Rabat, Morocco 1990-94

 Highlights:

• Support Trips to Consulate Casablanca, American Legation and VOA Tangier.

• May 2-12, 1994 TDY to Algiers to spell Management Officer, Brian McIntosh.

• Serving on the Board of the Rabat American School.  Bob Sills, Principal

• Pulling Duty including courier runs to the airport about every six months.

• Annual Marine Ball in November.   

• Occasional support for CODELs and Staff Del visits each year like Shelby, Lantos and Bereuter in January 1994.

• August 26, 1993 Jim Woolwine replaced Al Lopez as Management Officer.

• December 7-10, 1993 one of several visits by SECSTATE George Shultz 

Favorite Memories:

• Trip north to El Hoceima on the northern edge of the Rif Mountains with Roy Chavera and Steve Taylor.  Sailing from the port on the Mediterranean.  My Mitsubishi Pajero broke down not getting enough gas and Steve was able to fix it by taking a piece of tin from peanut can and placing it inside the carburetor.  

• Trip south with Roy to Zagora and riding camel in the Sahara.    

• Trip to the Todra Gorge via the the Tizi-n-Tichka road connecting Marrakech to Ouarzazate

• March 26 - April4, 1993 Trip to Ouarzazate  and Ait Benahaddou site for many films  including the epic "Lawrence of Arabia", "Gladiator" "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" "The Man Who Would Be King", "The Game of Thrones 2011 series, and many religious films including "Jesus of Nazareth", "The Last Temptation of Chris" and "Kingdom of Heaven".     

• June 12-14, 1993 Trip to Fez, Volubilis and Meknes.  Medina and leather tanneries in Fez.  3rd century ancient roman city of Volubilis.  Meknes and the Bab Mansour huge gate with arches and mosaic tiling and the 17th century Mausoleum of Sultan Moulay Ismail with courtyards and fountains.  

• June 20-27, 1993 vacation to Oualidia, Essaouira, Agadir, and Marrakech.

• Vacation to Paris July 16-25, 1993.

• OIG Inspection October 1993.  Inspector Diane Smith wrote me up for having retained funds obligated for curtains for residences.

• November 25-28, 1993 vacation to Tangier and Gibraltar.   

• April 1-9, 1994 family trip to London.

• Acting out different plays at Ambassador Ussery's.

• Weekly poker with the USAID guys:  Jerry Render, Rick Scott, Gene Kull, Joe, Keith

• Embassy softball team playing at American School rivalry with USAID other teams like the Japanese, Hash House Harriers, CG Casablanca.  

• Coaching little league with Marine Detachment Commander.

• Tiger Cubs Boy scout trips with Jeffrey:  4X4 Off-road Rally February 5, 1994; Temara and Bouznika, Camp out May 28, 1994.  Patrick Tai-Kwon-Do lessons Saturday mornings.  

• Patrick's First Communion May 15, 1994.

• Travel to the South of Spain June 24-27, 1994 before leaving Morocco (See separate Blog site)

• Playing tennis at the American club, within walking distance to the Embassy, with Gene Kull, Helena Lopez, Vern and Elaine. 

• Departed Morocco July 9, 1994.

Ouarzazate  and Ait Benahaddou 

The Road south

Me and Roy Chavera on a camel track outside Zagora

Zagora

Todra Gorge

Embassy Softball Team Bart Hoskins, Dwight Rhoades, Chuck Wills, Mike Jahnake

Mike Ussery was a political appointed Ambassador to Morocco from 1989-92

and a really nice guy , very approachable who got along with everyone.  He used to hold parties acting out different plays.  He also went with the group that hiked the Atlas Mountains.  He was from Columbia, South Carolina.  

Ambassador Frederick "Freck" Vreeland was the Ambassador to Morocco 1992-93.  His mother was French-American columnist, Diana Vreeland, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine.  He purchased a 12,000 square foot fortress just outside of Marrakech and, in fact, retired there.  He had some famous guests stay at his mansion like Mick Jagger, King Hassan II.      

  

Marc Ginsberg was the Ambassador from 1994-98.  At 44 years of age the first Jewish 

 Ambassador to an Arab country.  As a political appointee he had a lot to learn about Department regulations on representation, household staff and allowable expenses.  I had an uncomfortable situation with him surrounding the 4th of July celebration in scheduling the singer for the Moroccan national anthem.