tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18249580495060271552012-01-02T02:13:17.361+03:00The Lion of Baghdad. Observations of a United States Navy Sailor and Penn State alumnus serving our nation in the heart of Iraq.Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.comBlogger361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-85172249623548173572007-11-23T00:32:00.001+03:002007-11-23T17:38:09.817+03:00

Wounded U.S. Navy Seal Uses Appropriate Commo...From Blackfive -- a daily must read for anyone interested in current military affairs.You don't need my words to help you understand what this brave warrior is all about. America is built on generations of men and women who displayed such unimaginable strength in defense of liberty. Yet, there are those in modern America--men and women who call

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-2829387212832379322007-11-22T23:59:00.000+03:002007-11-23T18:06:43.769+03:00

Happy Thanksgiving from Bagh-town! Here's a peek at my Thanksgiving Dinner. I was running late (thanks to a little Thanksgiving greeting in the form of nearly 20 mortars that destroyed the non-tactical vehicle we use on the FOB, the first indirect fire attack since before Ramadan in September. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.) and had to sneak into the galley just after the doors

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-83323383253079199452007-11-20T08:52:00.000+03:002007-11-20T11:47:56.307+03:00

Even the American media are beginning to report what those of us on the ground here in Iraq have been saying for months.Change is definitely in the air.The exact cause, whether the quiet will hold, and whether the Iraqi government and its citizens can maximize the opportunity the quiet presents are the questions.These media reports mirror what I hear every day from the Iraqi staff that I work

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-20040352868758754682007-11-19T22:12:00.000+03:002007-11-19T23:16:51.379+03:00

New Baghdad Courthouse--Civil and Family Court Today, I headed out to New Baghdad section of Baghdad, otherwise known as 9 Nisan, or Baghdad Jedidah. New Baghdad is adjacent to Sadr City to the southeast--the courthouse itself is about a mile from Muqtada-town, as we call it. The area is mixed Sunni-Shia, but the criminal court and its investigative judges moved to Sadr City more than a year

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-34950629379848527622007-11-18T03:13:00.001+03:002007-11-18T10:43:22.349+03:00

Michigan State 35Penn State 31Are there anyone Penn Staters left who cannot honestly state that it is time for a top to bottom retooling of the football program? From a season of serious disappointment on the field and gross misconduct by too many of our athletes, it's time for change.Maybe it's just because its 3AM, have to be on duty in 4 hours, and that I stayed awake to listen to PSU throw

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-72779956787392921842007-11-14T23:54:00.000+03:002007-11-17T23:31:15.433+03:00

Early this afternoon, the military men and women of the 86th Combat Support Hospital, which shares the compound where I work, line the road and rooftops and render a salute as a helicopter carrying the remains of our battle dead depart the International Zone, beginning the journey to their place of final rest, as two more helicopters bearing wounded are inbound in the distance. The soldier was

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-91962757137630356442007-11-13T22:58:00.000+03:002007-11-13T23:42:51.250+03:00

Setting Sun over Western Baghdad, 13 November 2007.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-36022553802173091842007-09-27T19:37:00.000+04:002007-09-27T20:06:39.287+04:00

It's hard to believe that it's been a year this week since I last suited up for work at VACO. Forget the suit, tie, and occasional cuff links, this is standard business attire for me these days. It almost looks like they're starting to make a soldier out of this sailor. (Of course, there were days at VA when I felt like I needed body armor and Kevlar, not to mention a rifle and pistol...) I began

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-16629327278281136022007-09-26T19:14:00.000+04:002007-09-27T00:45:04.426+04:00

If I can do anything while I am here, I hope it is to put a human face on Iraq for people at home--to make Iraq more than news clips of bombings and body counts. To that end, I'm starting to write a series called "Faces of Iraq". I hope that Faces of Iraq will bring more context to the war, and to the lives of Iraqis, than the American media or our policiticians seem able to. Ironically, in many

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-92174514647594830612007-09-25T20:09:00.000+04:002007-09-26T20:57:09.559+04:00

A friend sent me this post from LaschOut: Lasching out from Behind the Blue and White Curtain. (The "Lasch" of course comes from Lasch Hall, the HQ of the football program.) The thesis is that the game has passed Joe Paterno by, and nothing exemplifies that more than Penn State's performace in Ann Arbor last weekend.Here's a nuggest to give you an idea of where the author is going:I respect Joe

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-66979303113785252712007-09-23T18:37:00.000+04:002007-09-26T21:04:23.887+04:00

( S I G H )They simply have our number, and again, we beat ourselves. But unlike 2005, there aren't calls that went a little too far the Michigan way, or mysterious seconds being added to the clock.There were just critical fumbles, and lackluster playcalling.And an amazing defensive performance. Again. Talk about heroes.I had been so good all week. I didn't talk smack. I respectfully read

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-73427849946199444982007-09-13T17:37:00.000+04:002007-09-13T23:09:23.465+04:00

One of these guys is a Scots-Irish Presbyterian. I wonder which one?Three of theses guys are named Haider, a very common Shia name. We all work together here in Baghdad, and in order to know which Haider is which, we jokingly refer to them as Wahid, Thain, and Thalatha (1, 2, and 3). But every morning when we greet each other, and each night as the close of the day, we call each other "my

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-59522046316229510262007-09-10T21:45:00.000+04:002007-09-10T22:11:22.852+04:00

The following link takes you to a recent New York Times interactive graphic map of Baghdad and its neighborhoods and districts. It's an interesting snapshot of where Baghdad stands today, and how the city has changed and is changing. Have a look at my neighbors, and draw your own conclusions.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-82191035171613450902007-09-10T21:09:00.000+04:002007-09-11T11:26:47.629+04:00

Women Shopping in al-Kadhamiya, a largely Shia district on the west-bank of the Tigris. (Photo by Rob)Friends,As I write this, I am watching the beginning of Congressional hearings during which GEN Patraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify to the military and political progress here in Iraq. I will let these men of honor speak for themselves, as it is simply not possible for me to communicate

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-61989234021933353482007-09-09T22:08:00.000+04:002007-09-26T21:04:49.978+04:00

(Touchdown) Jesus Wept I think that basically sums it up. I'm looking forward to Penn State's trip to Ann Arbor in two weeks, but as Wisconsin and Michigan both demonstrate, never take your eye off that next non-conference opponent, which for us is Buffalo. They might surprise you.And while I am trying to remain focused on what's at hand next weekend, I thought I'd share with you some of the

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-24414375155447903412007-09-09T05:32:00.000+04:002007-09-26T21:05:11.995+04:00

Welcome to the White House!That's why they call us "Linebacker U"! The Face of Penn State Football--Success with Honor! (Photos courtesy of The Football Letter, Penn State University Alumni Association)Probably not, but I might just have to gloat a little...but later. It's 0530 and I have to be ready for duty in 2 hours.Thanks Joe, the 110,078 fans in Beaver Stadium, and all the Nittany Lions.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-31257171428921818772007-09-09T01:18:00.000+04:002007-09-26T21:05:57.829+04:00

It's 1:20AM here in Bag-city, and I'm awake, showered, rested (not really, but I keep hoping that if I say that I am, I'll start to believe it), and ready to head over to the Palace to watch Penn State take on Notre Dame, or as I call it, the Greater South Bend Parochial School for Troubled Youth.I have been pretty quiet about this game all week, other than my mid-week gloat at the Domers loss to

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-15818566458878572832007-09-06T13:01:00.000+04:002007-09-26T21:06:26.770+04:00

When 2 pillars of the Axis of College Football Evil go down in flames, I just can't help myself.Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32Georgia Teach 33Notre Dame 3Throw in a Free Shoes University (FSU) loss, which brings Joe back to within 2 of Bobby Bowden's win total, and it was a good weekend, indeed.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-76035059126610042572007-09-01T21:33:00.001+04:002007-09-26T21:06:57.379+04:00

Really, it's not that complicated. Add one part Penn State football, add access to the internets, fold in streaming audio of the Penn State Sports Networks and the mellifluous voice of Steve Jones' play-by-play, and I’m really one just one happy guy right now. Penn State Football 2007 is underway, and I'm listening live!Which brings me back to one of my original questions when I started out on

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-71696228570047862262007-08-21T23:42:00.000+04:002007-08-22T01:35:03.252+04:00

I took these pictures today while on a mission in the Adhamiya district of Baghdad -- north of the Green Zone, on the east bank of the Tigris. We dismounted our vehicles and had to walk several blocks to access the civil courthouse, where we were to meet the judge and talk with lawyers practicing at the court. Adhamiya is the oldest part of Baghdad, and predominantly Sunni. This was our 7th

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-51193932627852330752007-08-18T22:07:00.001+04:002007-09-26T21:07:27.036+04:00

Welcome to my autumnal obsession -- Penn State football. With every passing year, my inner Penn Stater grows stronger. And it seems even more so this year, probably compounded by the distance between Haifa Street in Baghdad and College Avenue in my hometown, State College, PA. It's also heightened by the fact that fall is without question my favorite season -- there is simply no better place than

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-224797780132077422007-08-11T16:44:00.000+04:002007-08-11T17:46:33.830+04:00

Where have I been?That's a welcome back to me -- and an apology for being so blog-deficient for nearly 2 months. What is truly amazing about this adventure, is the speed at which time flies by. Days very quickly turn into weeks and months -- all with some degree of confusion about how many days and weeks have acutally passed. One of my colleagues remarked shortly after we arrived in theater that

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-27567023189211707932007-06-15T21:01:00.001+04:002007-06-15T22:11:24.086+04:00

...the dogs are wearing shoes because the pavement is sizzling!I love this pup. There are a LOT of working dogs here in Iraq -- for all the obvious reasons. Most are pretty tough looking woofers that you really wouldn't want to mess with. But this little guy is different. Not only is he just not the least bit ferocious looking but...he's wearing BOOTIES to keep his pads from burning on the hot

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-38417825435042412662007-06-15T16:22:00.000+04:002007-06-15T20:36:45.042+04:00

Wednesday, on our way back to our compound from one of the other FOBs in the Green Zone, we stopped at the Iraqi Monument to the the Unknown Soldier, where we met a couple of Iraqi soldiers who showed us around and let us take pictures.Many of the monuments in Baghdad were built after the Iran-Iraq War, or during the 1990s during sancations as a way of glorifying the regine, rather than honoring

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-38446282949550127122007-06-06T23:37:00.000+04:002007-06-10T09:50:58.997+04:00

Omaha Beach, Normandy.All photos by Rob, September 2004I wonder how many Americans woke up this morning, saw today's date, and thought of something other than Wednesday.How many Americans saw the date--June 6--and remembered D-Day? So much has changed in the 63 years since Operation Overlord began the final push for the liberation of Europe. So much has changed in America, and in Americans.But

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-48241632540697634822007-06-04T22:52:00.000+04:002007-06-04T23:05:52.628+04:00

The beautifully peaceful Nittany Valley. Or as I like to call it--HOME. It's been far too long since my last post, I know. Honestly, I received a wonderful birthday gift from my parents (that's you, Mother and Dad!) -- a leather bound journal. I have been writing ever since. Writing is helping my focus on things that I want to post here, and is a good outlet for things that I just can't post in

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-33517896227657623762007-05-23T21:54:00.001+04:002007-05-27T15:14:47.748+04:00

And I didn't even have time for a Green Bean Smoothie today.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-90764748428623012692007-05-23T16:21:00.001+04:002007-05-26T23:37:44.474+04:00

America is not at war. The (insert your favorite branch of service here) is at war. America is at the mall.I referenced this sentiment in an earlier post -- a sentiment that I felt long before I set boots on ground here in Bag-city, but one that has gnawed at me for some time. The anti-war movement assails the President for failing to ask the American people to sacrifice during war--and

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-45287849102221883702007-05-20T16:28:00.001+04:002007-05-21T08:40:59.939+04:00

I have a simple request. Mr. President, the next time we take on a brutal dictator and topple his regime, could we pick one in a nice temperate climate? Like, oh, I don't know, British Columbia. A civilian in my office suggested Hawaii, but I reminded him that we had already done that one. Outside temperature at 10:30AM. (That's 1030 for you military types.)Now, 106 degrees isn't so bad if

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-28927331180589907252007-05-20T16:15:00.000+04:002007-05-21T08:46:59.922+04:00

Dear Friends,Thanks so much for your notes. I've been in downtown Baghdad's green zone for two weeks now and am settling into a routine, which pretty much boils down to sleep, eat, work, eat, work, eat, gym, sleep, and repeat. A friend of mine said the other day that he had no idea what day it was, but he knew it was dinner time. That seems to be the pace of things around here. They say that you

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-18825617813640982172007-05-20T15:12:00.000+04:002007-05-26T23:40:59.457+04:00

What follows is a letter I wrote to my 10-year old niece shortly after I arrived. She is a very bright, inquisitive girl, who I know wants to understand why my being in Iraq matters.My dear niece,Marhaba! That means HELLO in Arabic!I was so excited to get your email! I'm so glad you had a good Easter at Grandma's. It's important to spend holidays with people we love, isn't it? That's part of what

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-14208246607074500902007-05-20T14:54:00.000+04:002007-05-20T16:09:58.218+04:00

I thought that I would back up a bit, and post some of my emails to family and friends, from my first day here in Bag-city, along with some other first impressions.Dear Family,Hello from the International Zone in downtown Baghdad. Right now, I'm sitting in a huge ballroom in one of Saddam's palaces, now the US Embassy, drinking a chai latte and writing emails. Just another one of the many surreal

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-68838507173463495082007-05-16T14:28:00.000+04:002007-05-17T16:05:44.408+04:00

Forget about the fog, it's all about the coffee.If an army moves on its stomach, then I have no doubt that a Navy sails on its coffee. For a sailor in the sandbox, nothing brings more joy to my mornings in Baghdad than this sight, and the triple house dose of caffeine-laden goodness that comes with it.Welcome to the Green Bean, home of the Mother of All Coffees.Seriously...I'm not making that up.

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-76827719604811912072007-05-15T22:33:00.000+04:002007-05-16T00:29:15.800+04:00

It's strangely quiet outside tonight--at least for the moment. No wind. No helicopters. No birds. The palms aren't swaying and there are no sirens. Just stillness. But like everything here, it's almost anticipatory. It seems like you never know what's around the corner. I see it in my Iraqi friends, and I see it in Iraqi institutions. There's a certain hesitancy. That uncertainty, again, of

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-61442427599838119072007-05-15T18:28:00.000+04:002007-05-16T14:24:10.867+04:00

Yesterday, I was speaking to an Iraqi woman--beautiful, and almost shy, her fair skin was surrounded by a lavender scarf covering her hair. After our business was done, I drove her to Assassins Gate so that she could make her way out of the green zone and back to her bodyguard and car. When, in her soft voice, she thanked me for helping her, I told her that I hoped all of this security--

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1824958049506027155.post-38133818315183506482007-05-15T12:17:00.000+04:002007-05-16T13:23:36.048+04:00

I'm discovering there is a rhythm to my days here in Baghdad. (A rhythym to everything except the weather. That's just hot. And a couple of variations of hot. Hot with hot wind. Hot with no wind. That's pretty much it.) There are highs and lows. The pace is either breakneck fast and agonizingly slow. And when I sit back and think about it, I have a sense of both certainty and wonder. There are

Robhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09632124554819641135noreply@blogger.com0