-1970) was spent serving as commander of a truck battalion stationed at Long Binh.

Upon returning to Washington, DC following his Vietnam service, LTC Edwards was assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In July 1970, he was assigned to the Defense Special Projects Group. He was part of a rapid response team developing sensor devices for use in Vietnam. He was given a 90 day idea-to-delivery timeline. The end product was a sensor that was packaged to look like a dog's feces. These were dropped along the Ho Chi Minh trail to aid in tracking the Viet Cong's movements. LTC Edwards and his team also developed sensors that would hang in trees and relay Viet Cong conversations.