Robert's induction day into the military-  

      Until I was ten years old I had been raised on a farm in Missouri. We were very poor financially, but a close, happy family. In 1957 we moved to California and got our first television. A new world opened up to me, but my parents monitored what we watched very carefully. One of the shows we were allowed to watch was "The Rifleman". I was hooked from the very first episode! I remained a very faithful viewer and became a huge fan of Johnny, looking forward to each new episode.

I turned 18 in December 1965, and Vietnam was raging. I enlisted in the Navy. My first real experience in that process involved going to the Armed Forces Induction Center in Los Angeles for a full day of testing and physical exams.

I remember seeing Johnny standing across the room that morning and thinking how nice it would be if I could meet him. Later I found myself standing next to him in line. I introduced myself. I spent much of that day standing in line next to Johnny Crawford. We talked about "The Rifleman" show as well as show business in general. We also talked about Vietnam. I knew he had been drafted. I had joined the Navy to avoid Vietnam. Unfortunately they assigned me to a construction battalion and I spent two years there - I guess that was just meant to be.

I had only met one other celebrity up to that point, Hugh O'Brien, at LAX. I finally got the chance to meet and chat with someone I really cared about. In spite of the circumstances it made the day enjoyable and memorable. I remember him to be a very nice and interesting person. The thing I remember most was how open and "ordinary" he was.

I never saw Johnny again and did not see any of the training films he worked on during his Army tour.

Robert T.