Robert Kolling
A decorated combat veteran, Robert Kolling served in Vietnam in 1969 with the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a sniper. He was severely wounded in a machine gun ambush and as a result lost his right leg. After several surgeries, blood transfusions requiring 35 units of blood, and 10 months of rehab at Valley Forge General Hospital, he returned to his job at (then) AT&T and later retired with 35 years service as a technical writer with Lucent Technologies. Following his dad’s advice when he entered the Army, and taking advantage of the GI Bill, he went on to get his Bachelor’s degree while attending night school after his discharge.
Since his retirement from the Army, Bob has been involved with helping other veterans. He formed the Veteran’s Assistance Office while attending the College of DuPage and also helped form the Vet’s Club at Lucent Technologies. He co-founded the Woodridge VFW Post in 1983 and subsequently served 4 terms as Post Commander. He then co-founded the DuPage County Chapter of ViêtNow, a national organization whose motto is ‘Veterans Helping Veterans’. After serving 4 terms as the chapter vice-president, he moved up to the National level and served 2 years on the National Board of Directors and then 5 years as National Treasurer.
Other projects included serving on the 1986 Chicago Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Parade Committee, the DuPage County Coordinator for the Illinois Vietnam Veterans Memorial, an appointment to the Illinois Attorney General Neil Hartigan’s Veteran’s Advocacy Division, and along with his wife Linda, was named the Woodridge Citizen of the Year in 1999. After all of these years of meetings and traveling around the country as a veteran’s advocate, it was time to take a break. Reading, working around the house, and enjoying life was in order.
Then, in 1999, Bob was diagnosed as having Hepatitis C. After numerous tests by several doctors, it was determined that this virus was contracted as a result of a blood transfusion in Vietnam. In and out of the hospital in September and October of 2002, his health was rapidly deteriorating and in late October he was transferred to Rush University Medical Center with end-stage liver disease. He was given a few short weeks to live if a donor was not found for a transplant. Bob went through extensive testing to find out if he could withstand the rigors of a transplant. Put on the donor waiting list and sent home, his fate was in God’s hands. Along with the prayers and support of many, many friends and relatives, his prayers were answered 11 days later on Veteran’s Day. A successful liver transplant was performed and the patient was sent home 11 days later – just in time for Thanksgiving.
Having been given a new life, Bob decided it was time once again to start helping other veterans who were not as fortunate as he. He went back to ViêtNow and formed the National Hepatitis C Awareness Committee – the only one of its kind in the country. The mission would be to educate other Vietnam veterans of the ‘silent epidemic’ of Hepatitis C. His goal is to get all veterans tested and treated if needed and to promote the organ donor program. He assists them with filing for VA and Social Security disability compensation, since HCV is considered a service-connected disability. He also volunteers his time with the Illinois Chapter of the American Liver Foundation.
Then one day and old friend and well-known Chicago-area musical entertainer, Joe Cantafio, contacted him about a new project. His idea was to visit those long-term, bed-ridden patients in VA hospitals who don’t have the opportunity to get out or have visitors and spend an hour or so one-on-one and sing a song or chat – maybe bring flowers, paint a room, hang a painting. The idea is to show honor, respect, and gratitude to those who don’t get the accolades others receive. Joe’s plan is to also get schools to participate in a letter writing project, like a pen pal - to have the students write to these veterans and let them know that they are proud of the service that they have given to our great country. From this idea was formed a not-for-profit charitable organization – the FORGOTTEN HEROES.
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