The Red, White and Blue Project, Inc.

Col. Victor D. Kuchar, USAF (Ret.),
Board of Directors member
      Col. Victor D. Kuchar (Ret.) served America for 34 years on active duty with the Navy and later the Air Force.

      Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and until his 2010 retirement, Col. Kuchar served as Chief of Field Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance at the Pentagon. On that fateful day, Col. Kuchar narrowly escaped death when a hijacked American Airlines jetliner slammed into the Pentagon, in a spot he'd vacated only minutes earlier.

      During his 10 years at the Pentagon, Col. Kuchar traveled on more than 70 missions to Central Command and spent more than 2,000 days in theater providing mission essential hardware, software, data, training and data updates to more than 60 operational locations in 14 countries in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

      Injured twice as a result of enemy actions in Afghanistan, Col. Kuchar, who traveled “outside the wire” of the major bases on many occasions, was awarded two Bronze Star medals for meritorious action against an armed enemy of the United States. 

      During his distinguished career, Col. Kuchar has earned more than 20 decorations. At his retirement ceremony in Washington, D.C., Col. Kuchar was awarded one of the highest honors in the U.S. military, the Legion of Merit. The medal is one of only two U.S. Decorations to be worn around the neck. The other is the Medal of Honor.

      Col. Kuchar holds an undergraduate degree (Cartographic Science) from Michigan State University and graduate degrees from The Ohio State University (Geodetic Science) and California State University (National Security Studies).

      A man who does continuous charitable work in the U.S. and abroad, Col. Kuchar is a consultant with the United States Department of Defense. His travels still include missions into hostile regions. 

     At his retirement ceremony, Col. Kuchar said, “It's me who's honored, to be a guy from a small town (Corunna, Michigan) who had an opportunity to step forward and serve his country, as well as innocents around the world.” He urged the audience to “thank veterans, past and present, at every opportunity for their service in keeping America safe and strong.”
    One of Col. Kuchar's favorite "homefront"  stories took place at a social event at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C., a couple of years ago.
     A man came up to him with an "Aussie" accent and said, "Hi Mate, I understand you were in the Pentagon on 9/11 and you'd just left the exact area the plane hit moments earlier. Please allow me to buy you a drink, Sir."
      Admittedly not a big movie afficionado, the Colonel had no idea to whom he was speaking. The man, sensing this, handed him a single malt scotch and toasted, "I'm Russell Crowe, thank you for your service."        

Note: Col. Kuchar's position as board member is unpaid. He volunteers his time as a community outreach ambassador to the company's mission and programs, and he acts as a liaison to active duty military, as well as veterans and veteran's organizations. He is a voting member of the board.


                                                                                                 

Col. Vic Kuchar and the late Neil Armstrong, first man on the moon


Spartan Nation in Afghanistan
 
 

Col. Vic Kuchar (Ret.) shown with school children in India. He's a
tireless worker for children in the United States and around the world,
with an emphasis on educational opportunities, for boys and girls,
as well as clean water initiatives through wells and filtration systems.