‘Model officer and a soldier’

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Lisle police officer Robert Harper was recently honored for his military achievements by being presented with Lisle's Medal of Valor. | Submitted

Updated: September 28, 2011 12:20AM

The story of Lisle police officer Robert Harper is one that could be taken from the headlines of virtually any newspaper.

His superiors, his fellow officers and his community all regard him as a leader and a hero. But the father of two young girls says that today, he is just a man who appreciates life and is thankful to be one of the few who can make a difference.

Harper, 46, has served his community nearly 18 years as a police officer. But he has also represented his country on a larger, more dangerous stage: This December, he will have served 30 years as both an active and reserve member of the United States Army.

This spring, Harper returned from his third deployment as a reserve officer following a nine-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, which resulted in personal injury as well as the loss of men that were directly under his command. The transformation from police officer to soldier and back again has not been easy.

“Rob is a veteran policeman and a dedicated military officer who achieved the highest rank a reservist can of sergeant major, and he’s had something like 200 soldiers under his command,” said Ron Wilke, watch commander for the Lisle Police Department. “Coming back from war, there are a lot of challenges to getting reconciled to the ‘civilian’ attitude.”

Authors such as Ernest Hemingway have explored the issue of the reintegration of military personnel after war in tales like “Soldiers Home” and Harper’s adjustments have included everything from a new police chief awaiting him to seeing the changes that nearly a year has brought to his 6- and 9-year-old daughters.

“I left for one of my deployments about a month after 9/11, and my oldest daughter was actually born about 10 days after the attack on the World Trade Center,” Harper recalled. “When you miss a year of your kid’s life, it makes you appreciate even the slightest connection or conversation on Skype, and you think about it and hope the next time it will be as great.”

During his latest deployment, Harper was injured in a vehicle incident when it rolled over, causing nerve and muscle damage to his left arm. Surgery was needed to correct the issue, and today, Harper said he has regained just 70 to 75 percent of the arm strength he had before deployment.

The issue of losing men under his command is another matter.

“Those three men were a big part of my life, and two were killed in action and the third couldn’t reconcile their deaths and wound up taking his own life,” Harper said with difficulty. “It’s something I’ll never quite get over in my life.”

Lisle’s new Police Chief Jim Kosatka said the entire force was excited to welcome their fellow officer back.

“Legally, we can’t eliminate an officer’s job because of his military service, but we would have kept it open without question even if we could have done otherwise,” Kosatka said. “The fact is we’ve operated at less than full strength since he left. Rob has been an outstanding police officer and is a born leader. I’ve known him his entire career, and his deployment experience seems to have changed him.”

Kosatka describes his returned officer as a man “who seems to have even more respect for life and finds things to be more precious to him.

“He’s been in combat and seen death and he realizes how vulnerable life is. And he’s very humble.”

Harper’s humility was clearly on display during a May 16 meeting of the Lisle Village Board when the village presented him with Lisle’s Medal of Valor, making him only the second recipient ever in the village’s history.

“Rob had representatives from the fire and police departments and the VFW fill the entire chamber room for the presentation, and he was so humble and overwhelmed by the ceremony,” said Mayor Joe Broda. “From my perspective, I’m so proud to have one of our own serve and protect his country as well as his community. He’s a model officer and a soldier.”

Harper said his desire to be a cop as well as serve in the military has been driven by his being “an advocate for victims and wanting to do something about it.”

“Putting yourself in harm’s way is not about, ‘Somebody has to do it, and so it might as well be me,’” Harper said. “The fact is, people will do this, and I wanted to be a part of that minority that wants to have an impact on the majority.

“There is something like 2.1 million individuals in uniform in a country of 330 million – that’s something like 1 percent or less.

“I just wanted to be able to do something when people are wronged and need help.”