It was nothing but God's grace that got them through it —together. Neither were spies, but they were persecuted and prosecuted as such.
At seventeen, Amanda McEwen joined the Navy as a Russian Linguist and was subsequently transferred to the NSA (National Security Agency) in Washington, D.C. She volunteered for a position that not many wanted, an agency deployment to Baghdad, Iraq tasked with assisting the CIA in rebuilding Iraq’s new Intelligence Service, the INIS (Iraqi National Intelligence Service). It is there she was given above-grade responsibilities, sent to the forefront of battles in charge of a four man team and she fell in love with her Iraqi translator, Fadi Matti, an employee of the INIS.
Love knows no boundaries – not of country, culture, or political affiliation.
Labeled spies and traitors, the relationship caused a massive scandal that lead to a joint criminal investigation by the NCIS, NSA and CIA for nearly a year for potential crimes ranging from misconduct clear up to espionage. Fadi was manipulated into becoming a CIA asset as a test of his loyalties; even so far as to send him on missions, leading to his arrest by a Shi’ite militia group who held and tortured him mercilessly for thirty-five days. Mandy was sent to Washington, D.C. to undergo numerous interrogations and spend forty-five days in Restriction. Neither knew what was happening to the other for over two months.
This is their story of governmental bureaucracies, mismanagement and mishandling of agencies, terrorism, torture and, most importantly, how love does conquer all.
Matti holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Wilmington College of Ohio and is currently pursuing a Master’s in International Relations. She began a career in journalism following her separation from the military in 2006 and returned to the Middle East where she documented the lives and experiences of Iraqi and Lebanese refugees living in Jordan who escaped the turmoil in their respective countries. www.AmandaMatti.com Represented by Loiacono Literary Agency www.loiaconoliteraryagency.com Published by Deer Hawk Publications www.deerhawkpublications.com Tentative release June 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment