Robert "Gene" Collins

Gene was born into a military family, with a father serving in the US Army for 20 years, enlisting shortly after Vietnam, an uncle who served in the US Army during the Vietnam conflict, and a grandfather, who also served in the US Army, during the Korean War. His entire youth was spent PCSing from location to location, playing sports and getting straight A’s in school. His elder brother also went on to serve and retire from the US Army before him.

He enlisted in the US Army and shipped off shortly after he graduated high school in 1997. Gene spent time as an Infantryman, a combat medic, and a respiratory therapist. He was fortunate to have served in many positions and attended numerous training and education opportunities and retired after almost 22 years of service in 2019.

After transitioning from the military himself, Gene has learned a lot and wants to do his part to assist others in their transitions. After being institutionalized by service, it’s good to have friends and family to lean on for purpose, motivation, and direction. He feels honored to be part of a team who seeks to do exactly that, as well as help develop some transitioning service members into being positive members of society.