CESAR SORIANO is a former reporter for USA TODAY, where he covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan during regular rotations to the Middle East between 2001 and 2008. He has also written for Lonely Planet, People, USA Weekend and The Washington Times. He is a native of Washington, D.C. and a U.S. Army veteran. Cesar is now a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, based in Manama, Bahrain.