ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greetings, my name is Rob Robbins. In 1984 I joined the U.S. Army at age 18. I signed up for four years to become an infantry soldier. And I didn’t have a clue about what the job would require of me physically or mentally! In the fall, I boarded a Greyhound bus with the army’s mandatory packing list: Seven pairs of white athletic socks (no stripes), a shaving kit, and a hairbrush that I never used for my induction cut, also referred to as the “Army’s #1 haircut,” or the “Mighty fine.” It’s the shortest possible cut without shaving the head with a razor. A new pair of running shoes and a small sports bag to store my civies (civilian clothes) and other personal items that wouldn’t be used in Basic Training.
MY 32-hour bus journey took me from Victorville, California, to Ft. Benning, Georgia, 2,100 miles away. Upon arrival, I and the other recruits were warmly greeted by drill sergeants yelling and screaming, “You got ‘five’ minutes to get off this @#$%& bus, and ‘four’ of them are already gone! Not fast enough! Get back on and do it again!” All of us practiced boarding and deboarding a bus, military style, for the next two hours. This was around 2 in the morning. By the way, we were never fast enough!
After completing Basic Training and AIT, all of us men went to Ft. Ord, California, to form the 3/9 Light Infantry 7th Division unit. My unit patch was the “Hourglass,” commonly referred to as “The Crushed Beer Can.” I was one of the designated riflemen for my platoon. My assigned weapon was the M16A1 rifle with an M203 grenade launcher attached beneath the barrel. I was also occasionally assigned the M60 machine gun, affectionally called “The Pig” or “The Hog.”
Everyone soon discovered why we were called “Light Infantry” or “Straight-leg Infantry.” It wasn’t because we had to carry a “light” rucksack weighing only 110 pounds. It was because there were no heavy vehicles to transport us troops. We walked, or “humped our way,” to wherever we had to go, usually 20-25 miles a day. One day our squad sergeant added up all the miles we had walked in three years. It added up to over 20,000 miles! Only one more year to go… At times, we all wished we were back in Basic Training since it was easier! At least there, the farthest march had been only 15 miles with a 60-pound ruck. Basic Training was a breeze compared to our permanent duty station at Ft. Ord!
Also, while in the army, we went to Honduras for a military policing action. We also went to Panama for jungle warfare training at the Jungle Operations Training Center at Ft. Sherman. We completed the Jungle School course and received the coveted “Jungle Expert” patch and certificate of completion.
After my honorable discharge from the Army in 1987, I stayed in the Monterey Peninsula and worked a ground maintenance position for a senior housing community in Carmel Valley.
The year of 1989 took me into a new career with the California Department of Corrections. That winter, I began my job walking the tiers of the San Quentin State Prison housing units as a Correctional Officer. Once again, I had no clue what the job would require!
In 1992, I transferred to Soledad State Prison to be closer to my wife’s parents. Soon after, in 1993, I became a Christian and voracious theology reader.
The change in me was so apparent after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior that when I went to work the next day, my co-workers asked me what had happened to me and that I looked different! I was curious to know why, and they told me I looked peaceful. I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror to see what they saw. I didn’t see anything different, but I did feel that a weight had been lifted.
Since becoming a Christian, I have become an avid student of theology. I’ve owned and read hundreds of books on many Bible topics. Some of my favorite theological subjects are God’s sovereignty vs. free will, biblical leadership, the end times, and church polity. I take God’s Word about the church and preaching of the Scriptures very seriously. Some of my favorite Bible teachers and authors are John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, John Wolvaard, Cornelius Van Til, John Frame, and Arthur Pink, to name a few. I especially enjoy studying the books of Jonah and Job. The first theological book I read was “Giving: God’s Way” by John MacArthur.
I retired as a California state correctional officer in 2015. I have worked at four different prisons during my 27-year career. Well-respected by fellow officers and inmates, I brought daily humor into our dull routine. Since retirement, I have kept busy with DIY home projects, Bible research, and writing.
Over the years, I’ve fulfilled a variety of service opportunities as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, and church librarian. I especially enjoy teaching, which gives me the pleasure of studying and researching more biblical topics.
I was born and raised in southern California and now reside with my wife in Myrtle Beach, SC. My wife and I have been married since 1988 and have two grown children.