“Robby”

Robby was born March 4th, 1994 at Booth Memorial Hospital, Queens, NY. He and his younger brother Joseph grew up in the small “sleepy” town of Locust Valley, a quiet hamlet on the North Shore of Long Island, NY. A woodsy neighborhood of mostly boys was the backdrop of their lives. They played Army with their cousins and friends. They had an electric jeep, mini-harleys, a swing fort, a mini dirt bike, a homemade zip line, nerf guns, and GI Joes, it was a kids paradise. Robby and the kids would walk to a preserve they called Spooky River, with creek beds, fallen log bridges, ponds with prehistoric looking fish that would swim up to the pier at the sound of footsteps, and sometimes the diesel engine would rumble through up on the hill and send them all running.

At the age of 5, they began a lifelong journey into the Mixed Martial Arts. Tae Kwon Do played a huge part in their young lives. They marched in every Memorial Day parade, breaking wood with their hands and feet along the way. They performed demonstrations at the Boys and Girls Club and won many medals at every Tae Kwon Do tournament they competed in. It helped teach them the meaning of hard work, discipline, respect and perhaps set the tone for the “never give up never quit” tough as nails mentality Robby went on to live and practice every day of his life. In a blink of an eye, they were teenagers. skateboarding, paintball, airsoft, and high school lacrosse became the norm, Cell phones came into our lives, video games, cars, and finally graduation from LVHS in 2012. The influences of the men in their lives, both military and law enforcement was obvious, and upon graduation from high school Robby joined the Marines. One year later, his brother Joseph followed and there was no prouder family.

By 2016 Robby and his brother became members of the Local 731 Construction Laborers’ Union. Robby quickly became a Shop Steward and began his young adult life as a hardworking, driven, responsible, and independent young man. In May of 2018 their unit, the 2d Bn 25th Marine Regiment was called to Active Duty in the still volatile Afghanistan. The opportunity to volunteer to join the Global War on Terror was presented and both Robby and Joseph jumped on the chance. Robby deployed first, Joseph followed soon after. Something they had always wanted to do, like their uncles and grandfathers before them, the chance to be something that few dared, they had the courage and the call to join the fight for freedom.

Robby’s unit landed in Afghanistan on October 2, 2018, where they began their 6-month rotation at Bagram Air Base to help train the Georgian Military. He spent his free time in a makeshift gym, punching the bag and lifting weights, but most of all he enjoyed the brotherhood. He felt Thankful that he was able to experience Christmas in Afghanistan with his Marine brothers over a meal and a movie after a long day out on mission, and later smoking cigars around a fire pit with his team. ROTO 8 was scheduled to return home in April of 2019. Joseph’s unit arrived on April 5th 2019 at a nearby base, Camp Bost to assist and train the Afghanistan Police Force.

Three days later, on April 8, 2019, with only a few weeks left to the deployment, and a little more than a month after his 25th birthday, Robby was asked to go on a routine mission with a team he was not usually with, and without question, jumped in and took position as the gunner manning the turret. On the way back, the Convoy was crossing a bridge when a suicide vehicle carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives drove out from behind a berm and exploded as it approached their truck. They never had a chance. Robby, SSgt. Christopher Slutman and SSgt. Benjamin Hines were mortally wounded.

A few days later, Robby’s Commanding Officer Captain John J Scheuch wrote these words “… Rob died while on his gun. He died a true hero. There is a reason why he was out there in the first place, because we knew he could get the job done no matter what. We knew he would never quit. He loved his craft as a machine gunner and displayed it with deep skill and knowledge”… He always gave 100% and was the one his commanders and bosses looked for when they needed something done right.

Those outstanding qualities described by Captain Scheuch; courage, heroism, dependability, passion, skill, knowledge, and the “will” to never quit, is who Robby was and will always be remembered for. Robby was the perfect son every parent dreams of, an inspiring older brother, funny, friendly, kind, compassionate, responsible, hardworking, and a true and loyal friend to many. He was brave, dedicated, respectful, patriotic, and giving.

Because Robby, Ben and Chris sacrificed their lives in war, others lived and made it home. They gave their lives to something bigger than themselves, and that is what a true hero is.