Unrest in Egypt Results in ‘Vacation’

When his boss said, leave the country, John Deptula did as he was told, but he said last week he would gladly go back, even immediately.

Mr. and Mrs. Deptula and their six-year-old son, John Michael, left Egypt February 2 amid the turmoil and unrest in the streets of the capital city, Cairo and elsewhere.

An engineering consultant for VSE Corporation, Mr. Deptula has lived in Alexandria, Egypt, for the last 10 years. He married his wife, Ruby, a native Egyptian, some eight years ago and they have a six-year-old son.

VSE chartered a plane last week to evacuate all its employees and their families and several others also took that flight from Egypt. The Deptulas left Egypt on Tuesday, Feb. 1, and completed their journey to central Georgia on Wednesday.

He spent some time last Thursday with his brother, Joe, and his wife, Gail, at Deptula’s Restaurant in Monticello.

John Deptula describes Egypt as a very safe country, somewhat progressive with an open-minded outlook. Saying it was the original melting pot, Mr. Deptula, with his wife sitting beside him and agreeing, said many cultures blend there with no problem. Even though it is majority Muslim, he said, the Muslims and Christians have always gotten along there. In addition, he said that the region is highly educated, and talked of how standing in society can affect how much money a person can make.
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He told how martial law has been in place for years, and spoke about some of the abuses that take place.

Protestors took to the streets the last week in January, initially in very peaceful protests, asking that President Mubarak step down. After several days, violence peppered the protests, however the Deptulas say they felt safe in their home and are confident their material possessions will be intact when they return.

Mr. Deptula said the majority of the protestors are good people. He said there are men, women, and children protesting, and said that the view shown by CNN is somewhat distorted. He said that the population of Egypt is relatively young which can be seen if one looks closely at the images of protestors.

He also said that while people are leaving, and much of the country is shut down, that he still had access to the internet and to his telephone. The schools are closed, and Michael’s teacher at the Schutz American School was on the plane with the Deptulas when they returned to the states. Michael said he reads on the internet, and said he goes to www.starfall.com for some of his reading exercises.
Michael speaks Arabic and English fluently, and is learning Spanish.
Mr. Deptula said there was some looting and food shortages, mainly because many began stockpiling when the trouble began. He said the clerics are going into the mosques and reminding people how to behave…reminding them that it is wrong to steal, to murder.

Mr. Deptula said the biggest money maker for the region is the Suez Canal and tourism, so the economy is certain to suffer now while the tourists are not going in. He said people here think of Egypt for the pyramids and Mt. Sinai, but that the region offers some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling available. He said the Red Sea is crystal clear and is a great recreation area.

He also said that his home overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. He said he and the family usually come home to the U.S. in July when Michael is out of school, and the reason they don’t often come at Christmas is because it is cold. He said that they think 70 degrees is chilly, and said it does not get overly hot. Temperatures reach 100 degrees, but there is always a breeze from the sea, he said.

As for the protests, Mr. and Mrs. Deptula said one problem is that President Mubarak has no vice-president. He was vice-president before becoming president some 30 years ago, and there has never been a vice-president in that time. In addition, he said, the governors are appointed by the president.

They commented that the people wanting President Mubarak to leave the country are extremists. He was born and raised there, fought three wars there, and obviously wants to die there. They feel it would be appropriate for him to step down, but not have to leave.
When asked about what kind of leader they thought Mohamed ElBaradei would be, they said they did not know. He is unknown, said Mrs. Deptula.

He has worked for the United Nations for years, and not been in his native country. No one knows if he can be trusted, if he could lead the country.

Mr. Deptula said that Egyptians don’t consider themselves to be Africans, even though the country is on the African continent. They are more adopted to the middle-Eastern lifestyle. He said the Arabic performers travel to Egypt to further their careers. The life style is a meeting point between Saudi Arabia and Europe.
Mr. Deptula joined the Navy in 1975 when he went to the recruiter’s office in Griffin. Immediately after retiring from the Navy, he began working for VSE where he remains today. The company’s headquarters are in Alexandria, Va., and he said his business card lists both his addresses—one in Alexandria, Va., and one in Alexandria, Egypt.

Throughout our talk about the upheaval in Egypt, the Deptula’s were clear that they plan to return and believe they will be able to. In the meantime, they will use this time to visit with family members while staying posted on what’s going on back home.