'I Screwed Up Royally' David Petraeus Admits about Paula Broadwell Affair in Letter to James Shelton, Wife Holly Forgives 'Achilles' Heel'

In a letter written to close friend Brig. Gen. James Shelton, ex-CIA Director David Petraeus admits that his highly-publicized and controversial affair with biographer Paula Broadwell was indeed a huge mistake - the 60-year-old former military official exclaims that he "screwed up royally." Even so, "Team Petraeus" will survive, and as of now Petraeus' wife of 37 years Holly staunchly remains by her husband's side despite all of his rather scandalous behavior. According to Shelton, Petraeus is a great man who just happened to fall victim to seductive temptations thanks to his Achilles' Heel.

In the letter addressed to retired Army pal Shelton (dated Nov. 20), Petraeus writes:

"I screwed up royally... I paid the price (appropriately) and I sought to do the right thing at the end of the day... Team Petraeus will survive though [I] have obviously created enormous difficulty for us... Holly is, however, once again demonstrating how incredibly fortunate I was to marry her."

Petraeus signed-off the letter with "ATW" meaning "All The Way" (the common military call for Army parachutists).

According to Shelton, "It means, 'I'm going to give it everything I got.' That's David Petraeus. All the way. I can't say that enough."

In a phone interview with the New York Post, Shelton insists, "[Petraeus is] a superb human being. What happened to him happened to a number of people...He's a man, and all men have an Achilles' heel." The two comrades became close friends after bonding over a bottle of Ballantine's scotch in a soldier tent in Erurum, eastern Turkey during the early 1970s. Shelton claims Petraeus was "never one to chase woman" and that he always remained loyal to his longtime wife, Holly (whom he met in West Point years ago).

Ever since the Broadwell affair scandal broke and Petraeus resigned from his post as CIA Director on Nov. 9, the former general has not discussed the details about his extramarital affair (although many initial media reports claimed Holly Petraeus was completely furious with her husband's infidelity). Even after all the controversy, Petraeus remains a rather well-liked public figure - many even believe that President Obama should reinstate him as CIA Director, read more on that here.