"ieplt!lllbcr 22.

2012
District of Colulllhia Superior COUl1
500 Indiana NW
Washington. DC 2000 I
Mcmornndulll for lhe Districtllf ClIlulllbia Supt!rior ('OllI1:
I havt! I"t!cently heen infi.lrmed that Ms. :-.Iatalic Kha"'am is in Ihe process of
appealing ht!r child custody case related to her 50n I wanted 10 take a
mOlllent to support ht::r etlorts based on my Ilunily's ohservations of her parenting.
\tty Kathy. and I came 10 kllnw Natalie when I at Headquarters.
LJ .S. Ct!ntraJ COlllllland as the Deputy Cllmmander. On JIlulripll.} occasions we had
the privilege of Ilhserving hcr with al comllland -.;oc inl fimctiolls. :-.salalie
clearly loves :md .,;herishes each ilnd every Ilpporrunity has I'll srcnd lillie
\vith him. She is a dedicated nllllhcr. \,hose onl ), lilcus is In provide the necc 'sary
";UpPOlt. love. and till' her s,ln. lliave 1l01iccu Ihe p:l11icular care she e. hibits In
ensure all his nced:. arc 1iI!..!.!n care IlC Illlt ,)nly hut emnt ional.
I:ducalinllal and interpersonal. c\t!ady loves his mother. and by nalural
instinct. it shows that he needs h!.!r ll1alcrnal afft!ction. It is lJuite evideflt that this is
J Illving and nurruring rclatinllship in which rlaccs the needs or her ,>on abovt!
her
It is tough enough for to li\c hi!> lite slru!!gling. to undcrsland the
I)f hi ' panlllls. We nut pCllaliLc him by I imiting his cxpeetatinn.,
10 cxpericncl.} the hwe. mentorship. and of his mother. III light of
:-.Jatalie s maturity. integrity and c(lllllnitrncnt to raising Ilt:r child. I
humhly request y,)ur I)flhc c.\ isting malldatcd custody <;ettlell1ent.
Vcry /{.:speclfully.
R ..
20 September 2012
Memorandum for the District of Columbia Superior Court:
I understand that Natalie Khawam is planning to appeal the
conditions mandated after her child custody case, and I wanted
to offer my observations of her parenting of her son.
My wife and I have known Natalie for approximately three
years, getting to know her while serving in Tampa, Florida,
through our friendship with Dr. and Mrs. Scott Kelley (Natalie's
sister Jill is married to Dr. Kelley). We have maintained that
friendship ever since.
In the intervening years, we have, on many occasions,
observed Natalie and her son, , including when we hosted
them and the Kelley family for Christmas dinner this past year.
In each case, we have seen a very loving relationship - a Mother
working hard to provide her son enjoyable, educational, and
developmental experiences. Natalie clearly dotes on her son and
goes to great lengths - and great expense - to spend quality
time with him.
In view of this, it is unfortunate, in my view, that her
interaction with her son has been so limited by the custody
settlement. It is clear to me that would benefit from much
more time with his Mother and from removal of the burdensome
restrictions imposed on her when she does get to spend time with
him.
Sincerely,
David H. Petraeus
General, U.S. Army (Retired)