'Just doing my job'

Robert Kipp warned this reporter about his dog, Remy: “He’s friendly, but he’s ginormous.” The stereotype of dogs resembling their owners rang true here: with Kipp’s tall, sturdy frame and warm, friendly face mirroring his Doberman’s appearance. Even his expressive eyes, which turned intense while describing his current job as a construction supervisor, match.

Those same eyes seemed penetrating when he talked about his time on the battlefield. He leaned back, crossed his arms and quickly said, “just doing my job. It’s a team effort,” loathe to offer more personal information.

Army Capt. Robert Kipp served two tours of duty in Iraq. He went on 700 combat patrols and oversaw the back-and-forth transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars in military equipment. He saved lives and earned the Bronze Star.

His ability to work in a team defined his time in the military, as it does to this day. Kipp, 36, is currently the lead superintendent on the largest construction job in the United States –– the Hudson Yards development project.

He may plan and supervise a multi-billion dollar infrastructure job, but he never forgets his military time: He hands out custom-made hard hat stickers to all of his construction workers who are veterans, emblazoned with the branch of military they served in.

While in Iraq, he trained Iraqi police officers, enforced curfews, confiscated weapons and, even, once found pieces of American artillery from World War II. Those were eventually shipped to the artillery museum in Fort Hood, Texas. He traveled throughout Iraq, visiting Balad, Sabaa Al Bour, Baghdad and Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown and the location of several of his palaces.

He described the experience as “hours and hours of extreme boredom, followed by seconds of ultra-adrenaline rushes.” He wouldn’t reveal any more details, but his voice tightened when asked about friends who died. “The most sobering fact was coming back and seeing the families of the guys who did not return,” he said solemnly. “Knowing that they would not have the opportunity to enjoy the freedom that the rest of us were taking for granted.”

Between deployments, Kipp oversaw port operations in Corpus Christi, Texas, and managed the transfer of the largest movement of military equipment since World War II, back and forth between the United States and Iraq.

“It was really interesting from a logistics standpoint,” he said as his eyes lit up. The work was a precursor to his current position.

When Kipp left the military in 2007, he entered the job market at the peak of the housing and construction bubble. Through the Junior Military Officer Recruitment program, he could choose between 21 different job offers. He was drawn to construction.

“What were some of the largest construction companies the world has ever seen?” he said. “It’s the Roman Army, the British Army, followed by the Army Corps of Engineers.”

Kipp was drawn to the collaborative aspect of large-scale construction projects. It was something he greatly appreciated after his time in the Army. He said he believes anything is possible, as long as people work together.

This spring, he completed his master’s degree in construction administration through the G.I. Bill at Columbia University and is currently supervising part of the $20 billion Hudson Yards project in midtown Manhattan for Tishman Construction.

“The guy is larger than life,” said Iraq and Afghanistan Army veteran and friend Arthur Barnes, whose vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in 2010 and was critically injured. Kipp immediately stepped in to help.

“He called every senator and every congressman in every state I ever lived in to get them updates and make sure I got the best care available,” Barnes said. Kipp had brought so much attention to Barnes that doctors at Walter Reed Hospital pulled Barnes aside and asked him why he was drawing so much interest from officials.

Kipp is currently expecting his first child with his wife, Elizabeth Ferris. They met in Washington D.C. at a bar mixer in 2007. Following the adage that the best way to a woman’s heart is through her mother, he ordered glasses of wine for her table where her mother, Irene, and her aunt were sitting. Irene’s family sent her over to talk to him.

Kipp doesn’t buy the stereotype that newly returned soldiers are always struggling. “There’s a sense that society feels sorry for veterans,” he said. “There’s nothing to feel sorry for.” He did acknowledge, though, that some veterans coming home have trouble. “There are those who struggle,” he noted.

But vets, Kipp believes, should get training so they can use the skills they learned during the military in a professional environment. “There are vets you ride the train with every day,” he insisted. “They’re not just living under a bridge in their fatigues. They’re involved in politics. They’re involved in law enforcement. They’re involved in major construction operations. They’re doing some of the best things in the world.”

Kipp is positive about the future, not just for himself, but also for other veterans. “To truly understand how great every day is you have to have a bad day,” he said.

But when pushed on how he received his Bronze Star, he repeated his same humble line: “Just doing my job.”