Even Reformed K Streeters Fall Off the Wagon Sometimes

When World Events Get in the Way of Small Town Life

I was looking forward to writing a post about La Sirena’s history. Trust me, it will be a doozie and worth waiting for. But it will have to wait. World events being what they are, I’m going “off piste” so I can share with you a little about how how and why I ended up on K Street in the first place. It was my background and expertise in defense and international affairs that played a significant role in my journey around Washington and, ultimately, landed me executive positions at several strategic communications and public relations firms on K Street.

You see, dear readers, I have spent my entire life living and working in the “defense establishment.” I am the daughter of an extremely accomplished, high-ranking US Marine. Among other things, President Carter appointed my dad to establish and command the organization that was the precurser to US Central Command – the joint military command responsible for US military activities and operations in the Middle East. When I hear about US assets being sent to places like Diego Garcia, I recall with pride that my dad was the person who negotiated the agreement to place US assets there for rapid deployment.

I grew up on military bases all over the country. I lived in Hawaii before it became our 50^th state. By the time I graduated from high school, I had attended seventeen schools. Most importantly, I proudly watched my dad go from a Captain, to a Colonel, to a four star General.

During the Bush 41 Administration, I was the only political appointee in the Pentagon’s Directorate for Defense Information – the newsroom – serving as one of Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney’s press spokespersons. I was there during the invasion of Kuwait and the “first” Gulf War. We worked day and night with smart, sharp, highly seasoned defense reporters. Working with them required me to be well versed in the current troubles in the Middle East and the historical origins of the hard feelings and hatred that infuse the region.

Later, I moved to the Senate, where I served as the first woman Communications Director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, Still later, I worked for the leader of a Middle East nation. I executed a major public diplomacy program in the Middle East on behalf of the State Department. And represented several American and foreign companies in the US and abroad.

Defense and international affairs were among the biggest parts of my life – and among my strongest personal interests - that were left behind when I departed K Street. So when a major world event happens, such as Israel-Iran and the possibility of American involvement at the highest level, it’s difficult for me to remain “on the wagon” – literally and figuratively away from my previous life.

I was a child of the Cold War, and I lived in Washington during the Cuban Missile Crisis. During that time, school children like me were made to wear dog tags that not only had our name and address information, but contained our religion. In the event of an attack that required us to be evacuated from Washington we could be tracked. But worse, in the event of a catastrophe, noting pur religion would ensure we’d be buried in a mass grave with others of our same religion. Given all of this background, you can imagine my thoughts when I hear current targets described as “nuclear facilities.”

Thus, I spend much of my time these days voraciously watching and reading the reporters and subject experts covering events in the Middle East. I have worked with many of them. Some have been close friends for over thirty years. After so many years, it’s amazing for me to see them covering what may be the crescendo of all our work in the Middle East over recent decades, particularly as it plays out against the background of nastiness, immaturity, and absence of smart decision making at the Pentagon, the White House, and the Administration.

Several years ago I made the decision to depart Washington, to put my decades in government and on K Street firmly behind me, and to leave the defense work that was a source of expertise and pride. Thus, dear reader, current events have made me fall off the wagon – at least temporarily.

I’ll be back soon with the history of La Sirena, the possibility it may be haunted, and a look at how we turned a house into a home.