Up until two years ago, Robin Senesac said he didn’t think of himself as a veteran.

Sure, he was in the Army and National Guard from 1991-2001.

“Between ‘91 and ‘01, it was very quiet,” Senesac recalled.

The now 51-year-old Senesac transitioned out in early 2001. Then came Sept. 11 and the world changed.

Senesac’s life had changed as well. He was newly married to his wife, Christina.

Once again, he did not see action.

“That’s where I struggled, because I joined for a reason. I did all that training for a reason and then didn’t do anything,” Senesac said. “So, because of Eric [Peterson], I’ve actually been able, in the last two years, to put veteran behind my name. I never did that before. Being out for 20-some years, and I was like, nope, not a vet. He’s like, what do you mean you’re not a vet? You served 10 years.”

Peterson founded Project Headspace and Timing to aid veterans in navigating rough times. He’s now the superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kankakee County.

After basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, Senesac said when asked what he wanted to do, “I said, 11 Bravo. They said, you know there’s other jobs out there. I said, I want to be 11 Bravo. I want to be a soldier,” Senesac said.

“They’re like, well, they’re all soldiers. At 17 years old, that’s what I wanted. I wanted to be able to carry a gun. I wanted to serve my country. That’s all I knew.”

Senesac served in the infantry (11 Bravo), based out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Now Senesac is serving his community by volunteering for two non-profits: Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which builds beds for kids who don’t have one, and Let’s Ketchup, which helps fund school lunch programs.

Senesac also serves as the fitness coordinator for Project Headspace and Timing.

It was working out that helped Senesac learn to cope with mentally tough times.

Later in his life, Senesac said he realized he had injuries that occurred during his training while he served. He said he had blocked them out.

Part of his coping mechanism at the time was to eat. He said he was an emotional eater.

“I got up to 300 pounds. And then I was just done with being heavy and not being able to get around,” Senesac said. “I started working out, and that’s one of my therapies now. I got into bodybuilding and powerlifting. I do all that. Now I am the fitness coordinator for PHAT. I get gym memberships. I try to do as much as I possibly can to get guys out and being active because I know what physical fitness has done for me mentally, not only physically.”

Senesac realized he had been helping others when he was in high school in Momence. He was part of a peer support group.

“Some of those kids to this day will see me, ‘Hey, I remember you.’,” Senesac said. “I’m like, oh wow, I was doing that back then, and I got away from it. Why wasn’t I doing this the whole time? That’s where I love being. Maybe that’s the reason I joined the service, was to get that experience, to be a peer support in that aspect with all my people.”