Reza Jaddi of Bolingbrook isn’t a veteran – but he serves veterans as if he were.

Jaddi said he is a huge champion of Wounded Warrior Project, Romeoville American Legion Post 52 and any veteran Jaddi happens to meet.

[ Joliet veteran ‘can’t do enough for veterans’ ]

“I’m very supportive of veterans,” Jaddi said. “They’re people who went out to defend this great country of ours; I’ve got a lot of respect for that. And it’s something to look very high upon, for the great sacrifices they made.”

Helping on multiple levels

Jaddi often meets veterans in need during his other outreach events. For instance, when Reza’s Auto Repair in Crest Hill distributes free school supplies, Jaddi might meet “a veteran family who’s fallen on hard times” and then does what he can to help, he said.

Unfortunately, it’s often impossible for the government to care for every need of every veteran, Jaddi said. So, he feels the community should step up.

“Anything we can do extra, we need to do,” Jaddi said. “So wherever their needs aren’t being met, if we can step in and take care of it, that’s what we need to do.”

Jaddi said his corporation also is involved in commercial real estate in Crest Hill, Joliet and Plainfield, “so we use that income to give back where we can.”

He’s a sergeant with the Romeoville Emergency Management Agency and started serving that organization 16 years ago, he said.

“That opened the door for us to have better relationships with the Romeoville American Legion and participate in their events,” Jaddi said.

His corporation also bought a military Humvee in 2017 and then worked to make it “streetable and drivable” for community events, he said.

“We wanted to let kids and young adults experience those types of vehicles and see what our veterans used out in the field,” Jaddi said.

When the village of Romeoville hosted the Veteran Traveling Memorial Wall Aug. 22-24, the Humvee was “used to lead the convoy” that brought the memorial wall to Romeoville, Jaddi said.

He also displays the American flag on a flagpole at Reza’s Auto Repair in Crest Hill.

“Every place I’ve ever worked in my 28 years in the automotive industry, I’ve always made sure an American flag is hanging at the building,” Jaddi said and later added, “I believe pretty much every American should proudly display the flag.”

Jaddi said when he was growing up, many houses in his neighborhood proudly displayed the American flag. He feels that tradition has slipped away over the last few decades for many people. He’d like to see it return.

“Younger kids and young adults need to take pride and see other people take pride in their country,” Jaddi said.

Jaddi said his parents immigrated to the U.S. from India in 1977 “to provide a better life for their future kids and grandkids.” Jaddi’s uncle actually immigrated in the 1960s – and the uncle often spoke of his first glimpse of the U.S, which was seeing the Statue of Liberty across the ocean, Jaddi said.

That’s part of the reason why Jaddi participated in the 20th anniversary celebration of 9/11 in New York – to tour Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and to get onto a boat to see the same view his uncle saw.

Sometimes Jaddi wishes he had served. But he entered the automotive industry in 1997 “working for a great company” and never found the right opportunity to “break away” and change directions. Over time, Jaddi grew older and his family grew larger.

So Jaddi found other ways to serve. And he doesn’t limit his service to veterans.

Brian Bessler, sales broker at Karges Realty in Joliet, said he first met Jaddi while volunteering at friend’s toy drive.

Bessler said Jaddi worked with his customers and vendors to donate more than 1,000 toys for Westyn’s Wish Annual Toy Drive, which benefist patients of Advocate Children’s Hospital and other children’s hospitals in the Chicago area, Bessler said.

“From that moment on, I’ve seen firsthand the kind of person he is,” Bessler said. “Time and again, Reza demonstrates what it truly means to be an outstanding business owner, a generous mentor to countless individuals, and a shining example of community leadership. He doesn’t just talk about making a difference, he lives it every single day.”