I Was the Fly on the Wall

Wednesday night I had the privilege of being invited to the farewell dinner that Gen. Petraeus hosted for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who had been visiting the previous week or so. Also attending were the US Ambassador, Ryan Crocker; the Deputy CG, British Lt. Gen. Bill Rollo; my boss, the Staff Judge Advocate, Col. Mark Martins; the Embassy's Rule of Law Coordinator Jim Santelle; and other assorted high-ranking military and civilian personnel.


It was the sort of occasion you for would do anything to be a fly on the wall. And there I was, between a three-star general and a navy captain, a human-sized fly on the wall.

The dinner started auspiciously, as the guests filed into the room and waiters appeared with our "cocktails" (soft drinks). I had a fascinating conversation with Lt. Gen. Rollo -- whom I had met a few weeks earlier during my tour of the Rusafa ROLC -- and concluded that the British forces are in fine hands indeed.


After being seated, Gen. Petraeus welcomed us and Sen. Graham made brief remarks about how quickly the time had gone, etc. We were served a very nice cucumber and tomato salad, followed by stuffed lobster with wax beans and potatoes -- sounds ostentatious, but KBR gets a discount on lobster; I've eaten it far more often here than anywhere short of Maine or the Canadian Maritimes -- and finally vanilla ice cream with fruit. It was a simple meal, and good.


Then, in the absence of brandy snifters (and brandy), Sen. Graham held forth on a number of subjects, which I obviously can't go into here. Amb. Crocker, whom I hadn't heard speak much before, also contributed mightily to the discussion. Gen. Petraeus presented Sen. Graham with a memento of his visit, and then also awarded Charlie Abner, the LAOTF Chief of Staff, with a medal honoring his tireless civilian service in Iraq.


Following the dinner, Gen. Petraeus asked me how I had enjoyed my time here and whether they could convince me to come back. It's been fascinating, I said, and I'd be happy to be back if the appropriate arrangements can be made. (Because of my lack of citizenship, I can't be paid by the government nor receive any sort of security clearance -- both of which inhibit the viability of my future service here.)


Then I went off to change from my suit into my uniform, as we were taking a helicopter out to Camp Victory to do some touring the next day (yesterday).