SPOtastic

When I worked at 60 Minutes II, my office was across the way from a man named George Crile. Sometimes he would be at his desk for weeks, I'd never see him leave. Then he would disappear for a month, sometimes two. He was a journalist, so his absences were normal. But he rarely had a piece on the air, so I was curious.

"Where has George been?" I would ask.
"Where hasn't he been." my boss lady would respond.

I would be reorganizing filing cabinets, or looking for more area's to store files, and I would always find tapes or files that belonged to George. One time I found where he hid his office key. He had been gone for several weeks. I was there in my office when he returned from whatever trip he was on, and he knew to ask.

"Shannon, can I get my key?"

He wasn't there when I found it, but he had the information. He knew how to get what he needed.

I wanted to ask him so many questions, but I was too shy, and I also had a weird fear. If I asked him things, he would probably tell me. And did I want that knowledge? I was positive he knew stuff that very few people knew.

I think I am making him sound weird. He wasn't. When he was in town, he was one of few people at the office that took in interest in what I did outside of work. He always asked when I was performing, I always told him. I never saw him at a show, and he never told me he came to one, but I have a feeling he was probably there. He was one of my favorite people at work, and I never told him.

I finally learned that he had been working on a book that was eventually titled "Charlie Wilson's War." He had been working on the book since the late 80's. It was 2001 when I first heard about it his book. Then 9/11 happened. Whenever George disappeared, I just imagined him having an off the record talk with Osama Bin Ladin.

Charlie Wilson's War was published in 2004. Being the cheap penny pincher I am, I was hoping I would find a complimentary copy on my desk one morning. It never happened. The book was an instant best seller and then I learned Tom Hanks bought the rights to it, and that Mike Nichols was going to direct it. I had to get off my ass and read the book.

60 Minutes II was canceled in May of 2005. I remember seeing George on my final day that June. He asked me if I could still help him with his expenses. I told him it was my last day and I wouldn't be able to. I felt guilty. He had asked me a month or two earlier and I said I would. But of course it took George a while to find all his receipts that were scattered about the different cabinets they were living in. I felt guilty that I couldn't help him. But I had to move on.

Thing was I really didn't. I still had not read his book.

May 2006 in a correspondence with my Boss lady, I learned that George had passed away of Pancreatic Cancer. She knew I was fond of him and how much it would upset me.

I still had not read his book, and now I was feeling super guilty, so I bought the book.

January 12th 2008. I finally finished. I could be cliche and say it was worth the wait, but I wish I had not waited. The book is awesome. If you want to an awesome spy novel, that is not a novel but a true story. Read this book. If you saw the movie, well the movie is just based on the true story, and does not even touch the surface of this amazing tale. The movie actually pissed me off. I felt like it dishonored the life's work of George. (I saw the movie Jan 13th.)


Now I have lots of new questions for George.

I'm sorry it took so long.