Tribute in the News

Our Tribute to Veterans on Saturday was covered by StateCollege.com and reported today as part of their Veterans Day coverage.

Brothers and Veterans Inspire Others to Serve
Nov 11, 2009
by Jen Golding
StateCollege.com

Somewhere in the mosh pit of trailers and RVs at Saturday’s pre-game tailgate, surrounded by cheering fans and loud music, the people gathered at the “Biz-Hub” RV hung their heads in silence.

Although most of the people surrounding Beaver Stadium were honoring the Nittany Lions with traditional tailgates, brothers Dan and Steve Bisbee wanted to honor the men and women who have, currently are or have ambitions to serve in the military.

The veteran brothers, who grew up in Central Pennsylvania, agree that there is a short distance between the cutting edge of American foreign policy and small town Pennsylvania.

“The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the largest contingents serving overseas, therefore a huge amount of diplomatic effort is done by people from small town Pennsylvania,” said Dan Bisbee.

Dan majored in history at The University of Pennsylvania, where he enrolled in the Army ROTC program. Upon graduation in 1994, he was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army. He served at Fort Hood, Texas, and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. When he completed his active duty service, Dan received his master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for transatlantic security and intelligence policy.

In 2005, Dan returned to active duty when he was called to serve in Iraq to work with city officials in Baghdad on reconstruction. He returned home in 2006, but was asked by the State Department to come back in a similar capacity in 2007-2008. He returned to Central Pennsylvania in the summer of 2008. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh and working on a dissertation that connects the long-term history of Baghdad to the current efforts of the U.S. government of counterinsurgency and foreign policy.

“While I was in Iraq, I saw the key to success in Baghdad or anywhere,” said Dan. “It’s not the high-level politicians who matter, it’s the people who work in the government offices and dedicate themselves to fellow citizens.”

What made a huge impression on Dan was seeing Iraqis risking their lives every day just to go to work to make their city a better place.

“The experience changed me,” said Dan. “It made me more aware that things don’t just happen in history, people make things happen. Individual actions matter.”

Steve said his experience in the military changed him as well.

“I was overseas for every single holiday. I didn’t have a family at the time, but I witnessed how hard it was for people who did to be apart from their families, yet they were committed to serving their country,” he said. “I realized it’s important to make societies less stable than ours more stable.”

Steve graduated from Sellinsgrove Area High School in 1993, three years after Dan. He then enrolled in the Army ROTC program at the University of Pennsylvania as well, where he majored in business at Penn’s Wharton School.

After graduating in 1997, Steve was commissioned an officer in the U.S. Army. He spent four years in active duty service, where he was based in Fort Hood, Texas, but served in overseas missions in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Fort Hood is the site of the mass shooting that occurred last Thursday in which 13 people were killed and 28 wounded by an Army psychiatrist facing deployment to Afghanistan.

“I spent four of my best years stationed in Fort Hood,” Steve reflected. “We need to take a moment to honor those victims and all civil servants.”

In 2001, Steve left military service to work on civilian assignments with the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. Three years later, he moved back to Central Pennsylvania and received a master’s degree in business administration from Penn State University. He is now vice president of S&A Homes Inc., a residential home-building company based in State College.

In 2006, Steve paired up with Dan to start the Bisbee Project, a nonprofit organization which seeks to recognize young leaders in high school who could make good government servants. Scholarships for Service is an important aspect of the project, which awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors who are enrolling in Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, or a service academy after graduation.

So far, 19 scholarships through 11 high schools have been awarded to exceptional students who plan to pursue a military or government service career. Dan and Steve disagree with the belief that our current generation of Americans isn’t up to our current generation of problems.

“We need to forge a path to the future,” said Steve. “To do that, we need to underscore the importance of service at any capacity.”

Steve and Dan were inspired by their experiences as officers in the U.S. Army at the forefront of American foreign policy. Because their service is such a big part of who they are, the idea behind the Bisbee Project is how to serve the community without being in uniform.

“We want our experiences as veterans to always be present with us,” said Dan. “However long you spend in a service career, it will always have an impact on you. It will greatly help you become a better citizen regardless of where you end up. That’s what our society needs right now.”

Dan believes smart citizenship means awareness of issues and the world around us and a commitment to making positive actions. That’s why the Bisbee Project awards scholarships to not only aspiring military personnel, but to motivated students who demonstrate an interest in government and community service.

“The call to service and volunteer is an important rallying cry,” said Dan. “The government should encourage more service no matter what level it’s on. It all makes a positive impact.”

Dan and Steve awarded the first scholarship to a student from their own alma mater. Since then, they have branched out to other high schools through relationships with rotary clubs and colleagues.

The scholarship money comes from private donations from like-minded individuals interested in encouraging the next generation of young leaders in Pennsylvania. Dan and Steve hold fundraising campaigns every year.

“But it’s not about the money,” said Steve. “It’s about the recognition. It’s special for them and for us.”

Also present at the Bisbee tailgate were representatives of the Penn State ROTC program. Justin Strine and Nicole Spiller, both freshmen, were presented a football signed by Dan and Steve and about seven other veterans present who had served in places such as Vietnam, Iraq and Bosnia. The football was meant to honor their commitment to serve.

One of those veterans was Dan and Steve’s father, Fred Bisbee, a retired U.S. Army ranger.

“He is an example of someone whose career in the military provided a model to take inspiration from,” said Steve.

Fred believes his sons are doing a “tremendous job” with the Bisbee Project.

“The Bisbee Project is a good opportunity for kids to learn about the military,” said Spiller after being presented with the football. Spiller plans to enter the Army Nurse Corps upon graduation.

The most recent scholarship recipients were also recognized at the tailgate. Brothers Michael and Zachary Sunday graduated from Bellefonte High School last year and are currently freshmen at Penn State. Michael and Zachary are both majoring in Crime, Law, and Justice.

“I plan to work for the FBI someday,” said Michael. “I think it’s wonderful that Dan and Steve give money to people who plan to serve our country.”

Dan and Steve’s future plan for the Bisbee Project is to spread through all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, recognizing and honoring students from every county with scholarship money. They are dedicated to communicating stories of people dedicated to service and using those stories to inspire young people to continue servicing our country.

“The ultimate objective is to give former veterans the opportunity to mentor future veterans,” said Steve. “I’m sure many kids have questioned their involvement in military or government service, so we need to create a supportive network and encourage kids to give service a shot.”

Photos by Victoria Magliaro.

From The Daily Item: Sunbury,PA

Siblings pay tribute to veterans

By Tricia Pursell

The Daily Item

November 10, 2009

— SELINSGROVE — Selinsgrove native and Iraq veteran Dan Bisbee knows how important it is for small-town residents to step out and support their country.

“So much of our foreign policy right now is dependent on people who grow up in small-town America,” he said. “They do matter on the world stage.”

Bisbee is managing director of the Bisbee Project, which seeks to develop effective leadership, responsible government and global awareness.

He began the project in 2006, along with his brother, Steven, also an Army veteran.

“We started looking for ways we could continue our service,” Bisbee said.

Through fundraisers and donations, the project gathers money for scholarships for high school seniors who are pursuing a career in the service by enlisting in the Army, Navy or Air Force ROTC, attending one the nation’s service academies or entering service in a local, state or federal government agency after graduation.

Now in its third year, Scholarships for Service is awarding 19 scholarships, each worth a couple of hundred dollars, Bisbee said. In addition to the money, the students are selected and then recognized in front of their peers.

“For us, Veterans Day is about paying tribute to the greatest generations that have come before us, but it’s also a moment for us to inspire and encourage the next generation who are going to carry that torch into the future,” he said.

The Bisbee Project also raises money for Preserving Pennsylvania, aimed at historical preservation and natural conservation.

“I have a soft spot in my heart for the Susquehanna Valley,” Bisbee said. “I’m really fond of the place that made me who I am. When I was overseas, it was definitely a place I thought of getting back to very often.”

Bisbee graduated from Selinsgrove Area High School in 1990. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, he was commissioned an officer in the Army and served at Fort Hood, Texas, as well as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He later received a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he specialized in transatlantic security and intelligence policy.

In 2005, Bisbee returned to active duty to make his first trip to Iraq as an Army officer. He made his second trip to Iraq in 2007 with the U.S. State Department, serving on the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team. He is working on a doctorate in history at the University of Pittsburgh.

Steven Bisbee, president of the Bisbee Project, is a 1993 Selinsgrove graduate. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, and served in Bosnia and Kosovo. He later was employed by the Department of Defense and now serves as vice president of S&A Homes Inc., a residential home-building company headquartered in State College.

Tribute to Veterans

We had the honor of hosting a special Tribute to Veterans at our Penn State tailgate this past weekend outside Beaver Stadium before the game. At Veterans Day it is important to note the service and sacrifices of our nation's vets, and we were proud to pay our respects to the veterans in our midst, as well as those currently serving abroad.

We also believe Veterans Day is about inspiring and encouraging the next generation of veterans to pick up the torch and continue the proud tradition of service that we have inherited. Some cadets from the Penn State Army ROTC program joined us for our tribute, and we took the opportunity to recognize their role in keeping this tradition alive. We were also joined by one of our Scholarships for Service awardees, Mike Sunday, who is currently studying criminal justice at Penn State and hopes to join the ranks of our law enforcement agents at the FBI in the future. Below are some photos of the camaraderie at our BizHub tailgate.

The Next Generation

We had the opportunity to speak to an outstanding group of students at Central Pennsylvania College yesterday. We talked to them about the mission of The Bisbee Project and our efforts to serve as a "scouting agency for talent", looking for dedicated and energetic individuals willing to give careers in service a shot. Whether it's military service on the front lines of American foreign policy or pitching in to improve our local communities, those who serve are those who really make a difference in all of our lives. Central Penn is a great school that produces graduates in business, communications, information technology, criminal justice and homeland security management. We talked to a number of motivated students who are on the brink of making that leap into their future careers, and we wish them all the best of luck.

Our visit was covered by a number of media outlets, and there are some links below.

CBS News 21 News at 10

ABC 27 News at 7

WHP CBS News 21 News at 6

Baghdad follow up

I got through to a number of my Iraqi friends and colleagues in Baghdad over the past week since the explosions last Sunday that demolished portions of the Baghdad provincial government headquarters, a Ministry of Justice building and other government facilities in downtown Baghdad.

I first got a hold of Rasul, a staffer who worked closely with me on issues pertaining to the committee responsible for the administrative relationships between the Provincial Council and Baghdad's local district and neighborhood councils. He assured me that he was fine, but many of his co-workers were injured in the blast, some of them fatally.

I also spoke with Faisel Shuber, a district council member from one of Baghdad's suburban villages and one of my oldest friends in Baghdad. He had just come from meeting with PC member Mohammed al-Rubeiy and district council member Kadem al-Shimary; he said they were fine and that none of the current PC members were killed in the blast. As Sunday is the beginning of the workweek in Baghdad, this is extremely fortunate -- not only for those individuals and their families, but for the functioning of local government in Baghdad.

The council reportedly met at their usual weekly meeting on Tuesday, but at a different location -- to demonstrate their resolve in the face of a terrorist act specifically targeting them and their efforts to rebuild their capital. Another friend of mine from the Adhamiya neighborhood, Omar al-Rahmani, said he was on his way to the council building at the time of the blast and therefore narrowly missed possibly becoming one of the hundreds of casualties in these attacks. He assured me that Ms. Shatha al-Obedie, longtime media spokeswoman for the provincial governor, was not injured in the blast. Omar did explain how the blast at the Ministry of Justice also levelled a local kindergarten, adding to the horror of the event. Families have been searching for their children in the rubble over the past week. Please take a moment to offer your thoughts and prayers to the victims of this attack, and wish the people of Baghdad the fortitude to maintain their resolve in the face of the continuing challenges they face.

In other news about friends and colleagues in Baghdad, I am sad to post that former Baghdad Provincial Council member Dr. Kamel al-Shabibi passed away last week. He had traveled to the U.S. to undergo heart surgery, but suffered a heart attack before reaching surgery. He spent his last days with the family of his brother, who as an American citizen who has lived in the States for decades since emigrating from Iraq, worked at the US Embassy as an agriculture advisor to the reconstruction effort.


Dr. Shabibi was a fabulous gentleman, and was widely considered the "elder statesman" of the Provincial Council during his term, which overlapped my tours in 2005-06 and again in 2007-08. Respected for his wisdom and candor in a volatile environment sorely lacking in both, he served as an excellent moderator between the US Embassy and the Baghdad provincial government throughout many difficult situations. He was gracious with his time; weighing in on the heaviest issues complicating our joint reconstruction efforts as well as just being an enjoyable presence at our more social gatherings. A number of us gained extraordinary insight into Iraqi culture and politics just by having some tea with him; his overall impact on our reconstruction efforts is incalculable.

He was an extraordinary presence in the drive to improve access to microfinance in Baghdad, bringing capital to Baghdad's new generation of entrepreneurs and building strong institutional relationships between the Provincial Council and Baghdad's local district councils. While rarely touted as one of the critical components of the "surge" strategy that pulled Baghdad back from the brink of civil war in 2006-07, these economic initiatives, led by courageous individuals like Dr. Shabibi who refused to submit to naysayers and doubters, were instrumental -- and will continue to have an impact on the long term development of Baghdad and the wider Middle East.

He will be remembered as a friend, as a confidant, as a negotiator, as a leader, as a patriot, as a visionary, and as a generous man and a kind soul.

(In the photo above, I am standing to the left of Dr. Shabibi. We were attending a training sessions for new council members at the Rashid Hotel in early 2007.)

Baghdad blasts

The Baghdad provincial government was one of the apparent targets in yesterday's attack in downtown Baghdad. Dozens of staffers and provincial employees were killed and injured in the blast. I have not received word of any Provincial Council members killed; Governor Salah was in Washington attending an economic conference and immediately flew back to Baghdad. PC member Mohammed al-Rubeiy has been quoted in several news stories, stating that 25 PC staff members have been killed. I will repost news here as I get it from individuals on the ground there in Baghdad and elsewhere.


from WSJ.com
Deadly Blasts Rock Baghdad, Killing Dozens
By GINA CHON


BAGHDAD -- Two powerful suicide car bombs near high-profile government offices rocked the capital on Sunday in the deadliest attack here in more than two years, killing at least 147 people and raising fresh worry about the capabilities of Iraq's security services ahead of national elections scheduled for January.

The Ministry of Interior said that in addition to the dead, more than 500 people were injured. Charred bodies, limbs and the smoldering shells of dozens of cars littered the area. The explosions also shattered windows throughout the nearby Mansour Hotel, which houses the Chinese Embassy. Some ceilings collapsed.

The blasts, which the government said bore the signature of al Qaeda in Iraq, most damaged Baghdad's provincial headquarters and the nearby federal Ministry of Justice. Many of the protective blast walls surrounding those buildings collapsed.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the site of the attacks and blamed al Qaeda and members of the Baath party. His office said in a statement that the explosions were meant to create instability and to stop the January parliamentary elections.

President Barack Obama called the attacks an attempt to "derail Iraq's progress." He said the U.S. "will stand with Iraq's people and government as a close friend and partner as Iraqis prepare for elections early next year." The president spoke with Mr. Maliki and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani by phone to express his condolences.

On a roll...

Steve's new business venture COGSTER.COM is up and running and driving the local economy of the State College, PA area forward. Check out the latest on YouTube...

It's Not Just Lunch

Counterinsurgency is a full spectrum activity. While I typically discuss the political and social aspects of the campaign I was involved with during the surge, called the Baghdad Security Plan, or Operation Fardh al Qanoon (Arabic for "Enforcing the Law"), it is important to understand its critical security components as well. We talked about these "kinetic operations" at the Q&A session following my talk at the State College Rotary Downtown Club meeting on Thursday. The Downtown Club is one of five Rotary Clubs in the State College area, attesting to the strength of community service in the region.

Reacting to the unconventional nature of the military's role in Iraq, units deploying there began organizing themselves differently than they typically would for the large-scale combat operations that standard doctrine calls for. These novel adjustments, over several years of deployments, crystallized into new standard operating procedures that assigned certain units and staff positions to supporting either "kinetic" or "non-kinetic" operations, simply meaning those during which you intend to shoot bullets and those where you don't. In most Army divisions you would now find a two-star general in command, a one-star in charge of kinetic and another one-star responsible for non-kinetic operations. My work on the PRT in Baghdad was intricately linked to this one-star general and his staff as we developed the strategies and policies related to rebuilding and supporting Iraq's government service infrastructure and civil-society institutions. But we never worked in a vacuum; our strategies were closely coordinated with the kinetic operations that involved raids on insurgent strongholds, cordon and search missions and the security of key infrastructure facilities.

I was asked about the foreign fighters that served as main driver for the insurgency, and where they were now that the levels of violence have decreased. I replied frankly that our operations successfully neutralized a number of these fighters, and broke up the networks they used to plan and execute attacks on US forces and Iraqi civilians. A typical set-up involved a foreign fighter, backed by al-Qaeda funding, sub-contracting his work out to local Iraqis. These locals would be employed to set IEDs for passing US convoys, sometimes making a hundred or two hundred dollars for a successful attack, a substantial sum in Iraq. Getting the video of the attack could double that amount. Our counterinsurgency strategy involved getting intelligence on these networks, killing or capturing the foreign-financed leader, and then making an effort to create alternative employment opportunities in those areas where local Iraqis may be susceptible to the financial incentives of supporting the insurgency.

Therefore our overall strategy involved an extraordinary amount of coordination between the combat operations, and the campaigns of economic and political development targeted to support the ability of Iraqi government institutions to effectively and equitably provide services to the population.

This week's horrific attacks in Baghdad underscore the fact that while the insurgency may be down, it is certainly not out.

A few weeks before I left Baghdad, I was invited downtown to one of the city's notable social clubs. I visited with some of the middle aged and older professional gentlemen that made up the bulk of the club's membership, many of whom were enjoying a mid-day Scotch. We had lunch in the club's dining room, and then popped our heads into the main ballroom, where there was some kind of festivity occurring. It turned out to be a graduation ceremony for the Baghdad School of Dentistry. About a hundred or so of Baghdad's future dentists were having a party with their families, celebrating the completion of their training and the beginning of their new careers. I like to relate this anecdote when I talk about Iraq because it reflects what I refer to as the surprising element of the mundane to be found there. Over the past few years we have been made painfully aware of the roadside bombs, the suicide market attacks, and the strife of sectarian violence. But there's a lot going on there that we don't hear much about, that frankly may have a lot more impact on Iraq's long term future. Like dentists.

As always, we enjoyed the opportunity to visit with the community leaders found within the ranks of the Rotary Club; people who know that the future of a great community like State College doesn't stay great without the hard work of selfless individuals. Special thanks to Cathy Brown and Don Bedell, pictured here with me and Steve.

Scholarships for Service: DRAKE and GAGE COOPER

Drake and Gage knew from an early age that the Army would be an important part of their lives. These twin brothers from Port Matilda, PA will both be attending Susquehanna University in the fall and will both be pursuing Army officer commissions through the ROTC program there. Their scholastic talent, drive and dedication to careers in service made them exceptional candidates for our Scholarships for Service awards. But what makes these two young men truly remarkable and worthy of our respect is their unflinching devotion to such a life in service with the full knowledge of what it may cost.

When they were just boys, their mom and dad got divorced. The strain of a military marriage was just too great on the couple. Drake and Gage's father had enlisted in the Army Reserves while he was still in high school and was well into a career of active duty service that had him based all over the world in places like Korea, Ft. Drum, New York, Ft. Knox, Kentucky and Ft. Lewis, Washington. Despite a long-distance relationship with their dad, the boys kept close by talking often and visiting whenever possible. As they got older, they started talking to him about careers in the Army. He advised that, if they were really interested in the Army, they should give officer's training a shot. When they started doing their college search, they took their dad's advice and also looked into ROTC programs.

Gage and Drake often joked and chatted with their dad, a Stryker commander and platoon sergeant, when he was deployed to Iraq in 2007. Supporting the "surge", the 2nd Infantry Division deployed a Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Baghdad for a 15 month tour in mid-2007. Those early months of the surge have been among the most intensive for combat units in Baghdad over the entire conflict in Iraq. Regular contact with their dad helped the brothers cope with the distance and the uncertainty, and they often got to share their thoughts on life after high school graduation.

On September 5, 2007 Gage and Drake were told that their father had been killed in Iraq. Compounding the tragedy of this loss, they learned that their father's death was due to the grossly negligent conduct of a fellow soldier, who accidentally fired his weapon while the two were in their quarters on base. Sergeant First Class David A. Cooper Jr., a decorated soldier and respected leader, is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Their father's death did not deter them from considering military service. Nor did it obligate them, they said; influencing their choices in an attempt to respect his memory. "We just think the Army is a good career path for us," Drake said.

The two live with their mother and stepfather in a beautiful rustic house nestled in a verdant hollow just outside of Port Matilda. I was able to spend part of an afternoon with the young men and talk about their plans for the future. The two have an easy, level-headed demeanor about them that exudes a comfort level within their own skins, a quality rarely found in many recent high school graduates. Gage explained, "Our Dad was really laid back. We definitely got that from him."

They don't get too uptight about trying, or not trying, to be similar - a common malady among twins. "We have a lot of the same interests, and we've had a lot of the same experiences. It's not that surprising that we end up doing a lot of stuff together," Drake said, when I asked them about the decision to go to the same college and join ROTC together.

"We really liked Susquehanna University and the town of Selinsgrove," Drake said. "Coming from Port Matilda, we just didn't want to go somewhere really big." The two had made several visits to Selinsgrove during their college search, where they have some friends. As someone who grew up there, it wasn't really until recently that I could fathom why anybody would go there for college. Perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I can now fully appreciate the charms of my hometown and the campus that really makes it a great place.

Susquehanna is apparently very happy to have them as well, as their ROTC scholarship is being augmented by the school in order to cover some of their additional expenses like room and board. Affiliated with the program based at Bucknell University (in neighboring Lewisburg, PA) ROTC at S.U. is attempting to expand by attracting exceptional students like Drake and Gage. This is in noticeable contrast to our nation's so-called elite universities, like many Ivy League schools, where ROTC has been all but banished. As move-in day approaches at S.U., the brothers look forward to the move to Selinsgrove, and their futures.

"Doing ROTC while attending college is going to be cool," Drake said. "It's a really good way to blend our academic and career interests." Gage added, "We'll have a lot more purpose at school, knowing that what we're doing there is connected to our future jobs."

Drake is thinking about a major in Ecology, reflecting his love for the outdoors and the importance of environmental issues. But he's also thinking about law school and service in the JAG corps, he says. One of his favorite activities at Bald Eagle High School was 'Mock Trial', where he and Gage joined other students in a competition based on public speaking, litigation tactics and understanding the legal process. Their team advanced to Districts the past two years. Gage plans to major in History, possibly specializing in military history. Apparently he's joining quite a lineage of history buffs in the family, following after his dad and grandpa.

We wish Drake and Gage the best of luck in adapting to college life and in their eventual pursuit of military careers as U.S. Army officers. We are humbled by their extraordinary courage, and we are thankful that there are outstanding individuals like these men ready and willing to answer the call of service that our communities and our country greatly need. We are proud of you.

Drake and Gage are pictured above holding a photo of their father, SFC David Cooper Jr., taken in the turret of the Stryker he commanded in Baghdad.

The Hussein Chronicles

Some of you may recognize Hussein, a friend of mine who worked with me in Baghdad as an interpreter during both of my tours, in this photo. This is a shot from last week during our first bowling outing in Squirrel Hill since Hussein arrived in Pittsburgh last winter. Neither of us could be considered 'avid' bowlers, or even 'proficient' bowlers. Frankly, it's a stretch to even call us bowlers at all. But we settled on bowling as the evening's activity and gave it a shot. My initiation into the sport began at a young age in Selinsgrove at Super Bowl 522, with the after school program run by Mr. Rutkowski. He always hovered over anybody with two strikes in a row, to be there if they pulled off the "turkey." Most of us choked under the pressure. Hussein told me about the times before the war when his dad took him to the bowling alley in the Rasheed Hotel. If that name rings a bell, it's because that's one of the most famous landmarks in downtown Baghdad and the place where many foreign journalists stay and report from when in Iraq. Located just on the edge of the International Zone, it has also served as one of the most popular places to conduct diplomatic business in Baghdad. I have to admit that after two and a half years of nearly daily meetings at the Rasheed, I had no idea there was a bowling alley there, apparently under one of the night clubs. Hussein's father was killed in a suicide bombing in 2006 at a market a few blocks away from the Rasheed. His mother was also injured in the blast, but has since recovered and soon hopes to join Hussein here in Pittsburgh. Nearly every member of Hussein's family chose to serve as interpreters. Hussein worked with me both while I was in the Army and with the State Department and also ran missions with Blackwater security teams. His mother worked at the US Embassy, and his sister Wafaa served with Army units at Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad. Wafaa just arrived here in Pittsburgh a few weeks ago, also under the Special Immigrant Visa program, set up to expedite the immigration of Iraqis who served with the U.S. Government. Hussein was able to bring his wife Nour and little boy Suleyman to the States as well. We've had good news on the job front lately, as first Hussein got a job as a security guard and then his wife was able to get a job in the same building on the cleaning crew. Wafaa is working on getting some interviews lined up. They are adapting well to their new lives but it is certainly full of challenges. While most of the people he works with have been friendly and helpful, he does feel that his Arab appearance and accent throws some people off at times and he has overheard some prejudiced comments. He has even found that mentioning his pride at serving with Americans in Iraq has sometimes backfired, due to the inescapable politics that unfortunately tend to dominate that entire topic. For many of us, the war will never be as personal as it has been for somebody like Hussein and his family. Keep them and the many others affected by this conflict in your thoughts as they continue their own personal reconstructions.

Bellefonte Breakfast and Baghdad

One of the things Steve and I really enjoy about getting out and about to the communities that make up Central PA is that fact that we always meet such great and fascinating people. It's a common trope of Hollywood that small towns are filled with either dullards or psychos, and those of us who have lived a significant part of our lives in small towns know that's not the case. In fact, in an age when global travel and communication are so prevalent, it's often the case that people from small towns have extraordinarily worldly experiences. Through our work with The Bisbee Project we stress that the distance between small-town Pennsylvania and American foreign policy is not very far at all. Just consider the number of PA National Guardsmen - our nation's largest contingent currently serving abroad - who have spent the past several years rotating between their hometowns and the front lines of our conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seen in this respect, America's small-town values are thus probably the largest component of our entire foreign diplomatic effort. That's something to think about.

Speaking of diplomacy, I was very proud to meet Bob Lamb (pictured here) at last Friday's breakfast meeting of the Bellefonte Rotary Club. A longtime member of the club, Bob retired to the Bellefonte area after 30 years in our nation's Foreign Service, serving the State Department in our embassies around the world in countries such as Belgium, Cyprus and Liberia. Bob and I shared some other experiences in common, as were are both alums of the University of Pennsylvania (Bob in the Class of 1958; myself a 1994 grad; Steve is Wharton Class of 1997) and were inducted into the Friars society while at Penn. (We did the secret handshake.) Although a very rainy morning in downtown Bellefonte, our breakfast at the Café on the Park - with some of the most awesome oatmeal ever - gave us a great start to our day (which for me, involved returning to Pittsburgh via a still-way-too-many-construction-zones Route 22).