I was commissioned in the US Army upon my graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in June 1967. Like many of my peers at that time, it was off to armor officer basic, then ranger and airborne schools, and my first Vietnam tour of duty in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne, operating out of LZ English.

 

That tour was followed by commabing an armored cavalary troop in the 14th ACR in Fulda, Germany, flight school, and back to RVN, this time with B Troop, 7/17th Air Cavalry, operating from Camp Holloway in Pleiku. Then more school, back to Germany, followed by several tours in the Pentagon, and finishing my career as a Political-Military Advisor at the State Department.

 

After retiring from the US Army, I graduated from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, founded a boutique consulting firm focusing on the community bank sector, and developed the TrakPointe Loan Pipeline Management Software System, named one of the best new technologies for community banks in 2013 by BankNews.

 

In 2003, I officially became a prostate cancer survivor and created a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, The Prostate Cancer Awareness Project (PCAP), to reduce the prostate cancer death toll through early detection. [I call myself the Accidental Survivor – you can read that story on the PCAP website – www.ThePCAP.org.]

 

In June 2016, I formed the Cancer Journeys Foundation, also a registered 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity, to provide support to the broader cancer survivor community. The PCAP was merged into the Cancer Journeys Foundation at that time. Our prostate cancer early detection system is available – free and anonymous – on the Internet at ProstateTracker.org.

 

Following my PTSD diagnosis, I created the Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN) to help connect veterans with benefits and resources to improve their quality of life. Veteran suicide prevention is one of DVEN's key programs.

 

DVEN's Rally4Vets motorsports programs combine my love of motorsports with the opportunity to help veterans cope with PTSD. Our current and future event programs include HPDE, trackcross (time trials/time attack), and we have some very fun road rallies in the planning stages.

 

Beginning in 2026, we are expanding our programs to include bicycling and pickleball.  Yes, Pickleball!  Jump over to our Programs page to explore how you might join Team Rally4Vets and support our "Battle Buddy Builders" mission.

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I would be honored to have you connect with me on LinkedIn: Robert Warren Hess

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Warm regards,

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Robert

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​​​​​​​​​​​“The truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it.”

​​- General Norman Schwarzkopf, U.S. Army

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