Other Voices

Robert Porter is currently renovating the first floor of his duplex in Albany to accommodate handicapped veterans, whom he feels are often not well provided for by the government. Porter himself served in the Marine Corps for 21 years, 4 months, and 19 days. At Christmas time, Porter dons a scarlet uniform with brass buttons and a chestful of medals to become “Gunny Claus,” helping with the Marines’ Toys for Tots program. The corps has shaped his life. After boot camp, he was first stationed in Okinawa, Japan from where he trained in the Philippines and Korea, and vacationed in Thailand. Being abroad, Porter said, made him appreciate “how great it is to be in the United States.” He largely worked in law enforcement and remembers being in Iraq in 2006 and 2007, when he trained Iraqi police in Rawa. “Under Sadam Hussein, they were basically thugs,” he says in this week’s podcast. He remembers being “put on high alert” when Hussein was found and executed in December 2006. He also remembers standing on the roof of the police station in Rawa after an explosion and being able to see the nearby Euphrates River for the first time — the three-story building that had blocked the view was rubble. Porter says the Marines taught him about honor, courage, and commitment and, at age 54, he is still in top physical shape and still works harder at what he does because of being a Marine. “You have those standards you hold yourself to,” he said.