08/16/2025
OUR STORY
This memorial page is in loving memory of Robert “Bobby” Kissel Burket, our son, brother and uncle. Bobby was born May 12,1981 in Georgetown, Ohio, a small rural town where he lived with his parents, two older sisters, a younger brother and multiple dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, turtles, ducks and even at one point a squirrel! Looking back at our family’s many stories of adventure, mischief and laughter, Bobby was most often in the center. He loved his family, was “good with God”, had many friends and never lost the kid in himself. Family, friend or foe, you knew where you stood with him. Bobby listened with his heart and always had your back!!
Bobby enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard after high school. In the winter of 2004, he volunteered for deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as a combat engineer.
Spc. Robert Kissel Burket’s skills, keen intuition, bravery and courage served him well in combat and in surviving a direct IED hit, a su***de bomber and multiple mortar attacks. He was “boots on home ground” in January 2006, and family and friends celebrated his homecoming.
Bobby survived the thick of combat in Iraq only to discover, a few months after returning home, that his difficult-to-detect, debilitating symptoms were growing daily. It appeared he was still on the battlefield. Like many soldiers serving in the Middle East as part of the National Guard, he returned home with no military base for support. We, his family, desperately scrambled to find answers while he navigated the VA system sixty miles away from home. In 2010, after 4 years of searching for answers, Bobby was diagnosed with PTSD and TBI. The physiological effects of his invisible wounds started to visibly show in his failing health, and a year later contributed to his sudden death.
Robert Kissel Burket’s proud service to his country is a part of his legacy and part of the reason we created Affinity Project. A bigger part is what he did every day in the small moments of life. The way he listened with his heart and the compassion of showing up for others and helping any way he could. Good times or bad, his affinity to connect and care for others like family was always present.
Why Affinity Project?
In 2011, Bobby decided to apply for admission to the VA Cincinnati Medical Center’s PTSD and TBI residential treatment program, located in Ft. Thomas, KY. One of his major concerns was, who would be there for him after his daily intensive treatment programs and during free time on weekends.
Knowing that his oldest sister, Shannon, and her family, lived close to the VA Center, made all the difference. It helped Bobby feel more comfortable and secure with the idea of being away from home.
Offering that same feeling of comfort and security to others attending the VA residential treatment program is what influenced the decision to create Affinity Project, a memorial 501c3 non profit group.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to stand alongside veterans impacted by PTSD while they are away from home attending a VA Residential Treatment Program. Affinity Project aims to foster hope and healing through creativity and nature-based experiences—offering mindful art classes, team-building hikes, and tree-climbing events.
Definition of Affinity :
A feeling of closeness, understanding, kindred spirits, and connection of the heart.
Bobby's second oldest sister, Brooke, named our non profit.
Logo
Affinity Project's logo design was one of Bobby's favorite mandalas created by his mother, Diane, and digitally edited by his younger brother,Paul.
Everything was approved and sealed with love by Bobby's father, Bob.
Family Strong aka Affinity Strong!
Bobby's mother reflects on the family's experience before, during and following his deployment to serve as combat engineer in Iraq, 2004-05.
