GUAM - Leaving a historic legacy on Guam, Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert H. Neitz, the first adjutant general for the Guam National Guard, died Dec. 21 in Virginia. He was 83.
Neitz was appointed as the adjutant general by President Ronald Reagan, under then Gov. Paul M. Calvo, who served as the Guam Guard's first commander-in-chief. Neitz was the adjutant general from 1981 through 1985.
Army Maj. Gen. Benny M. Paulino, the current adjutant general, said it was certainly a sad day for the Guam National Guard.
"We wish his family the best," Paulino said. "He holds a very special place in the Guam National Guard's history, having the distinction of being the first adjutant general. … I met him when I was TAG the first time around. We dedicated Phase 1 (of the Joint Force Headquarters). He was here for that and was our keynote speaker. He was always excited about coming back to Guam."
On Dec. 24, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed Public Law 96-600 which was introduced by the 96th United States Congress.
The law authorized the establishment of the Guam National Guard. On July 21, 1981, the Guam National Guard's command headquarters was officially established with 32 original charter members.
Neitz returned to Guam at least three times since retiring. The three times he was on island was to help commemorate the 10th, 20th and 25th anniversaries of the Guam National Guard.
He played an active part in determining the feasibility of establishing a National Guard on Guam, having been part of a National Guard Bureau assessment team that visited the island in February 1981. He also helped draft proposed local legislation, that was eventually passed by the 16th Guam Legislature, to establish the Guam National Guard.
Neitz retired from the Air Force as a command pilot with 33 years of service and over 5,000 hours of flying time, according to his Air Force Training Class website.
He began his career as a B-26 Marauder night interdiction bomber pilot during the Korean War, and was commander of a C-97 Stratofreighter heavy transport group in Vietnam. He was an instructor pilot and flight examiner for many years. He concluded his military career as TAG for the Guam Guard.
John Flores, quartermaster for the Department of Military Affairs and retired Guam Army Guard officer, remembers Neitz for his consistent sharp appearance, friendliness and commitment to the troops.
"General Neitz loved talking to the troops," Flores said. "He assembled us quite often to bring us up to date on his trips to Washington regarding unit structure. He was a very approachable person.
"He was instrumental in getting the Guam Guard the first all Active Guard Reserve full- time support force."
Flores also described Neitz as an effective and influential leader.
"He was a subject-matter expert when it came to military justice," Flores said. "He's also a lawyer by profession. As a person, he was very friendly and hospitable. He loved to socialize and even invited Soldiers and Airmen to his quarters, just because."
Von Olinger, a DMA employee and sergeant first class in the Guam Army Guard, remembers Neitz the most for his down-to-earth personality.
"He was fair. He treated everybody equally. He was a straight guy and very professional," Olinger recalled. "Morale was high because that is when the Guard started growing."
Olinger, who drove for Neitz when he became a DMA employee, had transferred from the Hawaii Guard to the Guam Guard about 14 months after the Guam Guard started.
"He left a big footprint when he started off the Guam Guard," Olinger said. "Back then, the Army and Air staff were in one location (at the) GCIC building in downtown Agana.
"He was a serious guy but (at the same time) down to earth. He was a people person. He sat and ate with the troops. When he had functions at his house on Naval Hospital, he would invite Guard members and civilian employees, both officers and enlisted personnel."
Neitz loved the island, according to Olinger.