Photo: U.S. Army / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Robert Bales is one of the hardest profiles to write about honestly. The medals on his record sit alongside something that cannot be softened, and I won't pretend otherwise. What I take from his story is a sobering reminder that decorations and service do not make a person whole, and that a man capable of duty was also capable of terrible harm. I have no interest in glorifying him. I include him here only because erasing such names also risks erasing the people who suffered. Remembering uncomfortable truths is its own form of respect, and I think it matters.
Overview
Robert "Bobby" Bales (born June 30, 1973) is an American mass murderer, convicted war criminal, and former U.S. Army sniper who murdered 16 Afghan civilians in a mass shooting in Panjwayi District, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, on March 11, 2012 – an event known as the Kandahar massacre.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Robert Bales
- Name (Japanese)
- ロバート・ベイルズ
- Reading
- ろばーと・べいるず
- Born
- June 30, 1973 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Ox
- Origin
- Norwood, Ohio, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stockbroker / military officer
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Norwood High School
- University
- Mount St. Joseph University
Awards & achievements
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Army Service Ribbon
- Good Conduct Medal
- Iraq Campaign Medal
- Achievement Medal
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Military officer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.