Wasco-Multnomah County OR Archives Obituaries.....Paul, Staff Sgt. Robert J. September 8, 2006 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com December 31, 2006, 1:20 pm The Dalles Chronicle, September 12, 2006 Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul, 43, of The Dalles, and Sgt. First Class Merideth L. Howard, 52, of Alameda, Calif. were killed Sept. 8, when a vehicle- borne improvised explosive device detonated next to their vehicle during a patrol in northeastern Afghanistan, according to a release issued late Monday by the Department of Defense. Paul was senior planner at Wasco County. Paul was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC) of the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade based in Portland. Originally from Hammond, Ind., Paul served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya from 1987-1989. He joined the Army Reserve in April 1997, two years after earning a master’s degree in urban planning and economic development at the University of Maryland. In 1998, Paul joined the City of The Dalles Planning Department as an associate planner, and became a senior planner while working for the city. In 2001, he joined the Wasco County Planning Department. “Bob loved this area so much,” said Planning Director Todd Cornett. “He moved out here because he loved the west, he loved Oregon, and he loved the gorge. He was very much into hiking and trailrunning and whitewater kayaking, all the outdoor experience.” He was called to active duty in early 2004, and was sent to Iraq to help build infrastructure. During his tour, he e-mailed photos and a story to The Chronicle from Baghdad at what he described as “remarkably low connection speed.” The photos and story were published in the July 11, 2004 issue. He wrote, in part: “We leave our base daily to perform civil affairs missions. There are two types we perform. The first is to identify and assess civil infrastracture ... and those buildings that have public use. This would include schools, parks, hospitals, clinics, agricultural cooperatives, whatever. We assess and rebuild the facility or infrastructure by hiring Iraqi contractors. “The second type is to inform and educate on how to operate in a democratic capacity. Therefore, we post our construction bids at the local government center and have the contractors compete based on price and quality. This was my idea... “We are all learning Arabic slowly. Mostly greetings and numbers and basic nouns. “Gotta run. Mortars.” Paul survived his tour in Iraq, and was expecting to return to The Dalles and his job with Wasco County. But the Army decided to send him to school in California to learn the Thai language. While at language school, Paul posted the following analysis about the difference between his Peace Corps and military experience on a discussion board for former Peace Corps volunteers: “First, in Iraq I traveled with a team and we were armed. We drove in a couple of busted up Humvees. I had a group of from six to eight soldiers (lost a couple to roadside bomb attacks, but they did not die.) “In Kenya, I was alone and had no need for any type of weapon. I did have a mountain bike. “Second, in Iraq, I had lots and lots of money. This made getting projects done a whole heckuva lot easier because we were basically ordered to improve infrastructure from city sewage to classrooms with a warehouse full of money that we captured from Saddam. (We, the United States, not me personally.) The only stipulation was that the project had to have community benefit and the money was to be paid directly to the Iraqi contractor who was awarded the bid. I had to find my own funding source in Kenya. Took a little longer. “Never arrested civilians or interogated them. I was not looking for any information. It was pretty obvious what was broken and rundown. Saddam did absolutely no maintenance on 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 building were, for the most part, destroyed. I was performing maintainance 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. “I ate at restaurants and houses frequently. Most soldiers do not. I frequented public markets and shopped for fruits and vegtables. most soldiers do not. I built trust the same way i did in the peace corps. “I answered questions from regular people and chatted with them. They asked the same questions you would expect. ‘Why are you here?’ ‘Are you a spy?’ ‘Can you give me something?’ Some people trusted us, and many did not. “We talked about politics, sports, culture. There was no difference between Iraqi in Baghdad and people in any other urban population except they spoke a strange language and have different customs. Much like i would expect from some random person from Chicago or New York City.” This spring, Paul was sent to Afghanistan. Paul’s survivors include his daughter, Ilena of Bensalem, Penn.; mother and father, Esther and Sheldon Paul of Chicago; and sisters, Monica of Chicago and Debra of Portland. Paul and his wife, Bonnie, were divorced in 2004. “Bob was the kind of guy, who if called for duty, would serve,” his family said in a statement released by the Army. “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 friends and family.” Paul was the 73rd member of the military with ties to Oregon or Southwest Washington to die in Iraq or Afghanistan. Additional Comments: Written permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle, The Dalles, Oregon, Dan Spatz, Editor (e-mail dated 3/7/2006). File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/wasco/obits/p/paul2808gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 6.4 Kb