FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	CONTACT:
August 5, 2002	Major Paul Fitzpatrick
	(270) 798-9962
	Lori Hamamoto, NFL
	(212) 450-2435

                         
 FORT CAMPBELL COMPLEX TO BE DEDICATED
IN HONOR OF FORMER NFL PLAYER AND WAR HERO BOB KALSU

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., August 5 - A building and complex at Fort Campbell, Kentucky will be dedicated in honor of former Army First Lieutenant and Buffalo Bills guard JAMES ROBERT “BOB” KALSU in a ceremony on August 9.  The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) replacement detachment will be named in his honor.  The more than 9,000 soldiers assigned to Fort Campbell each year pass through the replacement center.

First Lieutenant Kalsu, an All-American lineman and team captain for the University of Oklahoma, was killed in action July 21, 1970 at Firebase Ripcord overlooking the A Shau Valley near the Demilitarized Zone in Vietnam.  His exemplary leadership on the football field and the battlefield earned him the deep respect and admiration of teammates and soldiers alike. 

After starting at guard in 1968 with the Bills, Kalsu was on his way to a successful football career.  Instead of seeking a position in the Army Reserves, he elected to remain available to activation, and was called to service in Vietnam after the close of the ’68 season.  Kalsu served with distinction with the 101st Airborne, inspiring those who served with him. 

He is survived by his wife JAN, daughter JILL and son BOB, JR., born two days after Bob’s death.  The Kalsu family, veterans of Firebase Ripcord, and ED REYNOLDS, the NFL’s military liaison, will attend the dedication. 

The Bills have honored him on their Wall of Fame at RALPH WILSON STADIUM in Orchard Park, New York in 2000.

Media interested in attending the ceremony must arrive at Gate #3 at Fort Campbell by 3:00 PM on August 9.  Non-Kentucky media should contact MAJOR PAUL FITZPATRICK (270/798-9962) for directions and information.