Robert "Buck" Halperin - U.S. Navy 1942-1946

In Memory of Robert "Buck" Halperin. Buck Halperin joined the U.S. Navy on March 19, 1942, when World War II started, ultimately rising to the level of lieutenant commander. He trained first under boxer Gene Tunney, and then in a top-secret program in 1942 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek in Little Creek, Virginia, along with fellow NFL football players Phil Bucklew and John Tripson and seven others who made up the first class of what became known as the Navy Scouts & Raiders, a predecessor of the Navy Seals. The three former NFL players were among 1,000 NFL players who served in the military for the U.S. during World War II. The job of the trainees was to locate designated landing beaches at night for amphibious landings, note any obstacles, and guide the attacking troops and their landing craft.

In the North Africa invasion in November 1942, he sailed his scout ship from seven miles off-shore in complete darkness to the shore of French Morocco, located and marked landing beaches with landing signals, guided assault troops to their targets while being strafed by enemy planes, and became the first American in the invasion to capture two of the enemy when he personally captured two enemy officers. In recognition of his efforts, including his extraordinary heroism, skill, courage, and fearless devotion to duty, he received a presidential citation and the Navy Cross.

During the Normandy Invasion of the Cherbourg Peninsula, in June 1944 he guided the first two waves of assault troops to the assault beaches, against entrenched strong opposition, and saved two men from drowning. The Chicago Tribune notes he was "one of the first Americans to go ashore in France—perhaps, the first—on D-Day."For his exceptionally meritorious performance of duty, and his "cool judgment and unusual ability", he was awarded a Bronze Star.

Buck was a lifelong sailor and won a bronze medal for the United States in the Star class (mixed two-person keelboat) at the 1960 Summer Olympics in the Bay of Naples in Italy, at the age of 52, together with William Parks. Their yacht was the Shrew II.

He died May 8, 1985, in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 77. His body is at rest at Arlington National Cemetery with his wife.

Buck's story is told by his by his son Dan Halperin.