Chapter ELEVEN
Dhahran, My Car, the Flood, and My ͞Tony Worthy Performance
After the abrupt unwelcome cancellation of the contract for renovation of the Al-Gaim compound by the Royal Saudi Air Force and my reassignment as Administrator for the Peace Sun Project Officer in Taif with the reduction of five pay grades I knew I had to take my job situation into my own hands I didn t want to wait for the Director of Human Resources in Riyadh to find any excuse to get rid of me, so I began looking into other Peace Sun job openings anywhere else in the Kingdom where I could possibly advance.
I also started looking into other American programs in the Kingdom but couldn t find any that provided all the benefits that McDonnell Douglas Services did. We had free housing, transportation, free airline tickets for rest and relaxation trips, vacations that could last up to five or six weeks if we had extra days available, full medical and dental care, school boarding outside of the Kingdom for children over 15 years of age the list was endless. All we actually paid for was clothing and food, and the food cost was partially subsidized if you ate at any of our housing compounds.
I was fortunate that, as a member of the Administration Department, I had access to the job requisition listing from Riyadh. After a few months I saw that the position of Administrator to a royal Prince, Brigadier General Bander Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Saud, 3rd Flying Wing Commander at Dhahran Air Base, was available. This position was at least one pay grade higher than my current position. I asked Michael Beeney, the Manager of Human Resources at Taif, to intercede on my behalf regarding the job without going through Riyadh. Michael talked with the Manager of Human Resources at Dhahran, Gary Moore, who gave him the lowdown on the job opening.
John McGaffin, one of the Administrators for the 3rd Flying Wing Commander, had been killed in an automobile accident when a young Saudi had driven through a red light hitting John s sedan broadside and killing him instantly. The Saudi was only slightly injured, and because he had some family connections, did not serve any time for vehicular homicide His family did pay John s family a substantial amount of ͞blood money Gary Moore put in my request regarding the position to the McDonnell Douglas Services Dhahran Base Director and to the Royal Saudi Air Force Base Commander. I was accepted but had to transfer from Taif at my own expense. The Director of Human Resources informed me that sin