2006.09.14: September 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: COS - Afghanistan: Obituaries: Military: Civil Affairs: York Daily Record: An intense life cut short in Afghanistan
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2006.09.12: September 12, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: COS - Afghanistan: Obituaries: Military: Oregon Live: Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) killed in car bombing in Kabul :
2006.09.12: September 12, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: COS - Afghanistan: Obituaries: Military: U.S. Army Special Operations Command: Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) killed in car bombing in Kabul :
2006.09.14: September 14, 2006: Headlines: COS - Kenya: COS - Afghanistan: Obituaries: Military: Civil Affairs: York Daily Record: An intense life cut short in Afghanistan
An intense life cut short in Afghanistan
Army Staff Sergeant Robert Paul (RPCV Kenya) was killed in Kabul when a bomb-laden car exploded next to his Humvee during a patrol. In a statement, his family said Paul "never turned down an opportunity because he always wanted to make a difference in everything he did." Paul wasn't as laid back as his image might have suggested: He was intense, very studious and sank his teeth into a project until it was done,
An intense life cut short in Afghanistan
An intense life cut short in Afghanistan
Reservist Bob Paul was killed Friday. His ex-wife grew up in York County.
Daily Record/Sunday News
Sep 14, 2006 —
Robert "Bob" Paul loved the outdoors so much, he came to his wedding in a pair of Tevas, the Cadillac of sport sandals, said his former mother-in-law, Arlene Domue.
"(My daughter Bonnie) came in a pretty dress and a wreath in her hair," Domue, of Spring Garden Township, said Wednesday. "I guess he didn't realize it was formal."
But Paul wasn't as laid back as his image might have suggested: He was intense, very studious and sank his teeth into a project until it was done, Domue said.
He also had a love for the military. He enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1997. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and then to Afghanistan this spring.
Paul, 43, a staff sergeant, died Friday in Afghanistan when a car bomber rammed the Humvee that was carrying Paul and another sergeant.
In a statement, his family said Paul "never turned down an opportunity because he always wanted to make a difference in everything he did."
Domue said her daughter and Paul met in early 1996 in Harrisburg when Bonnie was working as a nurse at a hospital and Paul was a zoning commissioner there.
"He was my daughter's first love," Domue said.
The two were married in Elkton, Md., later that year in what Domue called "an elopement by invitation."
"The chapel had room for 12," she said. "They invited 42."
The couple moved to Oregon, where they could indulge in their mutual love of the outdoors, Domue said. Paul was a planner for the Oregon municipalities The Dalles and Wasco County. Four-and-a-half years ago, Bonnie gave birth to their daughter, Ilena.
About two years ago, the couple divorced. Paul remained in Oregon, and Bonnie and Ilena moved to Bensalem, Bucks County.
Paul was planning on moving back to the East Coast so he could take a more active role in his daughter's life.
"It's not going to happen now," Domue said, sobbing.
Domue said Paul's funeral will be held in Skokie, Ill., on Sunday, and she plans to take a flight there with her other daughter, her two sons and her husband.
"It's been terrible, but everybody's pulling together," she said.
When this story was posted in September 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
 | He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
 | Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq Timetable In a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense. |
 | Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
 | The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
 | Chris Dodd considers run for the White House Senator Chris Dodd plans to spend the next six to eight months raising money and reaching out to Democrats around the country to gauge his viability as a candidate. Just how far Dodd can go depends largely on his ability to reach Democrats looking for an alternative to Hillary Clinton. PCOL Comment: Dodd served as a Volunteer in the Dominican Republic and has been one of the strongest supporters of the Peace Corps in Congress. |
 | Peace Corps stonewalls on FOIA request The Ashland Daily Tidings reports that Peace Corps has blocked their request for information on the Volkart case. "After the Tidings requested information pertaining to why Volkart was denied the position — on March 2 — the newspaper received a letter from the Peace Corps FOIA officer stating the requested information was protected under an exemption of the act." The Dayton Daily News had similar problems with FOIA requests for their award winning series on Volunteer Safety and Security. |
 | PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come. |
 | History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
 | RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case. |
 | Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
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Story Source: York Daily Record
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Kenya; COS - Afghanistan; Obituaries; Military; Civil Affairs
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