Lieutenant Colonel (USAR, Ret.), Robert B. Clemens attended Syracuse University on an Army Scholarship and received a Regular Army (RA) commission in the infantry as a Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) in May of 1969. LT Clemens attended Airborne training and the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, where he was an Honor Graduate. LT Clemens was next assigned as an Infantry platoon leader in the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1970 and 1971 LT Clemens commanded three rifle platoons in the 4th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division in combat in Vietnam. He then served as a rifle company commander in the famed 3rd Battalion 506th Infantry (Band of Brothers) in the 101st Airborne Division. Captain Clemens returned from Viet Nam to attend graduate school on an Army 5% Fellowship at the University of Albany, graduating with a master’s degree in educational administration. After attending the Infantry Officer Advance Course, his troop duty assignments included service as Battalion Adjutant, Plans Officer (GSWT), and Company Commander of Company C, 4th Battalion, 20th Infantry in the 193rd Infantry Brigade in the Panama Canal Zone. Captain Clemens was next assigned to Army ROTC at the University of Notre Dame where he was named Second ROTC Region Instructor of the year in 1978. In 1980, after 11 years of active duty, Major Clemens resigned his Regular Army Commission, and attended Notre Dame Law School on the GI Bill.
After taking the Indiana Bar Exam, Major Clemens returned to active duty, attending the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth where he was a Reserve Component Honor Graduate. LTC Clemens retired from active service as an Army Reservist in 1993 after a variety of duties in Army Reserve units.
LTC Clemens’ military decorations include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star with “V” device & two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and various campaign and service medals.
LTC Clemens, practiced as a trial lawyer in Indiana for 30 years, garnering numerous awards and honors, including being named an Emeritus Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2005. He retired to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in 2012 where he enjoys golf, kayaking, and volunteer work.