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This story of Bob Caldwell is one that I have published before and I had reason to publish in our local aeroclub newsletter. So Whist I have it on my desktop I'll publish again for you. Some of you, have of course read it before but perhaps not the second part. It's a popular story.

BOB CALDWELL.
At this time each year I have republished a story which I have been pleased with. This was to be of my late friend Bob Caldwell but I haven’t been able to find that story in trying to review some 66 pages, so I will write it again. There has been some sadness in reviewing past stories when I see names of Model A owners with whom I have become friendly and who have now passed. Names many members will well recall. Bob too has passed, prostate cancer and only 52. Here’s Bob’s story.
His dad, Byron Caldwell was one of the earliest cropdusters in America, located at Williams, Northern California. Byron and his wife, whose name I don’t recall, had two sons, the youngest killed in a cropduster and Bob, as I said died of cancer. Sadly both pre-deceased their parents. Bob flew two helicopter tours in Viet Nam and one always wonders if the dioxin in agent orange was a contributory factor to his cancer. I must defend the cropdusters and the farming industries and say in the 52 years I worked in that industry ( civil not military) I have never seen poisoning or cancer as a result of chemicals. It's an emotional subject. All claims I have known of are unfounded. Bob was also a passenger in the rear seat of an ag plane which stalled into the ground. He had no flight controls and had to wear it all the way down. One always wonders about that as well.
Bob’s ashes are in both California and Coleambally which is close here in by Tocumwal where I live. He was a well-mannered and popular fellow. Bob leaves a widow (Australian girl now living in Oregon ) three sons and many close friends.
In addition to his fine attributes he had an incident in Vietnam which is of notoriety. He had a bullet enter the right hand side of his flying helmet and exit the left side. I’ve seen that helmet; I have held that helmet. This story is ridgy didge. The bullet entered at the left audio piece then tracked left around the back of the helmet, been held in place until it exited via the left ear audio piece. Bob had exchanged it at stores in Danang for a new one and later this helmet was given back as a souvenir.
There was another sad deal. Bob had a 1930 Coupe parked in his oleanders that he had owned since a school kid. Bob never did restore it however it was given to a cousin ( I think ) in some deal. Hopefully it is looking smick now.
The picture is of Bob and his wife Lorraine on holiday in Hawaii.

This story below was sent to me by my long time friend Hugh. He was the official I mentioned earlier, the Ag Dept pesticides inspector. That's worth a read too.
Hi Gary
The account of the bullet in the helmet reminds me of a similar Vietnam war account. In the 1970s I worked as a laboratory assistant at UNWA. My boss was a former US medical officer deployed over there. A conscious but wounded soldier on a stretcher was brought to him and he asked him “what’s the problem?” The soldier replied “not sure doc but I’ve sure as shit got the mother of all migraine headaches.” The paramedic (John Ormond, my former boss) removed his helmet and discovered a bullet hole in the centre of his forehead. An X-ray revealed that the projectile had passed exactly between the left and right lobes of the brain, exiting from the back of his head. John watched him recover and saw him on a flight back to the US.

Below is a picture of Bob and his wife, Lorraine