Since coming home in 2004 after three tours in Iraq, Robert Olivarez has devoted himself to helping other veterans recovering the emotional and physical toll of war. It is a labor of love and dedication.
Olivarez was an infantryman for the U. S. Marine Corps. Being on the front line meant he was in constant danger. When an IED exploded near him, he caught shrapnel in his leg and arm, injuries which still cause constant pain 20 years later.
Despite his injuries, the Marine sergeant stayed with his troops to finish his tour. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the oldest military medal.
When he did return home, he found work, but his purpose in life was clear: helping other injured veterans recover.
“There are a lot of them who come home feeling empty,” Olivarez said. “They lose their sense of worth when they return to civilian life.”
He joined the Military Order of the Purple Heart, whose mission is to foster an environment of goodwill and camaraderie among combat wounded veterans. The organization, founded in 1932, has more than 45,000 members.
Olivarez, who lives in Marysville, WA, north of Seattle, would get in his “beater” car and visit any veteran in need. That was, whenever his car was working. Reliable transportation was out of his reach.
In 2016, the local commander brought his service to the attention of the National Auto Body Council (NABC) Recycled Rides program, which works with insurers, collision shops and nonprofits to find veterans and others in need and present them with reliable transportation.
GEICO donated a 2013 Scion xB and the team at a Service King (now Crash Champions) collision repair center refurbished it. On June 29, 2016, NABC Recycled Rides presented Olivarez with the car he would use for the next eight years to fulfill his commitment to his fellow veterans.
“I was able to travel more to see my fellow veterans, and also save money on fuel and repairs, and visit my children more frequently,” said Olivarez. He is the proud father of six, five of whom live with his ex-wife.
The donated car also helped him finish his degree in communications and public relations from Skagit Valley College.
But that’s not the whole story of Olivarez’s commitment. He visits high schools to talk to students about what it means to be an American and to help their Junior Reserve Office Training Corps (JROTC) chapters. He has been the Purple Heart chapter’s historian and welfare officer. If a veteran needs clothing or food, or medical or legal help, he makes it happen.
Olivarez served in several more roles on his way to becoming commander of Purple Heart Chapter 12 in Seattle and, recently, national senior vice commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He has now become the national commander of the organization, a two-year role that will make use of his strong leadership skills.
Every position he has held in the Military Order of the Purple Heart is volunteer. There is no salary, even for the national commander. He manages to excel at his job in the construction field, while dedicating all his free time to his family or to service to veterans.
Olivarez gave a poignant example of what motivates him. “I was told of a Marine veteran who was contemplating suicide,” he recalled. “I jumped in the Scion and drove to him. We talked about how his life was worth something and how important it was for his child to grow up with a parent.”
He keeps in touch with his Purple Heart colleagues. “Not only were we able to save a life, we have watched as this veteran started college and began living a positive life,” Olivarez said.
It is a positive life that Olivarez models for all Purple Heart medal recipients.
