As we aim to make 2026 the largest-ever year of service, America250 wants to introduce you to individuals working to celebrate and commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Robert Borka is the Marine Corps League’s national executive director/chief operating officer. He is responsible for managing and directing its programs, activities, and affairs, including serving as the Executive Editor of Semper Fi Magazine.
A native of Swartz Creek, Michigan, Borka worked as a grocery store assistant floor manager for several years during high school before joining the Marine Corps in 1989. He served as a Special Intelligence Communicator/Cryptologic Technician Operator with a secondary billet as a Special Security Officer (SSO). Borka is a combat veteran of Desert Storm. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal as well as a Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon while serving as Methods and Results NCO in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was honorably discharged in December 1994.
Borka spent volunteer time serving from 2006 to 2014 at every level of the Young Marines youth organization. He spent three years working as the Director of Operations at Young Marines National Headquarters. It was from this position that Robert came to work at the Marine Corps League National Headquarters in Virginia in 2017.
As a member of our Servicemembers Advisory Council, which focuses on America250’s engagement efforts covering veterans, the military, and military family members, we asked Bob to share why he chooses to give and serve his community.
How many years have you committed to public service or military service?
Over 30 years combined military, EMS, public, and non-profit youth and veteran service and support.
What inspired you to serve?
There is a value in remembering those who have gone before us. Honoring history can provide a driver for future patriotic volunteerism. My family history dates to the Revolutionary War. Each generation has made sacrifices in service. The example set by my father to serve honorably, even while drafted, provided the final push to voluntarily serve.
What does service mean to you?
A lesson learned later in life was about Servant Leadership. Service to others with no intended self-benefit can really open your life to some amazing experiences.
Why do you give back?
A person can go to work and go home from work. I have a lot of days where that is all I have the energy for. The communities we live in will continue to evolve with or without our involvement. We then have to be okay with the results. A developed propensity to serve avoids complacency on a continuous path forward. It is one thing to serve in the military. As a Marine Corps combat veteran, I know it made a difference. However, serving in EMS or volunteering in the community has an individual and community impact. We all experience Robert Frost moments looking at diverging paths, but each provides opportunities to serve in different ways. We just have to be willing.
What is your hope for the next generation when it comes to service and giving?
We need to develop our youth to have the heart of a servant leader, instill good judgment with initiative, and advance the values of what hard work and involvement bring to family and community.
America's Field Trip
Engaging students nationwide to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary!
This contest invites students in grades 3–12 to share their perspectives on what America means to them — and earn the opportunity to travel for field trip experiences at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.