In Service He Carries

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Ihave come to realize that a key component of wellness is acknowledging that we are in fact part of a larger community. Whether you see your community as your neighborhood, your town, your state, your country, or the world we are just small components of a machine that can move mountains. Ensuring that people are supported, valued, and loved is quintessential to the progression and survival of our communities. I have met many good people in my life, but none embody this sentiment more than Bob Chicca.

Bob has been selflessly making a difference and improving the lives of others while serving in his role as a Kiwanis member for over fifty years. He has become a leader and a mentor to so many but Bob’s journey to San Diego was unlike anyone you will ever meet. The oldest of seven siblings born in Washington D.C., Bob, secretly joined the Marines in 1962 at the new adult age of eighteen. At that time the world seemed upside down. Russian involvement in Cuba was the thought on everyone’s mind just prior to Kennedy’s assassination. Being barely old enough to enlist, Bob joined the Marines against the wishes of his family and was quickly shipped off to Parris Island, for basic training. Bob scored high on the Marine testing and was immediately channeled into the intelligence arm for additional training in Pensacola, Florida.

At a young age he had high levels of clearance and was sent to Monterey for more training before finally ending up in Camp Pendleton in San Diego. Due to his security clearance and intelligence status, it was understood that these men were not to be taken by the enemy. Because of this, he was never sent to the Vietnam conflict and instead ended up in Japan for more intelligence training. Trained in the Korean language, he was eventually assigned to the USS Pueblo with 82 other men for a TAD intelligence gathering mission that ended in disaster off the coast of North Korea in 1968. Less than a week after President Linden Johnson gave his State of the Union Address, and at the start of the first Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the USS Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans.

During the hostile seizure, one man was killed, and another dozen were wounded including Bob. The ship was seized in international waters and the crew captured. The taking of the Pueblo and the abuse and torture of the crew over the next eleven months was enough to turn any man bitter, but not Bob. With the thread of hope that laid on the blood-stained concrete floor of his cell, he vowed that if he ever made it out of that Hell, that he would be a Doer. Given the chance he would conduct his life to better himself and those around him. That chance came with his release along with the other crewmen from the North Korean prison camp, eleven months later on Christmas Eve, December 1968.

The crew of the Puebla returned to the US under a political shadow and no hero’s welcome was intended. The

US Government tried to downplay the event, but private citizens were ecstatic. Soon after the crewmen of the USS Pueblo arrived in the United States, thousands of supporters pitched in to bring the entire crew’s families to the El Cortez Hotel in San Diego for a celebration of their release. Even the actor John Wayne and Pat Boone were there later to greet them and give praise for the struggles they had endured. Shortly after his return to San Diego, Bob decided to stay. He planted roots in Bonita and raised a family.

On first moving to California, Bob had a mentor that suggested getting involved in a community club that made a difference. After a few months of investigation with other community clubs he landed in Kiwanis. When I asked, what made him choose Kiwanis? He said, “I realized straight away they were a group of Doers.” He continues to stay true to the promise he made as a prisoner of war, Bob is undoubtedly a Doer. Last month, Bob Chicca celebrated his fiftieth year as a Kiwanis member. He is the longest running statesman in the group. Over the span of five decades Bob has been involved as the Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of the region, President several times, and has been serving as current treasure of the Kiwanis Bonita Club for the past twenty years or so. His dedication to his wife Vanessa of 34 years, who is also an extremely active member of Bonita Kiwanis Club, his six children as well as his unwavering service to the Bonita club and the children of the surrounding communities is unsurpassed and for that we are truly grateful. As the current president of the Bonita Kiwanis Club, it is my goal to keep Bob’s spark shinning bright along with the other amazing lights within the group. The club is made up of over two dozen men and women of all ages and backgrounds that continue to serve the community.

There is no doubt that with their leadership and fellowship the Bonita Kiwanis Club makes a difference. I believe we can all make a difference in changing and improving the lives of others, while improving ourselves and serving as role models. There is a strong desire within the club to put the” community” back into community service. Perhaps you have wanted to serve the community and make a difference in the lives of children but didn’t know how to get started. If you feel the need to connect with others face to face, if you are looking for a group of people that still believe in the US Pledge of Allegiance and that the power of prayer can change the world.

If you have felt the need to get involved with something larger than yourself and share your talents, enthusiasm, and leadership, join us on Thursday mornings at 7AM at the San Diego County Library-BonitaSunnyside Community Center. 4375 Bonita Road, Bonita, CA 91902. For more information about the club go to www.BonitaKiwanis.org There is no pressure. Have some coffee, have some laughs, have some fellowship, and help us help others. Lance

Jordan President Bonita Kiwanis Club.