I am always learning things in the stories I write. Chapter 36 is full of that type of thing. There really is an Al Faw Palace, and it really was used as a luxury hotel for VIPs, generals, and entertainers. It was often called the ‘Rick’s Café’ of Iraq, and the troops who worked there actually did have to receive special training in running a hotel. God only knows what the place is like since we turned it all back over to the Iraqis, but I suspect they have fucked it up just like they’ve fucked up the rest of the country.