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GLAMOUR EXCLUSIVE: Paula Broadwell's Friends on the Petraeus Scandal, Her Family, and the (Recently-

And then as the story unfolded, I was even more shocked to learn, you know, to learn about the events. But my instinct, my gut, was to reach out to Paula. Because they are still [just] human beings, despite the exceptional leadership they've demonstrated throughout their careers. I know Paula to be very family-oriented. In almost every interaction I've had with her, she's been a very committed mother, and family is at the core of her being.

__ALICA SPARLING, 40, Charlotte, N.C., professor:__I was at work, and friends began calling me when Petraeus announced his resignation because they knew I know Paula. Everyone was shocked—the way that we know Paula is as a kind friend.

INA GANGULI, 33, Stockholm, Sweden, economist and assistant professor: I [was] very surprised. Just to think of her as a mother and someone who really cares about her family, and thinking now that she's suddenly in the spotlight like this—[the news was] just very shocking. I was very worried about her.

SUCHARITA MULPURU, 39, Charlotte, N.C., retail analyst: I was most worried about her marriage. But she sent me an email within a few hours that said, "Scott's here with me," and, I'm paraphrasing, but it essentially said, "We're a great team."

"Paula has had guilt heaped on her, but in a case like this, everybody is guilty."

GANGULI: The one thing I know about Paula is she handles herself under pressure very well. And so I knew that, whatever was going on, she would come out fine. In our Ph.D. program I saw over and over again that she never batted an eye when things were stressful. But obviously I was very concerned about her and her family.

__MORGAN:__Yeah, physically Paula is a very tough person. But what has allowed her to succeed at every challenging moment of her career has been her mental toughness. So if anybody can get through this, it will be Paula.

MULPURU: We don't know the full story—[just] how the media's portraying it. We don't even know the nature of the emails [to Jill Kelley], because they've not been released. But the notion of catty emails is something that is so far removed from anything that Paula would ever do.

MORGAN: I agree. Paula's a very protective person. And so I assume it came from a place of being protective of the people whom she respects and admires.

Paula is a community builder. She draws people to her to form bonds and create friendships. That's just who she is. Which is very contrary to how she's being portrayed. We both served in the military and are [committed to] expanding women's roles throughout the Department of Defense, specifically with women in combat. And she's constantly helping all of us connect to gain momentum for the issues that we deeply care about…. I've never known Paula to be selfish and self-oriented. I've always known her to be very giving and to look for opportunities to mentor and support other women.

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Zora Stowers

Update: 2024-05-22