One of the guests, whose face remained shrouded behind aviator sunglasses, claimed that he was Audin's "best friend, " and that while he remained loyal to his comrade in arms, he understood that his old friend needed to move on, perhaps to Kabul.

NPR: Sergeant Notes Odd Rituals of War in Afghanistan

That post, along with numerous rants on the subject on CNBC, apparently led to my invitation to testify on the subject before a Congressional Subcommittee in March 2009, which I did alongside my comrade in arms, Bill Isaac, former Chairman of the FDIC.

FORBES: FASB's Return to Mark-to-Market Sanity

He watched as Carol, his comrade-in-arms, ran over to the other side of the clearing, looking for anything left standing.

NEWYORKER: Max at Sea

Yet, despite the company he keeps, Mr Basaev and his comrade-in-arms, Chechnya's rather more pragmatic president, Aslan Maskhadov, are Russia's best hope for stability in the turbulent North Caucasus.

ECONOMIST: Chechnya