SITTING NEXT TO A ROCK STAR 259Inc., me included, would segregate himself from his colleagues inside an
office or cubicle.
Had the CIA and FBI cooperated McChrystal-style, for the sake of the
mission and of the nation, we might have been able to prevent 9/11 from
ever happening.
Aware of General McChrystal’s reputation as a “soldier’s soldier” who
slept only a few hours each night, ran PT, and ate only one meal per day,
I refrained from touching my airline lunch until I saw that he had started
his own. The last thing I wanted was for him to witness just how weak and
ordinary I really was.
We had a memorable conversation during the flight, and when I shook
his hand to bid him farewell, he sincerely thanked me for my service. I was
nearly speechless.
We don’t join the CIA for the money, or for public recognition. We
rarely if ever expect to receive thanks for our service. Being thanked by
this true American hero, who has risked it all serving his country in ways
most of us cannot begin to imagine, is a memory I will cherish for the rest
of my life.
General McChrystal repeated his appreciation for my service a few
weeks later, in a handwritten note to me inside a copy of his memoir, My
Share of the Task. His book now occupies a place of honor on my bookshelf
at home.