My Friend Rob Ballew

Rob Ballew.. during a night mission

Life works in a funny way, sometimes people come in to your life for a reason, sometimes it's just by chance that you strike a chord with someone and they become a lifelong friend. This is true for our own Rob Ballew. I ran across Rob through one of the articles about the laptop that was being sent to him, I had just take an short hiatus from the vine and had actually joined the vine during his deployment, so our paths never really crossed, until one day I read his column.

I emailed Rob and asked if I could start sending care packages, this is something I have done with several other people I know serving in Iraq and I enjoy doing it, so he agreed and I sent my first box.

Over the next few months Rob and I corresponded a great deal, I was lucky enough to see a side of him that many do not see here on the vine. We talked about life, kids, his wonderful wife Liza and all of the things he was experiencing in Iraq and now that his time there is nearing and end, he is allowing me to share my experience.

When I first read some of Rob's older columns I have to admit I was taken back, as he is pretty shy, but when it becomes a discussion of politics, Rob has no issues being blunt and telling you how it is. He stands by his convictions, but always stays open minded enough to at least listen to what the other participants have to say. So, through our conversations I was allowed to see pieces of who this person is…

Rob grew up in your every day dysfunctional family; he and his brother were always pretty close. He grew up on the streets of Indianapolis, by his mom and managed to stay out of trouble, most of the time; although he's pretty street wise and can talk the talk with the best of em…

He ran around in High School with Kevin Dicks and Liza, he knew that she was the one, so they got married and started a life together. The thing that most intrigued me abut Rob is that although he has not always had it easy; he always makes his way through the world doing what he can to make a better life for he and his family. Rob and Liza, have three children; his daughter is the oldest, she's a little diva, but he adores her! He also has two sons, who he says are hellions, but I can't imagine where they get that from… regardless they all love their dad and there is never any doubt in any conversation about how much he loves them.

What I found most intriguing about my discussions with Rob is how much compassion he had for others, he was always more concerned with the guys under him, then he was for himself. While waiting to help one of his guys go home, he found out that he would not get to take his leave, which he had been waiting for and he knew his family would be devastated by the news, but he just kept moving forward and helping his buddy go home. When it was all said and done, he helped his roommate go home and Rob just started counting down the days until he would be able to go home for good, there was never really any dwelling in despair over the news he would have to wait.

He is pretty critical of his writing, even though most of us on the vine have grown to love his stories; he tends to think they are never good enough, always wondering if it could be better. He does this not because he's a perfectionist, but because he really wants the reader to understand his thought process, he wants to take them inside where he has been and where he is going and give them an inkling into the inner workings of his daily life.

There have been times he has been criticized for what and how he writes and this really does get him down. He is just a voice of thousands of men and women doing their job, he is trying to provide the rest of the world an idea of what goes on behind enemy lines. He does not dwell in the negative, or focus on the bad things, as he thinks there is enough of that on mainstream news media, but he has drawn strong criticism to it and it does strike a chord within him.

Quite honestly every time we talk I learn something new about Rob and find him to be one of the kindest people I know, although he has a tough exterior, he would never want anyone to be on the receiving end of pain, due to something he might have done. He has always been an amazing friend to me, allowing me to vent when I had issues and doing the same if he needed someone to unload on.

I am not sure if this even does him justice, he's been a great friend to me and I will miss hearing his tales from Iraq, but I am overjoyed that he is finally going home to his family that he loves so much. I look forward to hearing installments from the land of Indy… except now the stories will be about HOME…

Signed… a very proud friend of Rob Ballew.

Mel

Life is too short to wake up with regrets.
Love the people who treat you right.
Forget about the ones who don't.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy.
They just promised it would be worth it.

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