Shortly after the Camp David Accord, the naval ship I was on went to Alexandria and anchored there. We were the first American military "ambassadors" sent there. I recall being surprised at how well we were received. The Egyptian crowd waited for us as the liberty boats came in.....and I remember there were hundreds of them all cheering as they greeted us. It was celebrity status treatment like nothing I ever experienced before. My fellow shipmates and I hooked up with a taxi driver, who took us all around Alexandria. In essence, he became our tour guide, who refused our attempts to pay him. He did all of this at no charge. He was thankful for the Americans ending the war and making peace. He even brought us to his home for dinner and to meet all his family.

That's a far cry from today. In fact, it seems like a story told from another universe. Notwithstanding, all of it is true. Today, I'd have an overwhelming anxiety if I traveled there today due to the much impugned and maligned perception Americans have today in foreign countries. All I can say is that it's a real shame.

Shortly after the Camp David Accord, the naval ship I was on went to Alexandria and anchored there. We were the first American military "ambassadors" sent there. I recall being surprised at how well we were received. The Egyptian crowd waited for us as the liberty boats came in.....and I remember there were hundreds of them all cheering as they greeted us. It was celebrity status treatment like nothing I ever experienced before. My fellow shipmates and I hooked up with a taxi driver, who took us all around Alexandria. He became our tour guide, who refused our attempts to pay him. He did all of this at no charge. He was thankful for the Americans ending the war and making peace. He even brought us to his home for dinner and to meet all his family.

That's a far cry from today. In fact, it seems like a story told from another universe. Notwithstanding, all of it is true. Today, I'd have an overwhelming anxiety if I traveled there today due to the much impugned and maligned perception Americans have today in foreign countries. All I can say is that it's a real shame.