Colonel (R) David Rabb
The Department of Military Science and Veterans and Military Services welcomes Colonel David Rabb for his presentation, “Reach, Change, and Grow,” which details his passion to explore the physical and moral injuries that are an inevitable component of military combat duty. Colonel Rabb is a distinguished veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. A 1983 graduate of Illinois State University, he has devoted 41 years of service to the United States Military. A line from one of his poems shows the complexities of his experiences: “Off-centered and confused in the direction I should take, I sometimes wonder if my faith will keep me afloat…out of the ashes, I come. Moved by the loving kindness that surrounds me, hoping it will soothe the hurt and anger within me…out of the ashes, I come.”
Date: Friday, February 21, 2020
Time: 1:30 p.m.
Venue: Circus Room, Bone Student Center
Colonel Rabb began his career in the United States Marine Corps and later served as a soldier in the United States Army. He has also worked for Veterans Affairs for 34 years as a social worker. In his last assignment with Veterans Affairs, he served as the director of Diversity and Inclusion. Now semi-retired, he sees himself as a social artist, social activist, and social healer.
Colonel Rabb was honored to be featured on Matt Mitchell’s 100 Faces of War project. The 100 portraits which included Colonel Rabb, were chosen to be representative of the 2.5 million people deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014. They illustrate a cross-section of those who served in terms of gender, race, branch of service or rank—from officers to the enlisted and civilians, as well as the fallen.
Colonel Rabb is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Paws for Purple Hearts. Their mission is to offer therapeutic interventions for veterans and active duty military personnel by teaching those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to train service dogs for their comrades with combat-related injuries.
Colonel Rabb is also a member of the Board of Directors for PsyArmor. This is a not-for-profit organization that provides education and support to non-military Americans, who work, live with, and care for our veterans.
This event, sponsored by the Department of Military Science and Veterans and Military Services, is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact kmkline2@ilstu.edu
