Why wouldn’t it be? My passport shows a trip to Israel.
Because,unless I'm mistaken,the State Dept doesn't keep track of the countries that *ordinary US citizens* visit.My hunch is that there's tracking of visits to certain unfriendly countries but that wouldn't affect the typical traveler.
Maybe it’s something to do with his passport photo.
Yes, you had to walk through customs and get your passport stamped. But did you also notice the American stamper typing your name into a computer? I'm not sure that there is a master file that records everyone's travels.