Amanda McEwen-Matti served six years in the U.S. Navy as a Russian Linguist and Intelligence Analyst. While deployed to Baghdad, Iraq she met and fell in love with her Iraqi translator. The two overcame numerous challenges and obstacles to be together and their love story is documented in Amanda’s first book A Foreign Affair – a memoir of her experiences in Iraq and the fight to be reunited with the love of her life, Fadi. She 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 to escape the turmoil in their respective countries. www.AmandaMatti.com
A Foreign Affair
In the summer of 2005, 22-year-old U.S. Navy Intelligence Analyst Amanda McEwen voluntarily deployed to Baghdad, Iraq to assist in the reconstruction efforts of the new Iraqi government that emerged following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003. She arrived in Iraq physically and mentally prepped to face the horrors of a bloody war. What she wasn’t prepared for was to fall in love with someone “on the other side”.
For Amanda and her 23-year-old Iraqi translator Fadi it was the clichéd love at first sight. There were instant sparks and a passionate romance quickly ensued. As the summer progressed their love grew. While serving together on the front lines assisting with intelligence operations in support of U.S. Marines battling Al-Qaeda near the Syrian border, both were convinced their relationship was more than just a summer fling – they knew they were soul mates.
Amanda knew she would probably have to choose between Fadi and her career, but when their relationship became public she was shocked to find herself a suspect at the center of an international espionage investigation. She was accused of treasonous activities and Fadi was suspected of possible links to terrorist organizations. Amanda not only stood up and fought for love but also for justice in the face of a blatant double standard. She knew that had their genders been reversed such a vehement demonstration in the name of safeguarding U.S. national security would have never occurred.
This is a true story of romance, scandal, heroism, spies, violence, and, above all, an epic love that overcomes impossible odds and adversity. It showcases the extreme lengths two people are willing to go through in order to be together and proves that issues of geography, politics, and even diametrically opposed cultures mean nothing to the human heart.
Sr. Chief of the facility with Judge & BM2 Nelso
