RALLY4VETS | DVEN - FOUNDER
ROBERT WARREN HESS
Two Vietnam combat tours. A PTSD diagnosis, carried for years before it had a name. An Agent Orange cancer that should have killed him. Robert didn't build Rally4Vets to be recognized. He built it because he knows exactly what veterans are carrying — and he knows it doesn't have to end the way it too often does.
"The truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it."
- GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF, U.S. ARMY
IN HIS OWN WORDS
A NOTE FROM ROBERT
I was commissioned in the U.S. 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 with the 173rd Airborne, operating out of LZ English.
That tour was followed by commanding an armored cavalry troop in the 14th ACR in Fulda, Germany, flight school, and back to Vietnam — 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 Army, I graduated from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, founded a boutique consulting firm focused on the community bank sector, and developed the TrakPointe Loan Pipeline Management Software System, which was 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) nonprofit, 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 at ThePCAP.org.
In June 2016, I formed the Cancer Journeys Foundation, also a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, 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 — 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 programs include HPDE, time trials, time attack, and road rallies — and beginning in 2026, we are expanding to include cycling and pickleball. Jump over to our Programs page to explore how you might join Team Rally4Vets and support our mission.
I would be honored to have you connect with me on LinkedIn.
Warm regards,
Robert
ROBERT WARREN HESS - FOUNDER, DVEN & RALLY4VETS - U.S. ARMY (RET)
The truth is that you always know the right thing to do. The tough part is doing it."
- GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF, U.S. ARMY
VETERAN SUICIDE AWARENESS
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Whether it’s offering a helping hand, a listening ear, or gratitude for those who served, our shared actions uplift the veteran community. Consistent support and values-driven partnerships allow Rally4Vets to strengthen mental-health resources, expand programs, and reach more veterans nationwide.
We can all #BeTheOne to prevent veteran suicide.
We Drive. They Survive.
Rally4Vets provides community support, not emergency mental-health services. If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, contact the Veterans Crisis Line: 988 (Press 1).
The Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN) is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.
Our federal tax identification number (EIN) is 99-5053861
Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. No goods or services are provided in exchange for donations.