Robert Kinzler was born in Newark, New Jersey, but his hometown was just outside the city in Irvington. He graduated from high school in 1939 at the age of 17. He began studies at Newark College of Engineering, but by June 1940 an older relative had persuaded him to apply for a West Point [Annotator's Note: United States Military Academy, West Point, New York] appointment. At the time he petitioned his congressman, there were no slots available, so he joined the Army on 24 June 1940, with the hope of enrolling in the West Point prep school at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kinzler was sent to Fort Slocum on David's Island, New York, then to Camp Upton on Long Island. From there, he went to the Brooklyn Army Base, a port of embarkation. He had never been more that 50 miles from home when, in late August 1940 he sailed on the USS Republic (AP-33) through the Panama Canal to Angel Island in San Francisco, California and proceeded to Honolulu, Hawaii, arriving on 26 September 1940. At Schofield he was assigned to Company H, 27th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed the Wolfhounds. He finally went through basic training then transferred to the radio squad in Headquarters Company, which automatically gained him the position of 6th Class Specialist, with good pay, even though he was still a private. He was among soldiers of all kinds, from the illiterate to the college educated, and even men who had opted for military service rather than serving a prison sentence. Kinzler said that at the end of the Great Depression the general public viewed servicemen as "bums" who couldn't otherwise get a job. Nevertheless, Kinzler described his early military experience as a "pretty good life," practicing Morse code, enjoying the privileges afforded the track team, availing himself of the local attractions, and only occasionally doing guard duty.

On 27 November [Annotator's Note: 27 November 1941], Robert Kinzler said, Hawaii went on an island-wide alert against sabotage, but was not on a level that would alarm the local population. The Army's uniform changed from khakis to an OD [Annotator's Note: olive drab color] woolen shirt and canvas leggings; but there was no real indication that an attack was imminent. On the day before the attack, Kinzler went to a cookout at Kailua Beach and got back to base around two in the morning of 7 December. At five minutes before eight, a terrific explosion awakened the whole Schofield base community. Kinzler went out onto his barracks' lanai [Annotator's Note: similar to a patio], and watched an airplane cross his line of vision. He observed that it was greenish in color, had a big red circle on the fuselage and fixed landing gear. The pilot and a gunner were in their respective seats with the canopy back. Kinzler said the American soldiers had no identification training, and although he knew it wasn't an Army plane, he supposed it belonged to the Navy or the Marines. He later learned that it was an Aichi 99 dive-bomber [Annotator's Note: Aichi D3A dive bomber, known as the Val] that had just dropped its bomb load on Wheeler Field, one of three airfields simultaneously under attack with the ships in Pearl Harbor. The guys went down to the mess hall, and no sooner had they sat down than the bugler sounded. Kinzler said everyone assembled in front of the mess hall, where they were told the island was under attack, and Kinzler was ordered to disperse the motor pool. By the time he reached the motor pool, the trucks were already moving, and he ran back to where his company [Annotator's Note: Headquarters Company, 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division] had assembled and were ready to roll out to pre-assigned battle stations. Kinzler was issued a .45 automatic pistol [Annotator's Note: .45 caliber M1911 semi-automatic pistol] and ammunition, and he headed for a high school football stadium at the foot of the Punchbowl [Annotator's Note: Punchbowl Crater]. Although the route he had to take passed the furiously burning Wheeler Field, Kinzler does not recall seeing it.

En route to his battle station, Robert Kinzler had a clear view of Pearl Harbor, which was a mass of black smoke, with a periodic flash of orange-colored flame erupting within it. He was moving during the interval between the first and second attack waves, and Kinzler said there was nothing they could do but stare. Eventually, they reached their battle station and immediately went to work connecting telegraph communications with the battalions in the Waikiki area. His duty was to keep messages, all in code so Kinzler didn't know what they meant, coming and going. By mid-afternoon the troops had been notified that martial law had been put into effect, and there was a sunset to sunrise curfew. Rumors were rampant, some reporting that paratroopers were landing at isolated spots on the island. Attempts to achieve total blackout were foiled by the fires that were still burning in Pearl Harbor. There was still firing going on during the night, but Kinzler said it was completely dark below the stadium where he was, and "hairy," with everybody on edge. For several days following the attack there was a general anxiety about what would happen next.

Robert Kinzler didn't move with his regiment [Annotator's Note: 27th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division] to Guadalcanal because he was one of 50 men the Army selected to go to the University of Hawaii. All those selected were involved in radio in some way or another, and his was the first class that attempted to develop radar operators and maintenance personnel. After graduating, Kinzler became a member of the Signal Corps, and was eventually sent to the Phoenix Islands for eight months. During that short time, he experienced at least eight Japanese bombing runs, which gave him opportunity to practice on radar, picking up planes up to 150 miles out. After each raid, Tokyo Rose [Annotator's Note: nickname given to all English speaking females broadcasting Japanese propaganda] would be on the radio reporting that the Americans had been annihilated. Following his tour in the Phoenix Islands, Kinzler was sent back to New Jersey for Officer Candidate School, from which he graduated in August 1943. He never returned to the Pacific, rather serving the rest of his time in the Army in Florida, California and Canada. He attended the Royal Canadian Air Force School Number 5, and was there when President Roosevelt [Annotator's Note: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States] died. Following the president's death, the Americans were given compassionate leave. Kinzler reached the grade of staff sergeant. Brought back to his memories of Hawaii after the Japanese attack, Kinzler said there wasn't much to do socially except for going to the movies, and soon the USO [Annotator's Note: United Services Organization] started forming and brought some entertainment. The attitude of the general public changed after the war started, according to Kinzler, because suddenly their sons were being taken into the military. There were more invitations into private homes and to church functions. They [Annotator's Note: civilians in Hawaii] did all they could for the servicemen. War became a routine for the population. The number of servicemen on the island increased, and there was a lot of movement of military equipment and personnel.

Attending the Southern Signal Corps School at Camp Murphy in Jupiter, Florida, Robert Kinzler became a radar officer and stayed in Florida from August 1943 until February 1945. Kinzler called himself a "perpetual student," and for the rest of his active duty in the Army he attended radar schools in California and Canada. Kinzler had enough points to get out of active duty in October 1945. He stayed in the reserves until October 1962, and left with the rank of captain. He was not called up for the Korean War. He got his college degree in chemical engineering in 1953, got a job in Michigan, married, then moved to Hawaii and worked with a sugar company. After 30 years in the industry, he retired in 1984. Afterward, Kinzler began his volunteer work at the visitor center of the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii], which has continued for 21 years. There, he applauds and disputes the accounts of individuals who tell the story of the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941.

Robert Kinzler said he really enjoys his volunteer work at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii], educating the masses and listening to the stories of the returning veterans. During his shifts at the museum he has occasionally seen fellows he served with during the war. He attends the periodic reunions of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii.