To Pete Ford

December 9, 2009

Hi Pete,

Great to hear from you.  I’m glad you’re back here in the states safe and sound.  I didn’t realize that you were a Lt. Col doing a 6 month Reserve hitch in Iraq.  The last I remember you were somewhere doing another one of your State Dept security jobs.

Like you I was watching the President’s speech last week with some mixed emotions.  On the one hand I feel that US involvement in Afghanistan has probably been needed in trying to stop Al Qaida and the Taliban.   But like you I feel that we might be involved in another Viet Nam type situation which could go on and on without any ultimate victory or resolution. A part of me feels the President is doing right thing but a part of me feels that we should just get out of there and face whatever consequences might come. The expenditure of lives and vast amounts of money over there are awful prices for our country to pay.

Concerning Iraq, I’ve always felt the US made a huge mistake in getting side-tracked there. Sadam was a bum but getting rid of him wasn’t worth 4000 American lives not to mention coalition lives or the great numbers of Iraqis. Please don’t get me wrong.  I have the utmost respect for our military men and women who faithfully serve there.  But I have little or no respect for the politicians who put us there in the first place.  Concerning your own involvement there in hostage rescue and recovery, I think you were doing something which was so essential and necessary. I admire you for the work you did there Pete. Even in misguided wars good work can be done.

I sure hope you get promoted but I hope that doesn’t mean you have to go back to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

Thanks for bringing me up to date about Susan and your kids.  Those separations when you are stationed in distant places sure must be rough on each of you.

Jeri and I have decided to make New York our permanent home. After I retired in 2007 we rented up here in Harlem as a temporary measure.  Now we’re ready to find something here more permanent. I love my retirement. It gives me more time to visit my kids and Jeri’s family in California plus more time to travel generally. We spend a month each year in Puerto Rico and last year we spent 6 weeks in England and Scotland.

Jeri still works part time with her company, an investment firm,  and they give her a lot of time off each year. She’s got a great deal.

We’re spending Christmas down in Georgia with Mike and Stacie. They have a small farm about 50 miles north of Atlanta. They’ve chosen not to have kids but they have five dogs, five cats and two horses. They’re about ready to get a couple of goats. The farm is way, way out in the country.

Scott lives with his wife and two step-children in Ft Worth, Texas.  He hasn’t changed much and seems very happy with the way his life is turning out.  He still goes skiing whenever he can and can still get down those mountains better than most. He’s still an avid guitar player. As always, he “marches to his own drumbeat.”

Jim has had his problems with alcohol but seems to be in a good period right now. He lives with his mother up in New Hampshire, works as a house-painter and skies often.  He loves to hike in the mountains. Loves nature. It’s hard to keep him inside.

Suzy lives up in the mountains about four miles from Jim. She’s married to a State Policeman…they have two girls, 10 and 4.  They had a little disabled boy who died three years ago just before he turned 5. He was an angel.

Suzy got her Masters in Psychology and works in Family Services for the State of New Hampshire. Like Mike, she has horses, cats and dogs all over the place, not to mention the moose, bear and wild turkeys that show up on their land occasionally. Suzy’s place is called Star- Swept Farm and it is way, way out.

Well, that’s it for now Pete. Let’s keep good touch with each other.  Let me know what happens with you and the Reserves. Also let me know if or when you come up here to the Big Apple.

Love from me and Jeri to you, Susan and the kids.

Chap/Mike