Veteran Profile: Robert Trentmann, Strength in Service to Others
When a teenaged Robert Trentmann joined the Air Force in 1961, basic training was not exactly what he expected. “I had never had anyone holler at me, besides my dad. About the only thing I can remember about boot camp was I didn’t like it.”
His training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, was mercifully short, and he soon left behind the “Texas tornado” cleanups in the barracks when he was transferred to Hancock Field in Syracuse, New York. He was stationed there for the rest of his tenure, until 1965, living and working in a SAGE building (or, semi-automatic ground environment) that could support its troops and supply operations for 18 months under an emergency lockdown.
Trentmann was absorbed into the high-demand role of data communications, where his office featured tactical switchboards and the loud buzz of 70 teletype machines typing 300 words per minute. In this office, “crypto” did not refer to virtual cash, but to coded messaging. He notes that all staff were required to remove any jewelry because a snag in the teleprinter might take off your finger. In lieu of jewelry, everyone wore machine tape around their necks—”To look busy,” he laughs.
It was an eventful time in the United States, with the 1960s civil rights movement in full swing and the Vietnam War at its halfway point. Trentmann remembers feeling his small town roots as the young man from Missouri absorbed the headlines and navigated a time of rapid change. He credits his time in the service as giving him discipline and says “I would do it all over again in a minute.”
Forgoing a job with the State Department due to family needs, he returned to civilian life first as a car salesman, then as a crisis interventionist, which he describes as similar to crisis counseling but more focused on individuals with substance use disorders. Having gotten sober himself in 1982, helping others achieve and sustain sobriety became a passion.
He retired from work at age 65, when his wife died tragically. After two years, he was able to receive Aid and Attendance benefits, which connected him with his caregiver point of contact, Craig MacNamara, of whom he says, “He’s a gentleman. He really believes in veterans. He’ll help any way he can. He’s got compassion coming through from the bone. Good man, good company.” He is grateful that VetAssist staff “take care of everything” to ensure he continues to enjoy what he calls “a Cadillac plan” for healthcare, as well as help cleaning his house and someone to respond quickly to falls and household accidents.
Trentmann still tears up when they play “The Star-Spangled Banner” at games and loves the military displays at the Super Bowl. He is proud of his service to his nation, and we honor and thank him for the ways he has made our country safer, stronger, and better for those who live in it.
