Naperville man takes reins of DuPage American Legion

Ask veterans about Bob Bohr, the recently elected commander of the DuPage County American Legion, and they'll tell you pretty much the same thing.

“The only bad thing I can say about him is he was in the Air Force,” said Army veteran Jim Vahle of Naperville with a laugh. “He's just one heck of a nice person. He has a service mentality. He's always looking to do something for someone.”

Bohr, a Naperville resident, heads an organization that represents 3,200 veterans in 15 posts around DuPage County; serves as secretary of the DuPage County Veterans Assistance Commission that provides emergency help to veterans in need; volunteers with Operation Support Our Troops to send care packages overseas; visits vets living in assisted living facilities; and regularly attends welcome home ceremonies for service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He's done about everything,” Vahle said. “He does beyond what anyone could reasonably expect anyone to do.”

But even Bohr can't do everything. He'll probably miss Naperville's annual 11:11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony in Veterans Park because he's going to an assisted living facility to honor Korean War-era vets who were unable to attend a recent ceremony held for them at Naperville North High School.

Earlier in the morning, he'll join fellow veterans in visiting schools in Naperville Unit District 203. Then, in the afternoon, he'll head over to Churchill School in Elmhurst where his daughter teaches to attend a program there.

“It will be a full day of activities,” he said.

Bohr left military service more than 40 years ago, but his involvement with the American Legion began 20 years ago after someone asked him to join. He moved to Naperville 12 years ago and his involvement kicked into high gear.

“There was a committee or job opening that someone needed a new unpaid volunteer for,” Bohr explained in his usual low-key fashion. “I had the time and could do it. Just step up and jump in.”

Bohr's stepping up made him the commander of American Legion Post 43 in Naperville in 2007-08. Vahle, who served as finance officer for the post, credits Bohr with starting a scholarship program, actively pushing the Blue Star program to recognize families who have a member serving in the military during armed conflict, and dedicating one of the post's monthly social dinners to women veterans.

While commander of the Naperville post, Bohr served as sergeant-at-arms for the DuPage American Legion. He advanced through more senior positions to be elected in August to a 2-year term as commander of the county organization.

“He's very humble about what he has accomplished. He's doing it because he believes in it,” said Woody Kawaters of Downers Grove, the junior vice commander of the DuPage County American Legion. “He's guided a whole bunch of the veterans to the right organizations that could help them.”

Bohr said his main goal as the DuPage County commander is maintaining membership. Some posts are attracting younger veterans, but others in established communities are having problems because returning service personnel may not be able to afford the housing, he said.

Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting a different war with more sophisticated weapons, but they still will find understanding and support among their older counterparts, Bohr said.

“Right now, the World War II guys just respect the hell out of the young guys for what they are going through,” he said. “You don't have to explain everything to them (other veterans). They already have some background for it.”

Nationally, veterans organizations are pushing for V.A. hospitals to provide consistency in care, Bohr said.

“The more members, the louder voice we have with Congress,” he said.

The DuPage County organization also is active in such American Legion programs as the oratorical contest for high school students, Boys and Girls State for high school juniors, essay contest for junior high students, Gifts to the Yanks Who Gave for those in veterans hospitals and extended care facilities, charity donations when natural disasters occur, and scholarships for children of service personnel who have passed away.

The American Legion, which also has a Legion baseball program, puts a big emphasis on youth, Bohr said.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars has similar programs but requires that its members have served in areas of armed conflict. Bohr, who joined the Air Force right out of high school, doesn't qualify although his enlistment was during the Vietnam War.

“I opted to carry a toolbox vs. a weapon. The Air Force allowed me to do that,” he said.

He spent 1965 to 1968 as a fuel systems mechanic in Michigan, Guam, Okinawa, Taiwan and Louisiana, leaving the service with the rank of staff sergeant.

After leaving the military, Bohr raised a family and found a career in maintenance, sales and operating a service station. He is now employed with a food distributor.

Bohr said he has never forgotten the lessons he learned in the military as a young man away from home for the first time.

“It helped me grow up. I know it taught me a work ethic,” he said. “It taught me a different meaning of what the country is about, what the country owes me, what I owe the country. Altogether, a new appreciation for the flag and the country we serve.”