Robert E. Browning, Jr. was born August 12, 1966, in Marion, North Carolina. He was a graduate of McDowell High School and Haywood Technical College, where he received a degree in forest management. In 1988 Rob was employed by the U.S. Forest Service in Ashville, N.C. In 1992 he became a member of the Region 8 Hotshot Crew. He transferred to the Savannah River Forest Station in South Carolina in 1993, where he was an engine operator/firefighter. Rob was a highly trained firefighter and was on a four-month detail in Grand Junction working on a helitack crew at the time of the South Canyon Fire.

Rob was an outdoorsman and deeply committed to a lifelong career with the U.S. Forest Service. No matter where he was or what he was doing, Rob's favorite saying was, "I'm just glad to be here."