Hisel “Henry” Gobble - A Veteran's Brush With Death

Corporal Hisel “Henry” Gobble loves the United States so much he’d gladly serve again to preserve our freedom. The Vietnam Veteran recently retired after teaching accounting for 46 years at Chattanooga State Community College.

Friends say Dr. Gobble is a very patriotic person, he loves his country, and his life shows it.

On this Veterans Day, Dr. Gobble recently reflected on his service in the United States Marine Corps and the time he was almost killed.

Dr. Gobble was born into a family of sharecroppers in a small community north of Abington, Va. Upon completing high school, he enrolled in Hiwassee College to play baseball. He ran out of money in 1967 and decided to follow in his younger brother’s footsteps by joining the Marines.

After Dr. Gobble’s basic and advanced training at Parris Island, South Carolina, he received orders to Vietnam. Following a short leave at home, he headed west for Camp Pendleton, Calif.

“I had no idea of what was ahead and if I would make it back home but wanted to do my best. I prayed to make it through my tour,” he said.

At the height of the Vietnam War, his unit, Alpha 1-7 Marines, saw a lot of action.

Corporal Gobble arrived in Vietnam during the Tet offensive when the Viet Cong attacked targets in South Vietnam. “I saw a lot of death; certainly it will get your spirits down. I spent a year behind a machine gun. There were several close calls when snipers tried to knock out my gun.”

Dr. Gobble said he had a brush with death. “My best friend, P.J. Kesock, stepped on a booby trap. He was walking behind my machine gun and a grenade went off. I didn’t think he’d make it. I was wounded in my right arm, a simple wound. Medics told me at the hospital I’d be all right but my buddy’s injuries were very serious: I thought I’d never see him again.”

Corporal Gobble said, “I never had knowledge of killing anyone although I fired a lot of rounds.” He was promoted to squad leader three months before coming home.

The young Marine said it was his faith in God that sustained him. He said, “The men in my outfit would read the Bible and pray together. Most of the men had a pretty strong faith.

"I made a promise to the Lord to read some (scripture) every day. I don’t go to bed without my Bible reading. My faith got me through Vietnam. I couldn’t have faced it without the Lord; I knew there was a chance I’d get killed.”

He said his favorite chapter in the Bible is I Cor. 13, the love chapter.

Corporal Gobble said when he returned stateside to Quantico, Va, he and some buddies stopped at the Doghouse to relax. He said, “Someone hollered, ‘Gobble,’ it was P.J. Kesock, my best friend who was recovering from his serious injuries. I didn’t ever expect to see him again.”

Staff Sergeant Kesock was the recipient of three purple hearts, three bronze stars and two gold stars. Corporal Gobble remained close friends with SSG Kesock after the military. The decorated Marine was Dr. Gobble’s best man at his wedding in August, 1982. The Gobbles flew to Crystal River, Florida, for SSG Kesock’s surprise 70th birthday. SSG Kesock died in Florida Nov. 23, 2023.

Dr. Gobble said, “Being a veteran means a lot; from the time I was very young, I had looked forward to serving my country and now it gives me a great sense of pride.”

After the Marine Corps, Dr. Gobble decided to go back to college and enrolled at Emory and Henry University in Virginia. Upon graduation, he took several teaching jobs while earning his master’s in business administration from East Tennessee State University. He then decided to enroll at Western Colorado University in the heart of the Rocky Mountains where he earned his doctorate degree.

It wasn’t long before the ETSU placement office notified him of a job opening teaching accounting at Chattanooga State Community College. He caught a Greyhound bus and came to Chattanooga for the interview. He said, “I didn’t know anybody in Chattanooga but before the day was over I had the job.”

Dr. Gobble said he went back to Colorado, “I was young and single, and I packed my MG and headed South.”

He said the most important event in his life was becoming a Christian at the age of 19.

Dr. Gobble said after re-locating to teach at Chattanooga State, he wanted to find a church. He was driving on Shallowford Road, stopped in the parking lot at the Hickory Valley Christian Church to visit and eventually joined. Dr. Gobble started teaching Sunday school and one of his students was Robin Buffington. He said they went out on a date with another couple and stated seeing each on a regular basis, eventually getting married.

Dr. Gobble is a family man and is looking forward to the Christmas season. He and Robin celebrated their 42^nd wedding anniversary this year; they have two daughters and two grandsons, ages six and nine. Dr. Gobble said it’s always a lot of fun when the Gobbles get together.

Dr. Gobble said, “When I was young, I had a dream of college baseball. I just wanted to do it. I especially enjoyed second base. It was a strange mixture, accounting and baseball. In addition to teaching, I got to coach baseball at Chattanooga State.”

Dr. Gobble said he’s a fan of the Atlanta Braves but also pulls for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

During Dr. Gobble’s lengthy career as an associate professor of accounting at Chattanooga State, his primary goal was seeing his students excel. “I tried to encourage them to reach for the next level to make sure they are adequately prepared to do their jobs.”

Dr. Gobble is a member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 203. The Chattanooga chapter is the second largest in the United States.

He said, “Veterans Day is very special to me. Being born a short time after World War II, those soldiers were my heroes.” The Vietnam Veteran is the recipient of a Purple Heart and Navy Achievement Medal.

Dr. Gobble said, "I’m almost to the point of favoring mandatory service. It does so much to help a person grow and understand the cost of freedom, Freedom isn’t cheap.”