15-05-2025
Wichita native saw the world with the Army before coming home
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A veteran born and raised in Wichita is now enjoying his retirement back home after a globetrotting Army career.
Robert Goodale grew up in Wichita, and after graduating from high school in 1996, he enlisted in the Army.
'Wasn't quite ready to go to college just yet. The army seemed like a good spot. The recruiter talked a really good game,' he said.
Goodale trained as a light infantryman and then went to Asia. His first assignment in the DMZ between North and South Korea was no picnic.
'You were given a mandatory four-day pass every month because of the stress of the environment. You're basically a pebble in the road. If they (North Korea) had come across the border, there's only 200 of us there, so it's not like we would have done much,' he said.
After a year in Korea, Goodale returned to the U.S. and joined the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During his time with them, he was deployed twice. He was first sent to El Salvador and Nicaragua to protect U.S. civil and medical engineers who were rebuilding following Hurricane Mitch.
'There were shots fired, things getting stolen, nobody got kidnapped or anything. But the president was going to pull (U.S. civil engineers) all out because Nicaraguan security forces or Honduran security forces couldn't protect them or wouldn't. And then both countries allowed him to send in Army infantry,' he said.
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Goodale says his final deployment was much less stressful and sent him to Egypt, where he spent half a year guarding the Sinai Peninsula.
'You're guarding a little strip between Egypt and Israel, and you're kind of just deterring a future war between the two. It's pretty standardized and pretty cut and dry,' he said.
Goodale returned to the U.S. and was eventually transferred to Fort Hood, Texas, before retiring as a sergeant and returning to his hometown.
'I felt good about it. I mean, my family's here, some of my friends are here. I didn't have a problem with it,' he said.
Since returning, Goodale has attended Butler College and even started his own insurance agency business, but his passion is the charitable works of VFW 3115, where he is the post commander.
'We try to do several things out in the community. We collaborate with other organizations for homeless feeds, socks, underwear, anything a veteran may need,' he said.
Goodale credits the leadership skills he learned in the Army for helping him lead his VFW today.
'Taught me a lot of responsibility, punctuality, leadership, it pretty much made me who I am. And who I am, I like that person because he gets the job done,' he said.
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