BY SCOTT MONROE

Staff Writer

Kendric Robbins of Albion, a major in the Army, says he did not expect the jobs, schooling and opportunities he's had during his 15-year military career.

Soon, yet another rare opportunity awaits him.

Robbins, 38, is among a group of just 15 men and women throughout the country who have been selected as the 2009-10 class of White House fellows.

The yearlong fellowship will enable Robbins to work closely with a senior member of the Cabinet or staff of President Barack Obama's administration. Fellows take part in an education program designed to broaden their knowledge of leadership, policy formulation, military operations and current affairs.

"I have several areas of interest, but will be happy to serve anywhere in the administration. The experience gives you insight into how our government works and prepares you to better serve in your field in the future," Robbins said in an interview this week while stationed in Baumholder, Germany, with the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division. "In my case, I hope to use the experience to become a better, more rounded Army officer who understands how strategic decisions are made and the process it takes to arrive at those decisions."

Robbins said he knew at a young age that he wanted to serve in a military uniform. He credits that desire partly to growing up while Ronald Reagan was president "and seeing a renewed sense of spirit in our armed forces after the post-Vietnam decade." In addition, his history teacher at Lawrence High School in Fairfield, Jeff Jewett, always had a sense that he would pursue a military career, Robbins said.

Jewett said he wasn't surprised to hear about Robbins' fellowship. Since 1977, Jewett has taken students on trips to Washington, D.C., and Robbins enjoyed the trip so much that, in his junior year, he returned a second time.

"I distinctly remember," Jewett said, "we were going to the Metro station and we had to go by the Pentagon and I can still to this day actually hear him and see him point to the Pentagon and say, 'Someday I'll be at that place; that's going to be my place of work.'"

Giving back

After graduating from high school, he applied to West Point -- the prestigious U.S. Military Academy -- but did not get in. So he spent one year at a civilian college, "improving myself academically and physically," and was accepted into West Point on a second try.

He earned a bachelor's degree in American politics from West Point and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, where he was recognized for academic and leadership excellence.

Later, Robbins served as an assistant professor and executive officer in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point, where he taught courses on American politics and was a mentor to future officers.

"I have been extremely fortunate to have had great leaders and mentors over my career who always took the time to sit down with me and talk about different options available in my career," Robbins said. "You take your assignments as they come and do your best and, fortunately for me, it has worked out beyond my expectations."

Robbins also felt compelled to give back. While attending graduate school, he began training for the Boston Marathon and learned that the Boston Athletic Association gave race entries to various charities. Robbins then discovered the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans and began to learn about the plight of the country's veterans.

He ended up running the marathon twice to bring attention to the plight of homeless veterans, and he hopes to continue to raise awareness of the issue while serving as a White House fellow.

In the military, Robbins commanded a cavalry troop serving as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization stabilization force in Bosnia, and as a platoon leader he operated a remote observation post on the Macedonian and Serbian border, conducting United Nations' peacekeeping operations.

In May, Robbins finished a 14-month deployment in Iraq, where he served as the operations officer and later executive officer of Task Force 2-6 Infantry. Robbins said he was stationed in Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad.

One of the key lessons he learned during his deployment was the effort and perseverance that's required for soldiers in that combat zone. Much of his time was spent building schools, working with local town councils, improving irrigation systems and other tasks aimed at aiding Iraqis.

"It can be difficult to keep focus over such a long period of time, so I had to concentrate on keeping my energy level high and remaining positive to have the same impact on my soldiers," Robbins said.

There was also the counterinsurgency. Although Robbins said he didn't spend a large portion of his time fighting insurgents, the threat proved to be ever-present -- and complicated.

"One general told us that counterinsurgency is harder than rocket science because in rocket science, you only have to overcome Newtonian physics principles," Robbins said. "You have to understand that there is a long back story to every situation and that you can't possibly know all the ins and outs because of the cultural differences. Also, you must always be culturally sensitive, because an action you take or something you say could create more problems for your unit than they solve."

'I love the Army'

Robbins submitted his application for the fellowship back in February, flew back from Iraq in April to attend a regional panel interview in New York City, and attended 2 1/2 days of interviews in Washington in mid-June. He is stationed in Germany until the end of August, and his fellowship year begins Sept. 1. He and his wife, Heidi, and their two daughters plan to move to Washington during that time.

Robbins said he is looking forward to furthering his education as a White House fellow, while also traveling both domestically and internationally "to see policy in action and to gain a better appreciation of the complexity of the process."

Still, Robbins said he will miss being home in central Maine; he hasn't found better pies than those at Sonny's Pizza in Fairfield.

"The thing I miss most is the people. Albion was such a great town to grow up in as a kid, and it's always great to go home and see the people I grew up with still there raising their families," he said.

Going forward, Robbins said he is awaiting the results of the lieutenant colonel promotion board and, if he makes the list, he hopes to be selected as a battalion commander and return to a unit after he completes his fellowship.

"I love the Army," Robbins said. "I don't always like the deployments and time away from home, but the soldiers are phenomenal and it's a privilege to lead them. I hope to continue to serve in uniform for quite some time and then continue to work in the public sector after I retire."

Scott Monroe -- 861-9253

smonroe@centralmaine.com