HA TINH PROVINCE, Vietnam – A U.S. Navy hospital corpsman deployed as a short-term individual augmentee to support a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency recovery mission in Vietnam from May 28 to July 7, 2025, found himself in the right place at the right time for mission success.

U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Robert Bills IV, a deep sea independent duty corpsman, deployed alongside other service members and civilian contractors to support the DPAA mission of providing the fullest possible accounting for U.S. missing personnel to their families and the nation.

A native of Midland, Texas, Bills has served in the U.S. Navy since April 2006.

While Bills initially deployed to Vietnam in a support role, he soon found himself taking on the responsibilities of an independent medical provider for his team.

“When I arrived, I was originally listed as support personnel,” said Bills. “About a week into the mission, our other independent provider got very sick and had to be medically evacuated. By sheer luck, I held the same credentials. I consider that lucky because without an independent provider, the mission would have stopped. I was fortunate enough to be in the position to take over.”

Bills' background as a U.S. Navy deep sea independent duty corpsman gave him the skills and confidence to take on this critical role without any hesitation.

“My experience from the dive community has helped me learn how to think on the fly,” Bills explained. “There have been multiple times where I’ve shown up on a mission that we planned for months, and then everything changes. We’ve learned to utilize all our talents and change plans quickly.”

In addition to his roles as the independent provider for the team, Bills was also expected to screen, dig, and do work around the base camp just as much as everyone else.

“He was willing and excited to do the work of the team, as well as the independent provider,” said Amberly Kugeler, a scientific recovery expert for the mission, and contractor for DPAA with SNA International. “On top of that, he always went above and beyond, working during breaks, engaging with the Vietnamese officials, and doing a really good job of diplomacy.”

Having served 19 years in the U.S. Navy, Bills had been aware of the DPAA mission and always wanted to participate. This deployment was his first time working with the agency.

“I believe that everyone who joins the service wants to make sure that their brothers and sisters make it home,” said Bills. “When you’re a part of a mission that brings them home, it’s so rewarding.”

Bills developed a personal connection to the mission, after having lived and worked on the recovery site with DPAA, where a service member was lost. This gave him the chance to understand the conditions where people fought and died.

“For me, I got to immerse myself in the environment where a person was lost,” said Bills. “I had an uncle who fought in the Vietnam War and was able to come home. Although the jungle was, for a large part, already cleared for us, I cannot imagine fighting a war in that environment.”

Thanks to Bills’ adaptability and expertise as an independent duty corpsman, the team was able to continue its work uninterrupted, bringing them one step closer to fulfilling the mission of recovering and accounting for lost service members.