Dvorchak, Bob

Robert Dvorchak was born December 24, 1949, and he grew up on a farm in Appalachia, the third of nine children.  He was an excellent student, and was able to win an academic scholarship to attend university, at which he also took a job writing for the local paper.  It was a tumultuous time, and university campuses were filled with protests about the Vietnam War and civil rights.  Jim was drafted after this, as the Vietnam War was winding down.  He was consequently not sent overseas, but he did experience the backlash and negative emotions  that were directed at many returning Vietnam veterans.  In the 70s Bob continued to develop his journalistic career, taking a job with AP and covering many of the decade’s big stories.  When the first Gulf War took place in 1991, Bob was assigned the story and ended up embedding with the American military to cover the conflict.  Bob was specifically assigned to the 82nd Airborne, and he drew heavily on his own experiences as a soldier when he ventured to the Persian Gulf.  They were stationed on the far western edge of the line, isolated in the desert for 40 days before Operation Desert Storm was set in motion.  Bob advanced alongside the men of the 82nd, and was with them when the war came to an end.  He returned home with them, and got to experience the positive homecoming that was absent for the veterans of the Vietnam War.  Bob resumed his “home front” career with AP, continuing to advance the cause of defending the Constitution, albeit from a different vantage point than he had done so when in uniform.  Crestwood students were privileged to meet Bob over zoom in May 2021.