Robert “Bob” Carnagey is a Northwest Indiana local. Living most of his life on the border of Indiana and Illinois, he graduated from Thornton Fractional North High School in the summer of 1964. Carnagey then enrolled into the University of Illinois, taking some classes before going back home to work at Inland Steel until he was drafted in 1967.
“I was so proud to get a letter. It was from the Selective Service telling me that my friends and neighbors thought it was important for me to get drafted into the United States military,” Carnagey said. “I departed this area and went to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and started my military life. After six months of training, I ended up getting orders to go to Vietnam at the very end of February of 1968.”
While in Vietnam, Carnagey was assigned to a small village, Phú Lâm, outside of Saigon where he was a part of a unit that focused on telecommunications. They were responsible for creating a free-standing phone line for military communication.
“I had the opportunity to call my home because I knew operators in our unit and got a hold of my family to let them know that I made it safely to Vietnam,” Carnagey said. “They couldn't believe that I was calling them on a regular telephone because, in their minds, I was in the jungles of Vietnam. My father never believed that I was calling him like I was just down the street; it was an interesting situation to say the least.”
Carnagey and his unit began visiting the closest village, and this is where his life was forever changed. He saw the effect the war had on the people, but what stuck in his heart was the devastation of the children. Carnagey and his unit started visiting the local orphanage and then called back home to have people gather clothes and other necessities to give aid.
“I can tell you that now – as I look back on my life – that experience and exposure to those children in that orphanage definitely had an impact,” Carnagey said. “I had no idea I could bring value to the children of Vietnam during war time; it didn’t occur to me until I got there.”
Carnagey recalled a “game” he would play with the kids. He would chase them around trying to get back his Army hat. He said it was a way to make them smile and get to know the people of South Vietnam during a challenging time.
Carnagey was blessed for his time in Vietnam. He expressed gratitude for being one of the few veterans to leave Vietnam better than when he joined the military. He left with gratitude and life experiences that push him to do what he does today.
“I had an opportunity to learn about the people of South Vietnam and their way of life,” Carnagey said. “That was 19 months of my life that a lot of guys look at as something they can never get back. I look at it as a time of tremendous growth for me personally.”
Once back, Carnagey returned to the workforce and did traveling sales and marketing in telecommunications for a long time. He retired in his mid-60s but has been devoting his life to veterans since returning from Vietnam.
“I thought I could play golf every day after retiring. After three months of that, I got frustrated because I wasn’t a very good golfer. One day, I walked into the golf course and saw a basket raising money for Folds of Honor,” Carnagey said. “I found out what it was, got involved, and hosted a fundraiser in Valparaiso that was a success.”
Carnagey currently works with Folds of Honor, America’s Gold Star Families, and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). He runs support groups, fundraisers and benefits, grants for children who have lost a family member to war that want to go to college, and meetings for veterans to connect with one another. He and the DAV help over 16,000 veterans across Indiana. Carnagey said working with veterans has been a real eye-opener to how much war has taken and affected the veterans personally and their families.
“I looked at those kids who no longer had a father or mother; for the most part, I realized they didn't have anybody to go out and play catch, shoot baskets with, or someone to take them to their first baseball game,” Carnagey said. “There was a hole in that family, and the only way that hole could be filled is by us, the citizens of the United States of America. These organizations are a way to give back to these families who have a hole in their heart, and I’m glad to be of their service.”