Members of the returning “brats” revisit the Rock at the Dhahran Third St. School. This group of contributors to Forever Friends includes David Lunde, standing left, Ray Lovell, third from left, Michael Crocker, fourth from left, and Roger Ison, sitting right.

The brats have recorded their unique experiences growing up in company communities from the 1940’s through the ‘70s in a book entitled Forever Friends. They were greeted during their visit to Dhahran by Abdallah S. Jum’ah, president and CEO; Khalid G. Al- Buainain, executive director, Saudi Aramco Affairs; and Muhammad A. Tahlawi, acting manager, Saudi Aramco Affairs Services Dept.

The group initially visited Riyadh at the invitation of HRH Amir Salman ibn ‘Abd al-’Aziz, Governor of the Riyadh Region. The visitors later returned to Riyadh for a meeting with HRH Crown Prince ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd al-’Aziz, First Deputy Premier and Commander of the National Guard.

For many the trip, sponsored by HRH Amir Salman, was a dream come true. In Riyadh, the group toured several museums and facilities including the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives, which published Forever Friends.

Dr. Fahd al-Semmari, secretary general of the Foundation and coeditor of the book, highlighted the important role played by such visitors. “These people who are familiar with the past will now understand the present and be in a better position to tell others what Saudi Arabia is today,” he said.

Roger Ison, who lived in Dhahran from 1950 to 1975, fondly remembered riding his horse along the coast at the edge of al-Khobar.

“Since leaving Saudi Arabia I always felt that something was missing, and I never knew what it was. On meeting other brats I found out that most of us shared this feeling of homesickness [buti I never expected to be back home,” he said.

“The feelings I had on my return are indescribable. On leaving the plane in Riyadh I was assailed by familiar scents and a welcoming heat. The long forgotten smells became familiar again. As a child I also associated these with Arabia and after this unexpected return, I was surrounded by them again.”

Sharon Romine Ayers, who spent 1952-’64 in Saudi Arabia and met King Sa’ud when she was six, was thrilled by her visit, especially her meeting with several Saudi women at the Nahdah Charitable Society in Riyadh.

“We had a great time there and found out about the society’s training programs. We also discovered the way new fashions based on traditional styles are now being revived,” she commented.

In addition to revisiting Saudi Arabia and promoting their book, the visitors donated numerous artifacts, photos, film footage and other documents related to the history of the Kingdom and Saudi Aramco to the King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives.

In the Eastern Province, they toured Ras Tanura and Abqaiq, as well as the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu’ in Jubail. In Dhahran, they visited their old homes, the Saudi Aramco Exhibit and Well No. 7, and toured Dhahran camp. A stop at the Third St. School was a high- light that many will treasure.

Following their trip to the Eastern Province, the brats’ itinerary included Jiddah and Abha, where they were scheduled to meet high-ranking government officials and visit historical sites and attractions.

The visitors repeatedly expressed their happiness and gratitude for the hospitality received during their stay. Their experiences, both old and new, reflect the ideals and values they acquired from their years growing up in the Kingdom.

Michael Crocker's introduction to Forever Friends expresses those values well:

“Arriving in the land of King ‘Abd al-’Aziz in 1951, I grew up to love the desert and the beauty of the Arab way of life. I grew up secure in the knowledge that the Saudi people would protect me, that the oil company my father worked for would provide for me. My father knew about the Kingdom, and spoke to me as a small child of his love of the desert, and perhaps this was the start of my love...

“I learned the generosity of the King and the hospitality of the people. I learned of the swift and sure justice of the Islamic way and respected life and law even more so because of it. I spent time in the sands with the Bedouins and learned never to be lost, and most of all, I learned I was always among friends.”