Rob Streeter’s Story

Rob Streeter Story

Rob Streeter is 44 years old and lives in Tecumseh Michigan. He is married to his wife
Dawn of 17 years. He has three children Bailey 20, Shelby 15, and Kevin 12. Rob served in the
Army from Feb 1999 to Dec 2011.

Rob enlisted on February 12, 1999, and went to Basic Training at Fort Benning, GA. While at
Benning, he also completed AIT and 11Hotel School. He learned how to shoot TOW missiles and
after 9/11, was placed on airport security as many national guard were at that time. He had the
opportunity to represent the National guard at the governors’s State of the State address and
was able to work with the Secret Service for two weeks when the Vice President landed at the
airport where he had been assigned. In 2004 Rob deployed to Sinai Egypt with Charlie Company
1/125INF, 46 th BDE 38 th IN DIV. While in Sinai his company was part of the 18th AIRBORNE
CORP. His duties included working with 13 countries in a multi-national force whose job it was
to act as observers. The objective was to keep the peace between Egypt and Israel.

Rob returned home from this deployment in August of 2004. Shortly after returning
home, he was notified that the correctional facility in Baldwin, Michigan where he had worked
was closing. The State of Michigan offered Rob a position at the Chelsea Bootcamp, which he
accepted. It was at this time his wife divorced him sighting she could not cope with military life
and his working in another city. She had refused to move with him because her family was in
Ludington.

In December 2005 Rob left the National Guard. He lived in the Saline area while
working for the Department of Corrections. In late April of 2006 he received a call from an old
friend who was now a company First Sergeant. He asked Rob if he would like to go to Baghdad
with his old company Echo 1/125INF… Rob accepted. Knowing how the military system worked
he figured he had until July before the Army would reach out to him. Instead, his military file
was hand carried through SIPERS and in just 3 days he was contacted by a command Sergeant
Major who he had never met. He left for Fort Dix June 1, 2006. This is where he trained and
prepared for duty in Iraq. While at the MOB site he completed a 40-hour combat life saver
course and he became an Expert Marksman with the M2, MK19, 240B, 249, and M4. He was
also able to train on the M24 range in case his company snipers were not available while in
combat. About two weeks prior to heading to Iraq he received a Red Cross call that his mother
had passed away. He went home, but returned within a week to deploy with the troopers he
had trained with. He felt this is what his mother would have expected of him.

While in Iraq his company fought in Sadr City, Baghdad, Zafarnia, and Solomon Pak. The fighting
was intense, he said, “we engaged the enemy with everything we had. While on FOB they had
480 impacts from rockets and mortars in a year's time. Rob earned his Combat Infantry Badge
after only being there for a month. In November of 2016, while on leave, Robs friend Brad
Shilling was killed by an EFP. After returning from leave , Robs Platoon was sent on a clearing
mission with Bravo Troop 3/61 CAV 2 nd Inf Div. An IED struck the Humvee in front of him
sending it 15 feet off the road and killing Bobby Mejia, Wilson
Algrim, Chad Vollmer. His squad was hit with three more IEDs in the following months. He
doesn’t know how many firefights he was in… “too many to count.&

To this day, he doesn’t like thunderstorms and the 4 th of July. He said that he remembers
certain days so clearly that it is like he is still there. Unfortunately, he has lost more buddies
since he has been home than he did in Iraq. He recently lost his driver in Iraq, Steve Syarto; war
just keeps on killing.

Rob returned home from Iraq in August 2007 and has had to fight his “demons,” as many
Veterans do, and, like many, medicate against the pain with alcohol.

Rob eventually found out about Team RWB… an organization of Vets helping other
Vets. Rob began spending time with his ‘brotherhood’ and this proved to be an outlet for his
problems. After about 6 months of driving to Ann Arbor every Saturday, Lewis Major and Rob
were able to open our chapter of Team RWB in Tecumseh. Rob has been a leader in this
chapter since 2013. He has been able to get other Veterans out and doing things… running,
walking, biking, golfing. Along the way, a few Veterans in the group, talked him into running a
half marathon with them. He has since run 8 of them, a full marathon and an ultra-marathon.
He accomplished this in spite being 90% disabled. Rob sustained injuries to his knees like all
infantrymen do, has compressed discs in his back and suffers from PTSD. He reports now that
running is too difficult and he is in pain much of the time. This has not dissuaded him from still
going out to walk or play golf with other Veterans… his mission, to let other Veterans know that
someone cares.

Rob is currently employed with Goodnight Midstream in North Dakota as an Operator
working in the oil industry.

Rob’s Bucket List Dream is to go to Texas hunting. BLD is currently working to make
this happen