8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT BOOK!!, September 3, 2005
This review is from: Waging Peace: A Special Operations Team's Battle to Rebuild Iraq (Hardcover)
Okay, so i am in the book, but I can still remain objective. Most military books I have read deal with specific combat operations or tactics as that seems to be what people expect when they think of the military. Like going to go and blow up a bridge or something.
There are a lot of people in the military and most of those that serve have jobs other than combat operations. It is interesting to read about a military job that specifically does not use combat operations in a hostile military environment to acheive military goals. Like going to go and repair a bridge or something.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Make this story a bestseller! How we will ultimately exit Iraq!, August 14, 2005
This review is from: Waging Peace: A Special Operations Team's Battle to Rebuild Iraq (Hardcover)
This story is a must read for all Americans, especially those vocal, confused protestors who believe that we can just "pull out." We are doing important and often frustrating work to rebuild a nation in the face of an armed insurgency. All of us: American, the Iraqis, and the rest of the world are frustrated at the pace of progress. This story takes you to the frontlines of this operation and exposes the reader to a slice of what is good and bad about our efforts to rebuild Iraq, and why progress is so frustratingly slow.
The President and our troops need all of our support to acomplish this mission. As Rob points out in his summary, we need more "boots on the ground," not less. We need to provide real security for ourselves, the Iraqi population, and the contractors who are rebuilding Iraq's infrstructure. We need more men and women working directly with Iraq's civil government to improve living conditions and the economy. Once security is achieved, many humanitarian organizations will come into Iraq and help. Until then, it all falls upon the shoulders of the Civil Affairs teams.
Every American should ask, "How can I help these brave men and women better achieve their mission?" Only through their success will we be able to bring our troops home.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Need more information on Civil Affairs units, August 31, 2005
This review is from: Waging Peace: A Special Operations Team's Battle to Rebuild Iraq (Hardcover)
This is a great book. It tells the story from a Civil Affairs Team perspective, which many civilians don't even know exist and how they interact amongst themselves and the manuever Battalions they support. Unfortunately Rob was only able to concentrate on one of the Battalion's teams. There were, at times, over 10+ teams spread throughout Iraq doing similar missions which he did not have a chance to visit (one person can only do so much). I have to admit I am biased since I was part of the 425th Civil Affairs Battalion in Iraq and got to see "Writer Rob" quite a bit in theater. He is an incredibly interesting person and I was fortunate to get to know him. Look for more Civil Affairs stories from him because I think he is headed back over to Iraq or Afghanistan in the near future.
UPDATE: SSG PAUL WAS KIA IN KABUL ON 8 SEP 06. HE WAS PART OF OF THE 425TH CA IN IRAQ AND VOLUNTEERED FOR A SECOND TOUR WITH ANOTHER UNIT IN AFGHANISTAN. GOD BLESS SSG PAUL.
The Department of Defense announced the death of two soldiers, who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died in Kabul, Afghanistan, on September 8, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army Reserve's 405th Civil Affairs Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C. Killed were: Sgt. 1st Class Merideth L. Howard, 52, of Alameda, California and Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul, 43, of The Dalles, Oregon.
As Oregonians, we take the death of each of our soldiers quite personally. As we bid farewell to another, it is important to remember the man he was and the family he left behind.
Staff Sgt Robert J Paul, an Army Reservist, was assigned to the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, HHC, based in Portland, Oregon. These units serve as the main liaison between the military and the civilian populations of the country where the military is operating.
SSG Paul was originally from Hammond, Indiana. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya from 1987-1989. He earned a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Economic Development in 1995 from the University of Maryland. He joined the Army Reserve in April 1997. In 1998, He began working for the City of The Dalles, Oregon as an associate planner and became the senior planner. In 2001, he joined the Wasco County Planning Department as the senior land-use planner.
SSG Paul was a great lover of the wilderness and an avid kayaker. "Bob loved this area so much. He moved out here because he loved the west, he loved Oregon, and he loved the gorge (the Columbia River Gorge). He was very much into hiking and trailrunning and whitewater kayaking, all the outdoor experience," said Todd Cornett, Planning director.
In early 2004, SSG Paul was called to active duty and sent to Iraq to help build infrastructure, focusing on urban planning. He was deployed to Afghanistan in Spring of 2006. While in Iraq, he wrote, "It was pretty obvious what was broken and rundown. Saddam did absolutely no maintenance to his cities. Everything was broken or about to break. I had expected to do a lot of repair from military actions. Not at all. Those buildings were, for the most part, destroyed. I was performing maintenance and repair on systems that were not maintained for decades. They were also poorly designed. Naturally, I worked with community groups and the like to get projects aimed at what civilians wanted most rather than what I thought they should want most."
In a statement released by the Army, his family said, "Bob was the kind of guy, who if called for duty, would serve. he never turned down an opportunity because he always wanted to make a difference in everything he did -- the Peace Corps, the Army, his civilian job and, most importantly, his family and friends."
SSG Robert Paul is survived by his daughter, Ilena; mother and father, Esther and Sheldon; and sisters, Monica and Debra.
As we say farewell and God Speed to SSG Robert Paul, we value what he sacrificed for us and what he gave to so many while he was here.
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