Robert Hymel, American Hero gave his life how he lived it: Helping others

American Hero gave his life how he lived: helping others

Lt. Col. Robert J. Hymel survived a violent B-52 bomber crash during his service to the nation as a member of the United States Air Force in the midst of the Vietnam War. He was tragically killed during the 9/11 terror attacks in 2001.

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Robert J. Hymel’s funeral service in 2001 included a horse-drawn procession before his burial in Arlington National Cemetery.

Robert J. Hymel’s legacy celebrated at SCC’s Wall of Honor Memorial

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n 1972, St. Charles Parish native Lt. Col. Robert J. Hymel clung to life against all odds as his B-52 bomber plane fell from the sky in the midst of the Vietnam War. Hymel was rescued just minutes before the cockpit burst into flames, killing nearly all of his crew members. Crushed vertebrae, collapsed lungs, two broken hands, a broken arm and a broken leg wasn’t enough to derail his 24-year Air Force career, during which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal.

In the end, it was an office job that cost him his life.

The morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Hymel parked outside the Pentagon, packed his belongings and prepared to move offices to The Knights of Columbus a different section of the memorial tower at St. building.

Charles Catholic High School was dedicated As news stations erupted with footage of the hor- this year in honor of Robrifying attack to the World ert J. Hymel.

Trade Center, Hymel received a call from his wife, Patricia, who worked as a principal at a nearby elementary school.

Patricia asked how thick the walls of the Pentagon were. After a slight pause, they both answered, “three feet” and tried to shake off any concerns.

Robert had survived unimaginable threats in his combat career. An office space wasn’t a warzone.

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Shortly after, American Airlines Flight 77 pierced through the Pentagon, slamming into the structure with an impact felt by students at Patricia’s school.

Two typically quiet teachers pounded at her locked office door and told her what they saw.

Patricia had to push her darkest fears to the back of her mind as she worked to ensure the safety of more than 400 students.

“Immediately, I knew what had happened,” Patricia said. “My husband and I had always discussed that we both had our own jobs and responsibilities. I had to keep doing what I was doing.”

A co-worker, also a military wife, asked her, “What are you going to do if something happens to Bob?” “We just have to keep marching forward,” Patricia said. “We have no other choice.”

Her dread amplified later that day, when she saw her husband’s unattended car in the Pentagon parking lot and no one seemed to know of his whereabouts.

Hymel’s body was discovered amongst firescorched wreckage using dental records nearly two weeks later.

Age 55 at his time of death, he was found pinned under a door frame, attempting to rescue a woman in a final act of service.

Today, Hymel rests in Arlington National Cemetery, and his picture serves as the centerpiece of Wall of Honor at St. Charles Catholic High School, his alma mater. On Jan. 30, a newly constructed Knights of Columbus memorial tower on the front façade of the school was dedicated to his service.

Patricia Hymel Lipinski has since remarried but keeps “Hymel” in her name as a tribute to her fallen husband. She lives in Virginia and spends time with their only daughter, Natalie, born during Hymel’s time in Vietnam, and their two granddaughters.

“He was an all-American guy,” Patricia said. “He was family-oriented. Church was important to him.

He was very proud to be an American and very proud to be a pilot. Above all, he was proud to be a father.”

Hymel’s life of heroism concluded with several memorial services, three of which were held in Lafayette and attended by numerous classmates he impacted during his time at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Patricia requested his funeral service and burial take place at Arlington National Cemetery with a special B-52 flyover to commemorate his service.

She and her husband bring flowers to Hymel’s grave as often as they are able.

“What needs to be understood is you move on with your life, but you never forget someone like that,” Patricia said, adding Hymel loved spontaneous trips.

She fondly recalls him bringing her on a bus tour to a chapel, where they renewed their vows when she was nine months pregnant with Natalie.

“We married in our 20s and grew up together,” Patricia said. “I was 51 when he died. You move on, but you can’t negate that part of your life.”

Hymel’s twin sister, Mary Hymel Toce, keeps a scrapbook of his memorials and prays for her broth-

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American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters Sept. 11, 2001.

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er’s family. She thinks of him often.

Close growing up in grade school, Toce and Hymel diverged into different friend groups while attending high school and college.

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Authement learned of Hymel’s story in 2006 when he struck up a conversation with Toce at a St. Charles Catholic alumni event.

Toce mentioned graduating alongside her twin brother in 1964.

When Authement asked if he would be attending the alumni event, Toce broke the news that he had died five years earlier in the Pentagon during the 9/11 attacks.

At that moment, Authement knew he had to learn more about the fallen hero.

“I was so curious about what happened that I asked to meet with her the next day,” Authement said.

Soon after, Authement started a thorough investigation of Hymel’s life and death that lasted for years.

He chronicled Hymel’s life, comparing the moment a stranger rescued Hymel from near-certain death during the catastrophic plane crash that left an adjacent crew member beheaded to Hymel’s last act of heroism, in which he tried to extend the same service by helping others trapped in the Pentagon.

To further add to the irony, Hymel’s office in the affected part of the building was believed to be a wrong assignment prompting a relocation scheduled for Sept. 12.

“His sacrifice needed to be memorialized,”

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Authement said. “Students need to know what sacrifices were made.”

Authement said Hymel is the bridge that connects the legacies of the two school sites, uniting them as one.

In September 1978, 14 years after Hymel graduated, St. Charles High School was moved to its current location in LaPlace. The Office of Archdiocese approved the name St. Charles Catholic High School in 1985.

Hymel now serves as the centerpiece for the Wall of Honor Memorial in the St. Charles Catholic commons area, which also features graduates who dove headfirst into the War on Terror.

After finding out Hymel was an active member and blood drive organizer for the Knights of Columbus council 8183 in Woodbridge, Va,. Authement embarked on a multi-year endeavor to institute a Knights of Columbus tower as part of St. Charles Catholic’s renovations.

Dedicated in honor of Hymel Jan. 30, the Knights of Columbus memorial tower contains four pillars recognizing the founding principles of the Knights of Columbus: charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

It was a project more than six years in the making.

“After it was done, I took a big breath of relief knowing his memory will live on long after me,” Authement said.

Patricia and her husband flew out to attend the dedication, and she said it was a fitting tribute to a man who touched many lives.

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