Vietnam veteran who has answered the call to serve

Luther Robinson has not missed a day of work since he was hired at the Rosecrance Harrison Campus in 2011. His strong dedication to service motivates the unit counselor, who works with men, particularly first responders and veterans, to return each day.

He doesn’t think about it as dedication; he thinks about it as just another Monday and a calling, which he answered long before joining Rosecrance.

“People always ask me how in the world have I been here for 13 years and never called off once.  It’s good when you get up in the morning and know you’re actually going to help somebody,” Robinson said.

When he joined Rosecrance, Robinson was nearing the end of his second career. The U.S. Navy veteran had served during the latter part of the Vietnam War before returning to Rockford, where he pursued a career as a machinist.

As his work as a machinist began to slow, a niece encouraged him to return to school and pursue a career in human services. He agreed, and while attending school, he participated in two simultaneous internships, one of which was at the Rosecrance Harrison Campus.

His time working with clients felt familiar, reflecting a calling he answered when he became an ordained minister in 1996 and worked with men at the Christian Union Church Ministries.

“When I started doing the internship with Rosecrance, it reminded me of the ministry work I was doing saving souls, restoring lives, giving people hope again,” Robinson said. “Some of it’s not just talking about addiction and recovery; some of it is clients saying that they hope again, or that their self-esteem is built back up and now can feel proud of themselves and not guilt and shame. It really is related to each other.”

Having grown up in a close-knit community, Robinson understood that he had something special compared to the younger men he mentored. He also had strong male role models during his upbringing, a quality he noticed was often lacking in the lives of the men he encountered at Rosecrance and through his ministry work.

“When I was growing up, it was all neighborhoods and community. We all played ball together, football together, stuff you don’t see anymore.”

He wants to give other men the gift of what he had growing up: Community and strong male leaders.

“When I saw an opportunity to work with the guys, I thought I could probably help them,” Robinson said.

Now, he gets to work with men and support those who also belong to the veteran community, giving them a chance at recovering from invisible wounds that have impacted their lives, especially for his generation of veterans who did not know what PTSD was or how it affected people.

“Back then, we didn’t know that stuff; it’s shellshock; it’ll go away,” Robinson said. “All of a sudden, these veterans who never had been in trouble but now since they were in the war now don’t know how to cope.

At 69, Robinson is beginning to think about what life will look like in retirement, but he simply can’t imagine a plan that doesn’t include helping others.

“You still want to help. You want to slow down, get the rest you need, and enjoy life, but you still want to be able to help other people,” Robinson said.