A life-long native of Wisconsin, Bob graduated from Germantown High School in 1977. Upon graduating with a Bachelors of Administration in General Business with Law Emphasis and a Military Science Minor from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater; Bob also received his Army Reserve commission as 2^nd Lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps (Tank/Automotive Material Management) in December 1981, through ROTC.

Bob has had the privilege of serving in a variety of increased leadership and staff positions throughout his 30+ years of honorable service with the United States Army Reserve, which includes over 14 years of Active-Duty. He entered on Active Duty in January 1982, while first attending the Ordnance Officer Basic Course at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

His follow-on Active-Duty assignments included: Combat Developments Staff Officer, Automotive Maintenance Platoon Leader, Company Training Officer, and Maintenance Control Officer (or Shop Officer) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Then, after completing the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course, he stayed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to serve as Chief of the Track Vehicle Recovery Branch, and then Chief of Recovery and Systems Maintenance Division, and finally as an Advanced Individual Training (AIT) Company Commander of B Company, 16^th Ordnance Battalion. Bob then served a year overseas as an Assistant Plans and Policy Officer in the headquarters staff of the 19^th Support Command in the Republic of South Korea from June 1990 to May 1991.  Bob’s last assignment was as an Armament New Equipment Training Officer at the Rock Island Arsenal, IL, before leaving Active Duty from there in August of 1993. 

In January 1994, Bob transitioned from the Individual Ready Reserve to the Reserves with assignments that includes:  Branch Chief of Weapons and Equipment Support Section under the 84^th Division in Milwaukee, WI. The unit was deactivated in September, 1994 and he transferred to 2^nd Battalion, 338^th Regiment at Fort McCoy, WI and served as Chief of a Combat Service Support Lanes Training Team, and then as Battalion S-3.  He transferred to the 2^ndBattalion (Logistics Support), 411^th Regiment to become the unit’s S-3 and S-4, then Battalion Executive Officer and Acting Battalion Commander. In February 2001, Bob was honored with promotion to Lieutenant Colonel and selection for Battalion Command of the same 2^nd Bn (LS), 411^th Regiment until November 2003.  During his command tenure, his Brigade was mobilized in support of Operation Noble Eagle at Fort McCoy and as part of the rotation, he was mobilized from January thru September of 2003. He left command in November 2003 and became an Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, with the G-4 staff of the 84^th Division, Milwaukee, WI. Bob was then promoted to Colonel and assumed the duties as Deputy Chief of Staff for Materiel (G-4) of the 416^th Theater Engineer Command (TEC) located in Darien, IL. It was during this assignment that the 416^thTEC was re-organized to grow from just being a headquarters staff unit into a 10,000+ strength command, organized under 3 brigades and encompassing all Army Reserve Engineer, Military Police, Chemical and Fire Fighter units located in the Continental United States geographical area this is west of the Mississippi River and also the Ohio Valley region.

Bob transferred into the Multi-Functional Support Command (MSFC) located at the Rock Island Arsenal, IL. Bob served as Division Chief of the Future Operations Section before being mobilized for a 1-year overseas tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (November 2008 to October 2009). While overseas, Bob served as an Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) Strategic Planner under the Commanding General of Army Material Command - South West Asia, assigned first under the 401^stArmy Field Sustainment Brigade (AFSB) in Kuwait. He was then embedded within the G-4 of the Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I) as an AMC Liaison for the 402^ndAFSB, which was headquartered at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.

Upon returning home in November 2009, Bob finished his career in the Army Reserves, serving as Deputy Commander of the Army Reserve Element, Joint Munitions Command Detachment 11 from January 2010 to December 2011 at Rock Island, IL. The detachment is part of the Army Reserve Sustainment Command, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Bob retired a Colonel (Logistics Corps) on December 31, 2011.

Bob's awards and decorations include:  Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal (for Meritorious Service), Meritorious Service Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Commendation Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Achievement Medal (1 Oak Leaf Cluster), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal (3 Oak Leaf Clusters), National Defense Service Medal (1 Bronze Service Star), Iraq Campaign Medal (with 1 Campaign Star – Iraqi Sovereignty), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Gold Hourglass and 2M Device), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, and the Army Superior Unit Award.

Bob is a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky and a 2009 inductee of the Ordnance Order of Samuel Sharpe. He is also Life Member of the Ordnance Corps Association and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA)

Bob moved to West Bend after leaving Active Duty in 1993 and joined the VFW in 1995 and became a Life Member in 1996, originally because of his eligibility from service overseas in Korea. He recently became a Life Legacy (Bronze Level). He has served in a variety of positions within his VFW Post 1393, located in West Bend and currently serves as VFW Post 1393 Commander. He is very active in his church, having been a member since 1993, serving on numerous boards as well as a past congregational president. Bob is currently serving in his church as an Elder (again).

Bob is an avid historical miniatures painter/gamer, as well as board gaming and reader of history.  With two friends, they co-authored and co-published a set of Napoleonic Wargaming rules in 2008. 

Bob is married for over 40 years to his college sweetheart and best friend, the former Michele Belongia of Brown Deer, WI. They’re the proud parents of a son, David and a daughter, Nicole and the proud grand-parents of 4 grandchildren.  Bob has worked at Plastic Components Inc. (in Germantown) for over 14 years and now works on the materials distribution and warehousing team.