What Rob's Near Death Experience Means to Us All

Our Daily News and Friendly Fire colleague, Rob Asghar, had a very frighteningly close call. He shares a brief version in his blog: (Almost) Having a Blast in Pakistan. He'd gone back to Pakistan for his father's memorial service. On his way to dinner at the Chinese restaurant in the Marriott in Islamabad, he had second thoughts about their prices and, thank God, went elsewhere. Such are the little decisions that spell life and death as we stumble through life. Were he a rich man, he might be a dead man.

Upon hearing of his father's death, I'd sent Rob a condolence email and heard back from him in an email from Islamabad. I replied to him, logged out and went to bed. In the morning I read the news of the Marriott bombing and the, at the time, 40 known dead. Given that this is where Americans stay and congregate, I was concerned and wrote Rob asking him to check in. In the 20 hours until I heard from him, I kept trying to find him. I checked the State Department website. Nothing. I went to the Embassy website in Islamabad. Nothing. I checked with our press relations embassy guy. Nothing. I scoured AP and Reuters, BBC and CNN. No names. Just the same story re-written by a dozen news organizations quoting the same witnesses and same spokesmen--half of whom are named Asghar. Who knew that his name is virtually Smith in Pakistan? Needless to say, I was hugely relieved when Rob finally checked in with me.

Now what is important here are two related and seemingly contradictory facts. I do not know Rob well. (I plan on remedying this). We have had lunch together a couple of times and exchanged emails concerning columns and Friendly Fire blogs. I have immense respect for his talent, his wisdom and his open mind and open heart. Still, he is not a close social friend. None-the-less, I spent an anxious day and night worrying about him.

But this is not about my sensitivity. This is about all the people who have sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers in harms way. My take-away from my own anxiety and discomfort concerning Rob is how unimaginable it must be for my friends who have loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yes, every parent or grandparent worries when we hear an ambulance go by and the kids are not with us. But what of the real clear and present danger to all those who serve in the world's many hotspots? How do they sleep at night? How do they function during the day?

I make no political or strategic point here--only a human one. We worry about our soldiers and Foreign Service officers and pray for them--as we should. Now I know to open my heart and include in my prayers all whose heartstrings connect them to each other and those who serve across the world.