State Magazine, September 2006

DOGSOLDIERS

M A A Z I E

U . S . D E P A R T M E N T O F S T A T E

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6

State’s Security Blanket

CONTENTSSTATE MAGAZINE + SEPTEMBER 2006 + NUMBER 504

Diplomatic HarvestEmbassy shows Madagascar rice farmers a different way.

A Farewell to ArmsBearing witness to one small step to peace in Darfur.

Show Me the MoneyWhere do Foreign Service retirement contributions go?

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38 *ON THE COVERState’s canine corps keeps HST freeof clear and present dangers.Photo by Darlene Kirk

COLUMNS2 FROM THE SECRETARY

3 READERS’ FEEDBACK

4 FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY

5 IN THE NEWS

9 DIRECT FROM THE D.G.

40 EDUCATION & TRAINING

42 SAFETY SCENE

44 PEOPLE LIKE YOU

46 APPOINTMENTS

46 RETIREMENTS

47 OBITUARIES

48 PARTING SHOTS

10 State’s Best FriendsBilingual canines sniff out potential dangers.

20 Modular Mail BoxesEmbassy gets first modular mail screening unit.

22 Breaching WallsU.S. engages Indian muslims in dialogue of values.

24 Language BarrierTranslators help ease cancer patients’ anxiety.

28 ‘The Play’s the Thing’Embassy thespians fight AIDS in Mozambique.

30 Educational AdventuresAmerican spirit inspires Lithuanian students.

32 Stamps of ApprovalSeries honors legendary diplomats’ service.

34 Office of the Month: The HistorianThis office’s basic assignment dates back 145 years.

Post of the Month:Guayaquil‘The Center of the World.’

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This summer at the State Department, Iaddressed the fifth annual Forum of theAfrica Growth and Opportunity Act andreiterated America’s strong commitmentto prosperity and good governance inAfrica. Representatives of 37 sub-SaharanAfrican countries gathered for two days ofdiscussions, debates and dialogue. We reaf-

firmed that, when the United States andthe nations of Africa work together, wecombat the humanitarian crises that halthuman progress, and we create opportuni-ty throughout the continent.

Under President Bush’s leadership,America has launched a development ini-tiative in Africa that is a worthy heir of theMarshall Plan. Over the past five years, with

strong congressional support, PresidentBush has tripled foreign assistance to thecountries of Africa. We are steadily on paceto double our aid again by 2010.

The United States has also taken historicsteps to free many developing countries inAfrica from the crushing burden of foreigndebt. Under the Multilateral Debt ReliefInitiative, which our nation worked tire-

lessly to secure, 14 African countries arenow receiving more than $30 billion indebt relief. Our ultimate goal is to extendthis initiative to 19 other countries inAfrica, forgiving more than $10 billion inadditional debt.

At the same time, our MillenniumChallenge Corporation is now signingdevelopment compacts with countries thatgovern justly, advance economic freedomand invest in their people. Right now, 12African countries are eligible to apply forMCC grants, and four African govern-ments have signed compacts with theMCC worth almost $537 million.

Finally, the United States is rightfullystanding with the peoples of Africa in theirfight against diseases like malaria andHIV/AIDS. Now in its third year, PresidentBush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ison pace to meet our five-year, $15 billioncommitment for prevention, treatmentand care. The path to defeat AIDS will belong and difficult, but each step along theway represents one more person whounderstands the threat, one more individ-ual who can live with the disease and onemore orphan who finds a home.

The United States does not view Africaas the sum of its problems, nor as an objectof international pity. We view the men andwomen of Africa as authors of their owndestiny—as individuals of agency anddignity who have the right to flourish infreedom and who bear the ultimateresponsibility for their success.

Africans are addressing their own chal-lenges and effecting extraordinary changes

in their countries, and as they work tobuild a continent of hope, the men andwomen of the State Department will con-tinue to work side by side as their fullpartners. Led by the strength and the spiritof Africa’s citizens and bolstered by thededicated service of America’s diplomats,we will open a future of freedom, justiceand opportunity for all. �

F R O M T H E S E C R E TA R Y

Africa’s Future of Freedom

2 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6

“We view the men andwomen of Africa as authorsof their own destiny.”

Tolerance and UnderstandingAmbassador O’Donnell’s remarks at the

Department’s Holocaust Days ofRemembrance (June issue) contain a refer-ence to tolerance that I find somewhatdisturbing. Although Iunderstand why he usedit, I don’t appreciate whygovernment underutilizesthe word “understand”when describing events orissues that seem unclear.The word “tolerate” auto-matically conveys thatsomething is bad, likea sore toe. In contrast,“understand” conveysthat an event, issue orculture has been studiedand therefore is good.

Immediately following9/11, our national leadership all butbegged the American public to be tolerantof unfamiliar cultures and peoples wholived in our midst. While this no doubtkept hostilities in our streets to nearly zero,little if anything has been done since then

to “understand” why this and similarevents around the world occur.

Although U. S. diplomats learn to speakhundreds of foreign languages, languagesdon’t shed much light on cultural diversi-

t y. Consequent ly,n o t h i n g p o s i t ivef i l ters through toclarify awareness andunders tanding o fpeople who are differ-ent. State’s narrowfocus on U. S. policy-makers who seemcontent with tolerat-i n g , r a t h e r t h a nu n d e r s t a n d i n g ,differences betweencultures appears tobe more of a short-c o m i n g t h a n a

positive influence. Since State knows a lotabout moratoriums, how about one on theword “tolerate” for starters?

Robert J. “Bob” CummingForeign Service officer, retired

Ibadan International SchoolThank you for the article in the March

issue about the addition of a high schoolto the Abuja International School.Information about such important facili-ties should reassure some timid FSOfamilies contemplating service in unfamil-iar cultures.

In spite of the sad ending of our 1961–64tour in the Republic of Togo (their out-standing president, Sylvanus Olympio, wasmurdered in January 1963), among mygreat memories is visiting the brand-newinternational high school in Ibadan,Nigeria.

The curriculum was liberal-arts/co l l e ge-prep, des ig ned to equa lMakarrere in Tanzania, Achimoto inGhana, and Andover, Exeter, Milton, etc.,in New England.

I wonder what happened to that prom-ising institution with a good mix oftalented Nigerian, African and otherforeign students.

Leila PoulladaWidow of FSO Leon B. Poullada

R E A D E R S ’ F E E D B A C K

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E 3

Mailing AddressState Magazine2401 E Street, NWHR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236Washington, DC 20522-0108

[email protected]

Phone(202) 663-1700

Letters should not exceed 250words and should include thewriter’s name, address and daytimephone number. All letters becomethe property of State Magazine.Letters will be edited for length,accuracy and clarity. Only signedletters will be considered. Namesmay be withheld upon request.

With friends sharing their State Magazine with me, I was able toread “So We Will Never Forget” in your June issue.

This powerful account of American soldiers liberating a Nazi con-centration camp may be history to most people today. But wesurvivors of those horrific times still deal with it.

After the end of World War II, I was quickly able to learn aboutthe fate of my parents and of many members of my family.However, the fate of my only brother has remained a mystery. Littlehas come to light during the past 60-some years despite countlessletters written to archives and search committees.

Then, during the past few months, my daughter began searchingthe Internet and came up with a wealth of information. She tracedmy brother’s path through Auschwitz and several other camps. Butjust a few weeks before the end of the war the trail becomesmuddled and unclear.

The end of the puzzle has not yet been put in place. But articleslike yours ensure that we will always remember. Thank you!

Frances NunnallyRichmond, Va.

Let Us Hear from YouA Brother’s Fate


In the last issue I reported on what we inthe Management Family have achieved infiscal year 2006 to advance transforma-tional diplomacy. In June, we had oursecond M family off-site meeting todevelop our FY07–08 priorities. Thesegoals—organized around three broadthemes—will build on and add to thisyear’s accomplishments.

Theme 1 - Provide world-class servicesto our global customers 24 hours a day, 7days a week, 365 days a year. Our prioritiesare the President’s Management Agenda—the administration’s strategy to improveand reform the management of thegovernment—customer service and makingtransformational diplomacy operational.

Our goal is to reach the top rating—green—for competitive sourcing andE-gov and to remain at green for thehuman capital, improved financial man-agement, budget and performanceintegration, real property and right-sizedoverseas presence initiatives.

To strengthen our customer service, wewill establish standards for all major serv-i ce s , inc lud ing benchmar ks andmeasurements; create a customer serviceboard as a feedback mechanism; andprovide customer satisfaction surveys.

We will make transformational diploma-cy operational by identifying and obtainingnecessary resources, facilitating interagencycollaboration and establishing a system tosupport transformational diplomacy overthe long-term.

Theme 2 - Make safe and secure ourpeople, facilities, information andborders. Our priorities are to create asecure platform to conduct foreign policy,implement the Visa/Passport SecurityStrategic Plan, consolidate informationtechnology, strengthen our emergencypreparedness, ensure provision ofconsular serv ices and continue themomentum of our New EmbassyCompound construction.

We will build a secure platform byincreasing Diplomatic Security’s capacityto respond to contingency situations andg lobal reposi t ioning , execute theDepartment’s Soft Target strategy andincrease the percentage of overseas mis-

sions that meet Overseas Security PolicyBoard standards for local guard coverage.We will implement the Visa/PassportSecurity Strategic Plan with an expandedinvestigation program and training for hostgovernments.

We will consolidate information tech-nology for improved customer service,

savings and governance through approvalof the Department IT budget by the chiefinformation officer and by increasing thenumber of servers that are consolidated,the services covered by the Info Center andOpenNet/AIDNet users. Information secu-rity continues to be a very high priority,and we are working to ensure that every ITsystem is certified and accredited as secure.

We will develop a comprehensivedomestic and overseas emergency pre-paredness strategy and will measure ourreadiness through simulations, exercises,risk management and tests of critical infra-structure. Our goal is to have 100 percentof Bureau Emergency Action Plans viableand consistent with overall Departmentobjectives.

On consular services, we will produceand begin distribution of the new e-Passport and new Passport Card forWestern Hemisphere Travel Initiativetravel; institute changes under “PlanMexico” to meet burgeoning demands ofthe Border Crossing Card renewal; and

position the Department to meet visademand in India, China and other areas ofthe world.

We will build on the momentum of NewEmbassy Compound and New OfficeAnnex construction by completing 15NEC/NOX projects in FY07 and 6 in FY08;by awarding 10 NEC/NOX contracts inFY07 and 10 in FY08; and by collecting 100percent of tenant contributions. We plan toleverage the success of the Capital Securityprogram and work for predictable fundingto maintain and upgrade existing facilities.

Theme 3 - Be the employer of choice byaggressively recruiting a skilled anddiverse workforce, providing continuouscareer development and training andfostering an enhanced quality of life. Ourpriorities are quality of life, recruitmentand hiring, and career development.

On quality of life, we will continue ourefforts with Congress to achieve ForeignService pay modernization and will workon family member support, hardship tourincentives and equity, and LocallyEmployed Staff retirement compensation.You will play an important part in our“grade” by participating in employee satis-faction surveys.

We will work to increase diversity inhiring, recruitment and assignments with afocus on mid-level entries, Eligible FamilyMembers, Civil Service-to-Foreign Serviceexcursions, limited career appointments,student programs, Presidential Manage-ment Fellows and revisiting the ForeignService Written Exam. We will addresscareer ladders succession planning for CivilService employees and fund the CostEqualization Fund to support EFM hiringat post.

Our goals for career development will bemet through expanded language trainingand distance learning, an expandedSupport for National Action Plansprogram, institutionalized career develop-ment programs, and expanded andenhanced mentoring programs for CS, FSand LE Staff.

I look forward to reporting to you onour progress on these priorities over thecoming months. Thank you for serving theDepartment of State and our nation. �

UNDER SECRETARY HENRIETTA FORE

Advancing Transformational Diplomacy

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Belize’s ninth annual “La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge,” a175-mile canoe race, has become one of the most popularendurance races in the country. It is recognized internationally asthe second longest canoe race in the world, behind only the 260-mile Texas Water Safari.

The race, which took place in the spring, raises awareness ofthe natural beauty along the Belize and MacalRivers and also raises funds for the protection ofthis fragile environment.

A U.S. Mission-sponsored team organized bySera Moss, wife of deputy chief of mission LloydMoss, participated for the second straight year.This time, the U.S. team won first place in themixed category.

Mrs. Moss hosted a fundraising dinner and danceto sponsor the team. Staff from the embassy, PeaceCor ps , Mi l i t a r y L ia i so n O f f i ce and D r u gEnforcement Agency all contributed. Peace CorpsAdministrative Officer Leticia Westby was instru-mental in supporting the team through threemonths of training and preparation. PoliticalOfficer Brian DaRin participated in and finishedthis year’s event.

All proceeds from the registration of participantsof La Ruta Maya are donated to nongovernmentalorganizations working for the preservation of theenvironment along the Belize River valley. Thisvalley is the main tributary to the Caribbean Sea,which feeds the major ecosystem of the BelizeBarrier Reef, the longest living barrier reef in theworld. It is renowned for spectacular diving.

Participants are treated to a unique and exciting tour for fourdays and three nights, which includes camping on the river’s edgeeach evening. The fun and grueling race this year drew profes-sional canoe racers from the U.S., England and Canada.

Mrs. Moss, though moving on to Jamaica this year, plans onreturning to Belize next March—this time as a participant.

5S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

)(NEWSEmbassy Team Shines in Long Canoe Race

Political Officer Brian DaRin gets a helping hand from his wife Tuya.

>>>AAFSW’S ANNUAL BOOKFAIR BEGINS + BASRAH YOUTH GET A MONTH OF PEACE +DG ADVISES SUMMER INTERNS + PROGRAM CEMENTS TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS +UNIT PROVIDES FINANCIAL SERVICES TO DANGEROUS POSTS + MONTH-LONG PROGRAMTO HIGHLIGHT CYBER SECURITY + STATE HAS THREE FINALISTS FOR SERVICE AWARD


“The State Department is changing.”That’s what Director General George Staples told about 400

interns assembled in the Loy Henderson Auditorium July 18 forthe Department’s 2006 Intern Summit.

DG Staples said that transformational diplomacy is puttingmore State employees in more difficult situations in developingcountries. The issues are also different from those of the Cold Waryears, he added: transnational terrorism, money laundering andhealth issues, such as avian flu. And there is more emphasis onpublic outreach, he said, since foreign audiences need to under-stand American values and goals.

He told the interns to network, find out what State careers arelike and determine if they have a thirst for travel and an interest inforeign cultures and languages.

The interns also heard from Foreign Service and Civil Servicepanelists about possible career paths and talked to bureau repre-sentatives who staffed displays in the hallway outside theauditorium. Director General George Staples addresses the Intern Summit.

On June 8, the Regional Embassy Office in Basrah, Iraq,organized an event at the Basrah Business Center for 67political, religious and tribal leaders to sign a declaration ofpeace for the period of the 2006 World Cup in Germany,June 9 to July 9.

All the leaders signed the document so that the youth ofBasrah could enjoy the games without the fear of violence.

The event included a speech by the Basrah governor andthe distribution of soccer paraphernalia to 30 children repre-senting the Shia, Sunni and Christian communities in Basrah.The soccer gifts were donated by British soccer star DavidBeckham and the Real Madrid Football Club.

The event showed that the political, religious and triballeaders of Basrah can gather together under one roof for anevent that celebrates sports and children.

BASRAH YOUTH GETA MONTH OF PEACE

DG Advises Interns to Network and Learn

The 46th annual BOOKFAIR of the Associates of the AmericanForeign Service Worldwide will once more open its doors in mid-October. It has become a veritable institution, and some shoppersand volunteers come from considerable distances to participate.

Through the years, BOOKFAIR has donated more than$1 million for Foreign Service family-member scholarships andcommunity projects. In 1960, it started with an annual collectionof some 7,500 books. Now, the annual collection of more than100,000 books in many categories continues throughout the year.A large and varied Art Corner features items that have been

brought back by ForeignService employees fromall over the world.

BOOKFAIR startsFriday, Oct. 13, andruns from 2 to 5 p.m.It continues Oct. 16–20from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.for employees, spousesand guests. During twoweekends, October 14–15 and 21–22, the sale isopen to everyone, thepublic included, from10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The event takes placein the Exhibit Hall ofthe Harry S TrumanBuilding. Access isthrough the C Streetentrance.

AAFSW’s 46th AnnualBOOKFAIR Opens Oct.13


Secretary Condoleezza Rice andEuropean Affairs Assistant Secretary DanFried hosted a June 14 ceremony honoringfive European participants in the2005/2006 Transatlantic DiplomaticFellowship exchange program.

Ambassadors of 27 European states andthe European Commission attended theprogram’s 10th anniversary ceremony inthe Loy Henderson Room. This year’s par-

ticipants hailed from Austria, France,Germany, Portugal and Slovenia.

In her remarks, Secretary Rice said theTDF fellows gained insights into the mys-teries of foreign policymaking inWashington while working “on some of ourmost cutting-edge issues, including Korea,Belarus, Haiti and crisis management.”

U.S. and European leaders created thisexchange among foreign affairs agencies to

allow their young diplomats to worktogether and learn from each other. Eachyear, five or six mid-level U.S. diplomatsand their EU- and NATO-member-statecounterparts serve up to one year as a TDFfellow and then go on to serve a regulartour in their country’s embassy in thesame capital.

“When I was picked for this program, Ihad no idea I would be working on somany different issues with so many differ-ent colleagues throughout the U.S.government,” said German Fellow ThomasEckert. “I will benefit from this experiencefor the rest of my career.”

“The fellowship program transformsone from an observer to an insider. It’s somuch easier to understand how a certainpolicy is set when you are directly involvedin its creation,” said Andrej Berginc,Slovenian fellow.

Over the last decade, the program hasbuilt a cadre of more than 100 diplomats inthe U.S. and Europe who share a commoncommitment to closer transatlantic rela-tions. European fellows during 2006–07will come from France, Germany, theEuropean Commission and, for the firsttime, Lithuania and Poland.

In August, the Department was planningto announced TDF opportunities for U.S.diplomats for summer 2007.

Fellowship Program Cements Transatlantic Relations

Assistant Secretary Dan Fried, left, poses with fellows Andrej Berginc of Slovenia, AndreasBrandstaetter of Austria, Secretary Rice, Thomas Eckert of Germany, Jose Antonio Galaz of Portugaland Antoine Michon of France.

The Distressed Post Support Unit is a pilot program establishedin response to the under secretary for management’s desireto relocate all possible non-location-specific financial servicessupport performed in dangerous posts to safer environments.

The goals of the program are to reduce both Americanand Locally Engaged Staff presence in a dangerous areawhile providing post-level financial support and maintainingstrict internal controls. DPSU support extends beyonddanger posts to posts with unique circumstances, fromemergency evacuation to political unrest.

In October 2005, Margaret Genco was appointed interimdirector and charged with establishing the service center witheight staff members located at Global Financial Services-Charleston and GFS-Bangkok. Don Simmons becamedirector of the DPSU in May. Each of the eight staff membersand two alternate certifying officers has many years of expe-rience providing service to embassies around the world.

The pilot mission was to provide off-shore support for theU.S. Embassy in Baghdad, a mission supporting more than3,000 employees from multiple U.S. government agencies.Today, the DPSU is a successful virtual extension of theBaghdad Financial Management Office, providing a fullrange of financial support services.

DPSU support is slated to expand this summer to the U.S.Embassy in Tripoli and is under consideration by other posts.

Each post decides which services it wants to receive. Itretains total control of its funds and uses the DPSU toaugment its staff. Alternatively, a post may choose to havethe DPSU perform as its only financial management staffunder the direction of the post management officer, therebysaving on costs associated with LE Staff. Posts can chooseto retain certifying authority or pass the responsibility to thetwo DPSU certifying officers.

The DPSU, under the direction of James Millette, deputyassistant secretary, Global Financial Services, and thesupervision of Charles Grover, deputy director, RM/GFS, isa successful step forward in the Department’s regionaliza-tion mission.

New Unit Provides FinancialServices to Dangerous Posts


MAGAZINE STAFF

Rob WileyEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bill PalmerWRITER/EDITOR

Jennifer LelandWRITER/EDITOR

David L. JohnstonART DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Maurice S. ParkerEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Larry Baer

Kelly Clements

Pam Holliday

State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is pub-lished monthly, except bimonthly in Julyand August, by the U.S. Department ofState, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C.Periodicals postage paid at Washington,D.C., and at additional mailing locations.

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For details on submitting articles to StateMagazine, request our guidelines,“Getting Your Story Told,” by e-mail [email protected]; download themfrom our web site at www.state.gov;or send your request in writing toState Magazine, 2401 E Street, N.W.,HR/ER/SMG, SA-1, Room H-236,Washington, DC 20522-0108.

The submission deadline for theNovember 2006 issue is September 15.The deadline for the December 2006issue is October 15.

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in conjunction with Information ResourceManagement’s Office of Information Assurance, will sponsor the Department’s secondannual Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Beginning September 28 with the kick-off event and fair day in the Dean AchesonAuditorium and the Exhibit Hall, this month-long event features industry professionalsfrom the federal and private sectors discussing topics designed to educate, inform anddemonstrate to the entire Department user community why cyber security awareness isimportant.

For more information on Cyber Security Awareness Month, go to: http://cs.ds.state.gov/awarenessmonth.cfm.

Month-long Program toHighlight Cyber Security

Jane Scott Norris, chief information security officer for IRM’s Office of Information Assurance, wasthe keynote speaker for the 2005 Cyber Security Awareness Month kick-off event.

On June 20, Director General GeorgeStaples announced that three Departmentof State employees have been named asfinalists for the 2006 Service to AmericaMedals, a national awards program tohonor the achievements of federalemployees.

Ambassador Nancy Powell (HomelandSecurity Medal), Political Military OfficerMatthew Lowe (Call to Service Medal) andSpecial Assistant Christina Sanford (Call toService Medal) are three of the 30 nationalfinalists for the awards.

Ambassador Powell led key diplomaticefforts to organize international prepara-tions for an avian flu pandemic. Mr. Lowe

played a critical role in laying the ground-work for the historic agreement betweenthe United States and India on nuclearenergy. Ms. Sanford served as chief of thelegal office at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq andprovided critical support for Iraq's demo-cratically elected government.

Nine Service to America Medal awardeeswill be announced at a dinner and awardsceremony in Washington on Sept. 27.

Service to America Medals were createdin 2002 by the Partnership for PublicService, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organiza-tion committed to recruiting and retainingexcellence in the federal civil service, andAtlantic Media Company.

State Has Three Finalists for Service Awards


Looking at the problems we may face in the future,including the threat of a pandemic flu, it is imperativethat we be prepared and flexible in how we maintainour Department functions—both in Washington andaround the world—without compromising people’ssafety or health. Establishing proactive telework capa-bilities now can help us dealwith emergencies if they arise.

The Department is currentlyinvesting in mobile computingtechnologies, especially throughwireless PDAs (BlackBerries)and remote system access viaONE (OpenNet Everywhere).Our Information ResourceManagement colleagues havedevised a way for employeesworldwide to access ONE. Allyou need to get started is acomputer with a high-speedInternet connection and a ONEsystem “fob.” The fob deviceproduces a self-generated pass-word to enter State’s gateway,where you can log on andsecurely access your ONE e-mail, calendar, contacts andcomputer files on the sensitive but unclassified system.

Overseas deployment of access to ONE from remotelocations is under way. Currently, 742 users in 116locations overseas are using ONE. A few months ago,this innovative program was put to a different use. Oneday in Karachi when it was unsafe for employees to

travel from their residences to the consulate, the enter-prising staff worked remotely from their homes.

In the last year, we have made significant progressin broadening our telework program in Washington,increasing from approximately 225 participants in2004 to more than 2,000 in 2006. Work tasks ratherthan job titles are used to determine suitability fortelework. Employees who do not require regular dailyaccess to classified information or have responsibili-ties that require face-to-face contact to deliver apublic service are excellent candidates for the tele-work program.

The telework candidate is a self-motivated, fullytrained employee with ratings that are fully successfulor above. Both the supervisor and the employee mustsign an agreement indicating the hours of teleworkand arrangements for availability by phone and e-mail. In most cases teleworkers will get a fob, which

provides access to ONE. It isimportant to keep in mind thatwhile telework is an option tohelp reduce the pressure ofcompeting family life issues, itis not a substitute for child careor elder care.

The Office of PersonnelManagement is urging agenciesto make better use of teleworkas one of the many tools toaddress the demands of the 21stcentury workforce. Depart-ment managers will be asked tolead this effort. Managing byresults will include gainingcomfort with teleconferencingand other tools.

Excellent communicationbetwe en sup er v i sor andemployee is critical. Working

together, they can organize and structure the workload,setting performance expectations and parameters fortelework arrangements.

The Department is in a unique position to showleadership in telework. In a sense, we have always doneit as we manage a worldwide workforce and deal with

emerging issues as a united team over great distancesand many time zones. At the same time, because diplo-macy is our business, we know the value of face-to-facemeetings and the importance of good communication.We can learn to balance both skills.

I urge both employees and managers to take a hardlook at telework as an effective “management byresults”tool. I am sure taking these bold steps forward,together we will make the State Department a qualityorganization for today and tomorrow.

If you have any suggestions, please send them viae-mail to “DG Direct.” �

D . G . G E O R G E S TA P L E S

The Changing Workplace

“The Office of Personnel Management isurging agencies to make better use of tele-work as one of the many tools to addressthe demands of the 21st Century workforce.”

Ever wish that lazy pooch of yours would quit snoozing on thesofa, take some initiative and get a job, bring home some bacon andmake something of himself? Some very special and talented canines,employed by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, have done just that.These four-legged “employees” are highly skilled, play an importantrole in our security and, yes, like many of us, are bilingual.

After years of using explosive detection dogs from other lawenforcement agencies and the Department of Defense, DS createdits own canine program in December 2002, attached to the Officeof Domestic Operations, Uniformed Protection Division. Eachcanine team is composed of a dog and a uniformed security officertrained as an explosive ordnance detection dog handler.

The dogs are selected based on their display of a strong “huntdesire” and sharpen their skills during many months of inten-sive training under the guidance of a kennel-master. They arethen matched with a handler, and theteams undergo a month’s training together.The dogs at the Department includeL a b r a d o r s , B e l g i a n Ma l i n o i s , p a r tRhodesian Ridgeback and a Shiba Inu.

Single MissionA kennel in the Midwest that trains and

provides dogs for police departments and government agenciesaround the world preselected these dogs for the State Department.The highly competitive handler selection process produces only themost qualified uniformed protection officers to travel to the kennelsite to build rapport with the dogs. The officers are matched withthe dogs according to personality. Each dog-handler team thenundergoes advanced training together. Finding explosive devices istheir only mission.

The EOD teams train for every type of explosive scenario pos-sible. The dogs have been trained to detect odors from a widevariety of explosives. They have anextensive list of duties: sweeping alldelivery trucks coming into the Harry STruman building, conducting randomsweeps of the perimeter, checking unat-tended packages and working off-siteon DS protective details and at localhotels where dignitaries will stay. Thedogs spend nearly all day workingoutside and are given regular breaks asrecommended by the kennel and at thehandler’s discretion.

Every positive hit is treated as a realthreat and the origin of that hit is inves-tigated. In one instance, the duty dogflagged a truck that had been used todeliver pyrotechnics to a non-DOS facil-ity. During a later delivery at Main State,the dog detected the lingering scent of

the fireworks and alerted its handler. The origin investigationensures that the dogs are correct in their actions and are not havingfalse hits.

If the dogs detect any scent of explosives, they are trained to bepassively alert. Once a positive signal is given, the location issecured and the explosive ordnance disposal technicians arecalled in. Although their job may be done, the dogs will not movefrom the site until rewarded with their favorite toy. This rewardmethod is used for training successes and was adopted in lieu ofusing food, which tends to make the animals too excitable. Thetoy reward is a motivation that keeps them working.

Continuing EducationEach team is required to do a minimum of eight hours’ training

monthly, but the Department’s dog teams receive much more. Theyconduct daily in-service training using liveand drop aids. The trainer will place a smallamount of inert explosive material in an areaand allow the dog to find it and be rewarded.The dogs are certified quarterly by a nation-ally accredited kennel. The Department alsoparticipates in interdepartmental trainingwith other agencies in the area.

Each dog lives with its handler, who is required to keep the dogbathed, groomed, healthy and happy. They generally work a 40-hour week, rotating between assignments and rest. The teamsspend so much time together that they know each other’s body lan-guage, likes and dislikes—a critical element in explosives detection.

The dogs are fed a special diet for working dogs. Most learn theircommands in a foreign language. This prevents someone otherthan the handler from issuing commands counter to what thehandler wants the dog to do.

All the dogs in the State Department program are known fortheir friendly dispositions. Employeesoften greet the dogs by name. Jasper, ablack Labrador, was featured in aDepartment training film. Ginger, thesmallest of the dogs and a rare Japanesebreed, has been featured three times onJapanese TV. The dogs always are one ofthe most popular events at Take YourChild to Work Day.

The dogs and their handlers will con-tinue to train and bond as they protectthe men and women of the Departmentevery day. �

The author is a public affairs specialistwith the Bureau of Diplomatic Security.

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BILINGUAL CANINES SNIFF OUT POTENTIAL DANGERS BY DARLENE KIRK

State’s Best Friends

Officer Greg Irving reattaches Sammy’s leashafter a successful check of a truck.

“Beauty without Vanity,Strength without Insolence,Courage without Ferocity,”

Lord Byron’s just tribute to a dog


Above: Officer Nelson Alas helps Ozzie prepare to checkthe rear of a vehicle. Left: Sgt. Steven Thomas withJasper heads the canine team at the Department. Below,left: Ginger inspects items in the back of a truck at the21st Street loading dock. Below, right: Officer RaymondCox and Bila examine manholes around the perimeter ofthe Harry S Truman building.

“Not only can we help train governmentworkers, provide funds for developmentprojects, aid in good governance and assistthe fight against HIV/AIDS,” AmbassadorMcGee told a group of journalists, “we canalso get our hands dirty and help show thefarmers—80 percent of the population ofthis country—how they can boost theiryields and improve their lives.”

The project had been born earlier in2005 during a visit by senior officials from

the U.S. Department of Agriculture.President Marc Ravalomanana enthusiasti-cally accepted their informal proposal andoffered one-third of a hectare of land—about .8 of an acre—for the mission’s use.

The American community and local staffwere eager to demonstrate the benefits ofthe new rice-growing technique calledsystem of rice intensification. At the plant-ing stage, the system involves starting witheight-day-old seedlings, allowing ample

spacing and using only one seedling per hill.Research indicates that yields could be easilydoubled, and perhaps tripled, using SRI.

In the FieldThanks to the post’s Public Affairs

section, extensive press coverage showedthe U.S. Mission team in the rice field. TheMalagasy people were impressed thatAmericans cared enough about the devel-opment of their country to take part in thesacred and respected tradition of rice culti-vation. Rice is Madagascar’s staple food andan integral part of Malagasy culture.

Over the five-month rice cycle, the U.S.Mission team helped to maintain the field,assisting in the frequent weeding andproper water control, two aspects of theSRI technique that allow for increased PH

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EMBASSY SHOWS MADAGASCAR RICE FARMERS A DIFFERENT WAY BY JOSHUA POOLE

Last December, more than 60 U.S. Mission employees in Madagascar

from five agencies, led by Ambassador James D. McGee, rolled up their

pant legs, grabbed plates of rice seedlings and headed for the rice field.

They spent the day transplanting rice in a field allocated for the embassy’s

use at the agricultural research center at the presidential palace.

Locally employed commercial special-ist Anselme Jaoriziky leads the wayfor the U.S. Mission rice harvest.

aeration of the soil and less competition between weeds and therice plant. With a generous donation from USDA, the team wasable to purchase several hand-powered rotary-cone weeders tofacilitate this work. The weeders cut labor time in half and madethis often-difficult task much easier.

On April 28, Ambassador McGee again led his team into the fieldto harvest what they had sown four months earlier. They harvestedthe plot by hand with sickles to show farmers that heavy machineryand expensive inputs are not necessary. Ambassador McGee told agroup of reporters that this technique should be easy for theMalagasy farmers, who are hard-working and skilled. He said theycould undoubtedly do better than his group of office workers.

“Madagascar needs to take advantage of this technique toincrease productivity, reduce production costs, protect the envi-ronment by encouraging an alternative to slash-and-burn

agriculture and promote consumers’ health through the reductionof chemical substances used in farming practices,” he said.

Adding to the festive scene, which was widely covered by themedia, were visits from President Marc Ravalomanana; the ministerof agriculture; members of the country’s military, nongovernmentalorganizations and international organizations and even school stu-dents, who helped the tired Americans carry some of their harvest.

Huge YieldsThe embassy plot yielded two tons of rice. Extrapolated to a full

hectare, the yield would have reached six tons, more than threetimes the national average using traditional techniques.

President Ravalomanana and Ambassador McGee agreedto give the embassy rice harvest to charity. So the day after theharvest, members of the team loaded bags on a giant truck des-tined for Akany Avoko, a girls’ orphanage in the capital city ofAntananarivo. This gesture brought smiles to the girls’ faces.

The months of hard work paid off. Farmers around the islandsaw an excellent example of how to improve their lives. TheMalagasy government saw how the U.S. Mission was prepared tolead with a creative approach. Mission employees got to actuallywork in the fields and learn about this special Malagasy tradition.Finally, all the girls at the orphanage will have heaping plates ofrice for many months to come. �

The author is the ambassador’s special programs manager inMadagascar.


Above: Ambassador James McGee, left, looks on as Madagascar PresidentMarc Ravalomanana, right, harvests rice from the American field and distrib-utes it to enthusiastic Malagasy students. Left: Political/Economic ChiefBrian Neubert looks down the line and organizes the rope to keep theseedlings in straight rows.

A red marine iguana surveys itsdomain from a rock in Ecuador’sGalápagos National Park.

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Guayaquil


P O S T O F T H E M O N T H<<<

‘The Center of the World’

By Megan Meyer and Lisa Burns


The U.S. Consulate in Ecuador is located in the port city ofGuayaquil, the commercial center and most populous city in thecountry. The consulate is downtown, where employees literallyfeel the pulse of city life. The warm and inviting guayaquileños, asthe local citizens are called, are known for their relaxed, friendlyattitude and truly enhance daily life at post.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of working inGuayaquil is the sense of witnessing a true urban revitalization.The city is undergoing a major renovation, with renewal projectsvisible everywhere.

The flagship project is the Malecón 2000, a striking boardwalkand park along the Guayas River that serves as the centerpiece forthe city. One can spend hours strolling and indulging in its culi-nary pleasures, visiting historic monuments and enjoying thecolorful gardens. During the early morning hours, joggers takeadvantage of the Malecón’s exercise areas as they watch the sunrise over the river. The Malecón also boasts South America’s firstIMAX theater, which provides entertainment and education forchildren and adults.

Past the Malecón sits Santa Ana hill, home to the Las Peñasneighborhood that represents the city’s historic past, charmingpresent and promising future. Although climbing the 456 stairs ofSanta Ana may seem daunting, the coffee shops, art galleries andmajestic views of the city along the way make the ascent worth-while. At night, Santa Ana teems with locals and tourists whomeet on the steps to enjoy dinner, live music and dancing. The

nearby crafts market features local artesanal treasures, frompainted pottery to alpaca shawls, at bargain prices.

One of the city’s newest renovations is the Malecón Salado,another riverfront promenade perfect for enjoying a cold shrimpceviche and watching the paddleboats at sunset.

In the city’s beautiful Iguana Park, one can indeed see iguanas,but employees can see them at home, as well, sunning themselvesin the backyard.

History of the Consulate Ecuador is much more than a tourist attraction. It has lived up

to its title of “The Center of the World,” serving as a long standingnexus of friendship between North and South America. The U.S.Consulate General has played an essential role in this relationship.

The consulate is the United States’ oldest in the WesternHemisphere and remains the only consulate on the Pacific coastof South America. The Monroe Doctrine of 1822 inspired theleaders of the region to establish diplomatic relations with theU.S. The Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Navigation and Commercein 1825 led to the consular appointment of William Wheelwrightto Guayaquil. The port city grew in importance throughout the19th century, and the consulate was upgraded to a consulategeneral in 1884.

Of the 60 principal consuls who have served here, one of themost famous is Thomas Nast, known as the father of modernpolitical cartoons. In fact, President Theodore Roosevelt appoint-ed Nast in 1902 partly because he attributed his early interest inpolitics to Nast’s cartoons. Unfortunately, Nast succumbed to

Top left: The Rotunda monument on the Malecón depicts the historic meet-ing of Simon Bolívar and José de San Martín in 1822. Bottom: DowntownSanta Ana hill is a colorful example of the city’s recent renovation. Above:The Inca ruins of Ingapirca are only a few hours from Guayaquil.

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yellow fever only six months after his arrival.Yellow fever remained a serious obstacle tothe development of Guayaquil until thedisease was finally controlled in the 1920s.

Guayaquil has continued to endurehardships over the past century, includingcitywide fires, corruption, safety issues andpolitical unrest. Nevertheless, an assign-ment there can be extremely rewarding.

Guayaquil has become a family-orientedpost, and many of the new arrivals are new-lyweds with young children. A special senseof community exists within the consulate,as it is small enough for an employee toknow everyone’s name yet large enough toprovide diversity.

The consular staff has grown steadily andmakes up a large portion of the post’s staff.The increasing number of non-immigrantvisa applicants each year reflects thestrength of the consulate’s ties to Guayaquil.

The fraud prevention unit stays busy.Fraud is frequently encountered in the con-sular district because of the pull factor ofmore than two million Ecuadorians livingin the U.S. The American Citizen ServicesSection is very active and is particularlyconcerned with the number of citizensarrested on drug charges.

Guayaquil’s importance to U.S. interestswas underscored by the Department’s deci-sion to add a public affairs officer positionto the post as part of the GlobalRepositioning Initiative of the Secretary’stransformational diplomacy efforts.

The Drug Enforcement Administrationoffice is small in comparison with those insurrounding countries, but is remarkablyeffective. Sandwiched between Peru andColombia, two of the largest producers andexporters of cocaine, Ecuador is often usedas a transit route. Working closely with theNarcotics Affairs Section and TacticalAnalysis Team, DEA works withEcuadorian authorities to train officers indrug detection, arrest procedures andproper destruction of seized substances.Over the past two years, DEA’s task forcehas increased the number of initiated casesby approximately 130 percent.

Weekend Excursions While there is an abundance of things to

do in the city itself, many employeesassigned to Guayaquil agree that one of thegreatest advantages of living here is theproximity to many other extraordinaryplaces. Ecuador is ideal for an adventure

AT A GLANCE

Country nameEcuador

CapitalQuito

GovernmentRepublic

IndependenceMay 24, 1822 (from Spain)

Population13.5 million

LanguagesSpanish (official) and Amerindianlanguages (especially Quechua)

ReligionsMainly Roman Catholic

Total area283,560 square kilometers

Approximate sizeSlightly smaller than Nevada

CurrencyU.S. dollar (USD)

Per capita income$4,300

Population below poverty line41 percent

ImportsVehicles, medicinal products andtelecommunications equipment

ExportsPetroleum, bananas and flowers

SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2006


lover, with a variety of climates and terrainwithin a small geographical area. About thesize of Nevada, Ecuador boasts four distinctareas: the Galápagos Islands, the amazonjungle, the highlands with their snow-covered volcanic peaks and the coastaltropics, where Guayaquil is located.

Several beaches are just a few hours’ drivefrom the city and consulate staff membersmake weekend getaways to enjoy the surf,sun and fresh seafood. Lodging choices rangefrom lavish resort hotels to rustic, secludedbeach bungalows. Employees also can visit

the famous Galápagos Islands, which are partof the Guayaquil consular district, to enjoyunsurpassed animal and bird watching,diving, snorkeling and hiking.

For those who thrive at higher altitudes,Ecuador’s highlands region offers mountainadventures. One of the most popular high-land towns is Cuenca, a colonial city that hasbeen named a United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural OrganizationHeritage Site. The trip there is half the fun.The four-hour drive from Guayaquil involvesa climb of more than 10,000 feet and is PH

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NTop: The Guayaquil Immigrant Visasection handles immigrant visas forall of Ecuador. Standing, from left, areGabriela Grunauer, Miriam Cordero,Annabelle Altamirano, Elly Martinezand Veronica Ladd. Seated are DianaVela and Andres Macias. Bottom:Tranquil beaches provide a relaxinggetaway from the city. Right: The roadto Cuenca rises above the clouds,providing spectacular scenery.

replete with waterfall views and closeencounters with grazing llamas. The Incanruins of Ingapirca are within a short drivefrom Cuenca and are some of the most well-preserved ruins in South America.

Breathtaking mountaintop views in thecountry’s capital, Quito, can make a businesstrip to the U.S. Embassy feel like a vacation.Only a 40-minute plane ride away, Quito, abustling city in an Andean mountain valley,has a culture remarkably different from thatof the coastal regions. A short drive fromdowntown Quito leads to the popular tourist

attraction La Mitad del Mundo, the exact lat-itudinal center of the earth. Because there isno centrifugal force on the equator line,water flows straight down a drain.

A tour in Guayaquil offers the opportunityto explore a stunning and diverse smallcountry while serving in a fast-paced, ever-changing large city. �

The authors were interns at the U.S.Consulate in Guayaquil. They were assistedby Helene Tuling, the consulate’s political-economic officer.

19

Top: Colorful artisan goods reflect theculture of the region. Middle: KarenSmith, deputy consular chief andfraud protection manager, discussesa case with investigators MarielaVargas and Paul Abril. Bottom: TheGalápagos Islands are in theGuayaquil consular district and offera once-in-a-lifetime wildlife viewingopportunity.

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

Suspicious envelopes and packagesarrive with unfortunate regularity at U.S.diplomatic posts around the world. Mostare innocuous, but some contain writtenthreats, unknown powders or liquids oreven dead animals.

Since the late 2001 anthrax incidents inthe United States, diplomatic posts havedeveloped procedures to prescreen mailoutside of the main mission buildingbefore distribution. Embassies have vari-ously used storage containers, makeshiftstorage sheds or rooms with slab-to-slab

construction and their own ventilationsystems to protect employees and preventincidents from affecting offices and postoperations.

Because evacuation and shutdown ofmission facilities are possible when anunknown substance is found, the advan-tages of establishing a designatedmail-screening facility external to the mainbuilding are obvious. So the director forthe Bureau of Overseas BuildingOperations, General Charles Williams,directed his staff to engineer a modular

mail-screening facility to protect employ-ees and operations and deal with threatsand hoaxes in a place remote from con-sulate and chancery buildings.

The first such facility began operationat the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, Lithuania,on May 18.

“This project came along at just theright time,” said post Management OfficerCheryl Johnson. “Our embassy was in theprocess of drawing up plans and gettingquotes to outfit a screening facility in anempty garage on the compound. The con- PH

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LITHUANIA GETS FIRST MODULAR MAIL-SCREENING UNIT BY MICHAEL CHRISTENSEN

Mail Box

Postal inspector Greg Staisiunas, center,trains mail clerk Gytis Keras and telephoneoperator Violeta Jefremova.

tainer solves our problem and does so atvery little cost to post.”

OBO’s mail-screening facility design pro-vides maximum protection of postemployees, containment of any con-taminants and, if required, easydecontamination. In the event of severecontamination, the facility can easily besealed, removed and replaced.

Following screening, the post mail-room sorts and distributes the mail as inthe past.

A key feature of the modular mail-screening facility is the biological safetycabinet, a biological and chemical “hood”that protects employees and the post frompotential contamination. The same type ofequipment is used to protect workers inhospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturingand the chemical industry. In the event ofan incident, the biological safety cabinetcontains suspected contaminants until alaboratory analysis is conducted and thefacility is sealed.

Inspector Greg Staisiunas of the U.S.Postal Inspection Service traveled toVilnius to conduct mail-screening train-ing for post staff and evaluate the newfacility.

He said the installation “is just the begin-ning of a much larger development effortfor State and the Postal Service to protectour employees, customers and operations.”

OBO is gearing up for a rapid worldwidedistribution of the new units and antici-pates great demand from diplomatic posts,which have struggled with various ad hocapproaches to external mail screening.General Williams has authorized GeorgeGlavis, chief of OBO’s MechanicalEngineering Branch, to provide up to 50mail-screening facilities in 2007 andanother 50 in 2008 to embassies and con-sulates around the world. �

The author is a mechanical engineer withthe Bureau of Overseas BuildingOperations.


“Our embassy was in the process of drawing up plansand getting quotes to outfit a screening facility in anempty garage on the compound. The container solvesour problem and does so at very little cost to post.”

Above: Back row, from left, U.S. Postal Inspection Service inspector Greg Staisiunas joins mail clerkGytis Keras, charge d’affairs Thomas Kelly, information management officer Demian LaMadrid andpost management officer Cheryl Johnson, front, in touring the new facility. Top Right: Local Vilniusstaffers, from left, Marius Masiulis, Charles M. Suhr, Mindaugas Sereiva, Romualdas Skirgaila, GytisKeras and Andre Krol pose outside the screening facility. Bottom: The turnkey mail screening facilityprotects employees and the post from possible contamination.


The April conference in Raichak, WestBengal, was a great success, with muchsharing of ideas and a chance for everyoneto speak frankly to a respectful audience.

The conference, funded through a grantfrom the Bureau of South and Central AsiaAffairs, was titled “Perspectives on IslamicEducation in the 21st Century.” It brought

together Muslim Indians who had traveledto the U.S. during the past four years onDepartment-sponsored exchange pro-grams. Experts on Islam from the U.S. wereinvited, along with Americans who couldconverse in Urdu, including ForeignService officers Adnan Siddiqi, JonDorschner, Ravi Candadai and Saad

Bokhari, all of whom are posted in India.The U.S. Consulate in Calcutta arrangedfor simultaneous interpretation in Urdu,English and Bengali.

Georgetown University Center forMuslim-Christian Understanding fellowZahid Bukhari and University of VermontFulbright professor and professor of reli-gion Sufia Uddin shared their academicand personal perspectives on Islam in theU.S. and religious education in general. Thespeakers at the five remaining sessions wereIndian Muslim participants.

Mutual InterestsIssues of mutual interest were explored,

information on practices and strategies for

India’s leading Muslim educators and leaders expressed their views at the conference held in Raichak, West Bengal, in April.

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U.S. ENGAGES INDIAN MUSLIMS IN DIALOGUE OF VALUES BY BHASKAR RAJAH

BREACHING WALLSU.S. public diplomacy officers are working hard to promote a dialogue

of values involving Muslims around the world. India’s Muslim popula-

tion of 140 million is the second largest in the world. With that in mind,

public affairs sections at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and consulates

in Calcutta, Chennai and Mumbai teamed up recently to bring 75 Islamic

leaders from across India under one roof for mutual trust-building.

educational and economic developmentshared and areas of future cooperation iden-tified. Discussion focused on everydayconcerns, laying the foundation for progres-sive action in cooperation with the Muslimcommunity. The emphasis by SecretaryCondoleezza Rice and Under Secretary forPublic Diplomacy Karen Hughes on theneed for “dialogue, not monologue” wasreinforced by the conference.

India’s Muslim leaders voiced theirthoughts directly and frankly to U.S. gov-ernment representatives. A remarkablyhigh number of Muslim speakers advocat-ed liberalizing and modernizing Islamiceducation. The strength of this conferencelay in its focus on the broad goal ofIslamic education, while including differ-ing regional and ideological perspectiveswithin each session. Reflecting on theirInternational Visitor program experi-ences, a number of participants said theyretained positive images of U.S. teachingmethodologies, universal education andthe use of technology, which they havebeen transmitting to their schools andcommunities.

The conference helped promote a posi-tive image of the U.S., particularly amongconservative clerics who rarely see any

Americans, and provided an opportunityfor Muslim women participants to voicetheir concerns.

Breaking Barriers By opening and closing the conference

with verses from the Koran, timing admin-istrative breaks to coincide with the call toprayer and providing a separate room and

ablution facilities, organizers showedappropriate respect for Islam. They alsoarranged a group photo shoot to breakdown barriers, not only betweenAmericans and Indian Muslims, but alsobetween different religious ideologieswithin India.

One participant noted that “only theU.S. Embassy could have brought us alltogether under one roof.”

A screening of It’s a Wonderful Life, star-ring Jimmy Stewart, showed U.S. familyvalues. The cultural highlight was a three-hour Urdu-language “mushaira” (poetryreading), in which some of the most stri-dent critics of the U.S. broke into poetry,song and banter, and applauded missionofficers who recited American poetryverses in English and Urdu.

Participants urged the mission to holdsuch conferences annually, and suggestedexpanding them to include non-MuslimIndians, a true sea change in attitudefrom the first mission conference heldwith madrassa leaders in Hyderabad inJuly 2004. �

The author is assistant public affairs officerat the U.S. Consulate in Calcutta.

Dr. Anees Ahmed Shakeel Ahmed Chishti, center,an educator and writer from Pune, Maharashtra,makes a point at the conference.


The strength of this conferencelay in its focus on the broad goal

of Islamic education, while includingdiffering regional and ideologicalperspectives within each session.

Most days, the interpreters in the Office of Language Services can be found nextto the Secretary of State assisting her in bilateral consultations with her foreigncounterparts or traveling with the President to foreign capitals to deliver America’smessage in the many languages of the world. The translators of LS are usually intheir offices in SA-1 sweating over questions of terminology in connection withfree trade agreements or translating e-mail traffic that might contain informationabout terrorist activities.

Recently, however, the office’s interpreters and translators got the opportunityto apply their superb language skills to a project that is far removed from the highdrama of international politics and national security. They helped ordinarypeople who find themselves in very difficult circumstances: cancer patients atInova Fairfax Hospital who do not understand English.

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STATE TRANSLATORSHELP EASE CANCERPATIENTS’ ANXIETY

BY MARTA ZIELYK

Language Barrier

It all started when I got the chance to do a one-year course at the National DefenseUniversity. One of my classmates was an Air Force colonel whose wife, Lisa Cawthorne,is an oncology nurse educator with the Life with Cancer Program at Inova CancerCenter in Fairfax.

Language ChallengeDuring one social get-together, Lisa described her frustration with the language

barrier that often exists between her patients and her. She explained that FairfaxCounty is the fourth most diverse area in the United States and that this presentsunusual challenges for Inova Fairfax in dealing with patients who have recentlyarrived from countries where Arabic, Farsi, Vietnamese, Korean and other languagesare spoken.

However, she added, the frustration level of educators comes nowhere near the frus-tration level of patients. Most Americans never know how frightening it is not knowingwhat to expect, how to care for yourself or when to call a doctor. Lisa said she dreamedof the day when all the materials about care after a cancer diagnosis would be availablein the native languages of her patients.

Well it took me only about a second to tell Lisa that my colleagues happen to behighly skilled language experts who were more than qualified to deal with technicalmedical terminology. Furthermore, I was confident that they would be willing to help.

The following day, with the blessing of our office direc-tor, Brenda Sprague, I asked my fellow interpreters andtranslators to volunteer their services to translate severaloncology teaching sheets into as many languages as pos-sible. Within minutes I had enthusiastic responses frommy Arabic, Korean, Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese,Spanish, French, Russian and Farsi colleagues. I volun-teered to do the translation into Ukrainian.

After HoursAnd so for the next few weeks, in between our regular

duties and on our own time, my colleagues and I trans-lated documents titled “Thrombocytopenia: when yourplatelets are low,” “Neutropenia: when your neutrophilsare very low,” “Anemia: when your red blood cells arevery low” and others into 10 languages and presentedthem to Inova Fairfax. Many colleagues told me thathelping cancer patients deal with the daily trauma oftheir illness with clear, concise information in theirnative language was very rewarding.

Lisa was effusive in her thanks. Soon after receiving ourtranslations, she wrote: “In my culture and religion, yourgift would require a ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ standing on top ofthe highest mountain. I wish you could see the gratefulfaces of patients and their family members when they receive information in their nativelanguage. You provided a way to improve their quality of life through knowledge,control of their own care and decreasing their anxiety.”

Lisa feels that gifts should be shared, so the translations, in addition to being handedout to patients at the Inova Fairfax Hospital Cancer Center, were also posted on the hos-pital web site to enable cancer patients all over the United States and in other countriesto benefit from this information. �

The author is a senior diplomatic interpreter in the Office of Language Services.


MOST AMERICANSNEVER KNOW HOWFRIGHTENING IT IS

NOT KNOWING WHATTO EXPECT, HOW TOCARE FOR YOURSELFOR WHEN TO CALL

A DOCTOR.

Opposite page: Nurses Eric Cohen and Lisa Cawthorne review the chemotherapyteaching sheets for patient Krikor Krikorian. Mr. Krikorian got the sheets in hisnative language, Arabic, and his daughter-in-law received them in Russian.Above: Janet Tan, left, a Chinese translator in Language Services, discussesher volunteer work with author Marta Zielyk.

We departed Khartoum airport at dawnon June 23 aboard one of those odd-lookingAntonovs with the jet engines hanging highon the wings. The diplomatic delegation tothe disarmament ceremony was small: theBritish defense attaché, a member of ourDefense Liaison Office and me.

After a brief stop in South Darfur’scapital, Nyala, we continued by a SudanArmed Forces helicopter to the town ofKass. This was one of those white-paintedhelicopters about which the U.S. Embassyin Khartoum had often protested to thegovernment as constituting a violation ofnormal humanitarian practice; militaryaircraft are not supposed to be paintedwhite. A 20-minute drive in the bushbrought us to the tiny village of Dawis.

There, in a small c1earing, hundreds ofpeople had already gathered. As we entered,150 or so Janjaweed Arab militia membersstood to the left, behind a rope. They wereholding automatic rifles they were soon toturn over to the government. At the otherside of the clearing stood about the samenumber of women, clad in the vividlybright colored fabrics typical of Darfur.Bright-eyed and excited children milledabout. Some spectators were hidden in thetrees, while others sat on grazing camels.

In the shade at one end of the clearingwere seats for the VIPs: Magzoub al-Khalifa, chief government negotiator inAbuja and senior adviser to Sudan’sPresident Bashir; the wali (governor) ofSouth Darfur; a slew of senior military offi-

cials; African Union and United Nationsrepresentatives; and, off to the side in a sec-ondary position, three chairs for the U.K.and U.S. representatives.

Most notably, in the middle of the clear-ing lay an old U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment tarp. Apparently, the Janja-weed weapons were going to be laid there.

Yes to PeaceThe ceremony opened with a Janjaweed

militiaman declaring that they were givingup all their weapons to join the communi-ty and implement the Darfur PeaceAgreement. He then stated the Janjaweed’srequirements, which included integrationof some of them into the armed forces andintelligence organs of the Government of PH

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BEARING WITNESS TO ONE SMALL STEP TO PEACE IN DARFUR BY ANDREW STEINFELD

A Farewell to Arms

With a twist of unintended irony, thepile of Janjaweed weapons grew ontop of an old U.S. Agency forInternational Development tarp.


National Unity, provision of vehicles,building of primary and secondary schoolsand rehabilitation of public facilities.

Senior government officials, includingthe wali, a senior army officer and Magzoubal-Khalifa, made the following points:

• “No to war, yes to peace. No to destruc-tion, yes to reconstruction.” The crowdwas invited to mimic the speaker.

• All arms should be surrendered to theSudan armed forces.

• Amnesty would he declared for theJanjaweed, but only for crimes commit-ted against the government, not againstindividuals.

• Quick and strong efforts would bemade by the wali and other govern-ment organizations to reintegrate theJanjaweed back into the fabric ofsociety. Rapid action on educationaland health services was also promised.

• Only the African Union has a role inpeace agreement implementation. Thepeople of Sudan have made it clear theydo not welcome any other troops. (This

was a reference to the debate abouttransition from AU to U.N. peacekeep-ing in Darfur.)

The Surrendering of ArmsIn the middle of the speeches, observers

were invited to move to the center of theclearing to witness the surrendering ofarms. One by one, the Janjaweedapproached the tarp and laid down theirguns. Most were relatively newKalashnikovs that looked to be in goodworking order. The militiamen, having sur-rendered their weapons, circled around thespectators, shaking hands and receiving thecongratulations of the wali and Magzoub.When the ceremony ended, 150–200automatic rifles lay glistening in themidday sun. The irony was poignant:Janjaweed weapons lying on a USAID tarp.

We were then invited to visit three desksnearby. The first was for the Janjaweed toregister their weapons, the second to regis-ter personal identification data and thethird, manned by a sincere young man clad

in a black jacket and sash reading “SudanJudiciary,” to take an oath from theJanjaweed promising good behavior inreturn for amnesty.

With regard to the significance of thisevent, we could attest only to the fact that onJune 23 approximately 150 automatic rifleswere placed on the ground in a small villagein South Darfur. The AU confirmed shortlyafterward that they were placed under lockand key, and Magzoub said the governmentmight destroy them at a later date. It is notclear how many more weapons the individ-uals who gave up these weapons might have.At the time, the AU had yet to receive thegovernment’s Janjaweed disarmament plan,already overdue according to the peaceagreement schedule.

Was this the first act in a comprehensiveplan to disarm the militias or simply ashow for the observers? �

The author was until recently the deputychief of mission at the U.S. Embassy inKhartoum.

Above: From left, author Andrew Steinfeld observes the ceremonywith United Kingdom defense attaché Col. Tim Watts, an unidentifiedUnited Nations official and Daniel Riggs from the U.S. DefenseLiaison Office. Right: The women of Darfur expressed their joy at thesmall step toward peace. Below: About 150 Janjaweed Arab militiaturned in their arms at the small village of Dawis.

Joao “Tamimo” Ali, a maintenanceworker at the U.S. Agency for InternationalDevelopment mission in Maputo,Mozambique, began to notice the devastat-ing effects of HIV/AIDS in his communityabout two years ago. Struck by the untime-ly deaths of some neighborhood residentsand fellow churchgoers, Tamimo was deter-mined to find out all he could about thedeadly epidemic ravaging southern Africa.

“I was so curious that I began readingeverything I could get my hands on,” hesaid. “I wanted to share my knowledge withmembers of the community.”

After starting informal counseling ses-sions in his own neighborhood, he saw the

opportunity to use more innovative out-reach ideas. At a USAID staff meeting whereplans for a July 2005 HIV/AIDS health fairwere being discussed, Tamimo volunteeredto create a theater group to presentHIV/AIDS-related skits he had written in auniquely Mozambican cultural context.

With a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic,Mozambique is one of the 15 focus coun-tries under the U.S. President’s EmergencyPlan for AIDS Relief and is receiving $94million for prevention, care and treatmentprograms this fiscal year.

The latest statistics are sobering: One ofsix Mozambicans aged 15 to 49 is HIV-positive; an estimated 500 people in that

same age range become infected daily.With only 650 physicians and a populationof 19 million, the country is facing a gravehealth crisis.

Culture Changes“Certain Mozambican cultural practices

clearly contribute to the spread ofHIV/AIDS,” said Tamimo, “and I wanted away to point this out to my co-workers.”

The July 2005 presentation of Tamimo’sskits by a group of USAID and Centers forDisease Control Locally Employed Staffwas a huge success, fueling a dialogueabout the importance of knowing one’sserological status. Mission employees lined PH

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EMBASSY THESPIANS FIGHT AIDS IN MOZAMBIQUE BY LEYLA ONES

‘The Play’s the Thing’

Dr. Calu of the USAID health team addressesaudience at the Unilever plant.

up in great numbers at the health fair’s on-site testing facility.

The skits touched on controversialthemes such as delayed sexual debut (theaverage age to initiate sex is believed to be 16in Mozambique), fidelity, the use ofcondoms in extramarital affairs and speak-ing with parents about sexual peer pressure.

Popular demand led to the group’ssecond show in late November in honor ofWorld AIDS Day. In his prelude, Tamimourged mission audience members to go outto their own neighborhoods, churches,mosques and schools to continue sharingawareness and prevention messages in cre-ative ways.

Following on the heels of a successfulMission Speakers Initiative that sent teamsof employees out to Maputo-area highschools to discuss American culture,foreign policy and bilateral relations withMozambique, a new idea was born: to cap-italize on the theatrical talents of LocallyEmployed Staff by sending out the“HIV/AIDS Road Show” to Mozambicanhigh-school and private-sector audiences.

The group’s first presentation, held onMarch 3, unfolded in front of 55 highschool students in the suburb of Matola.Among young couples, “proof of love” is a

common technique used to pressure youngwomen into sexual initiation. The first skitpresented the message powerfully byturning the tables: the young girl asked herboyfriend to wait as his proof of love. Acomical interlude followed, as a motherand a father sat down with their teenagechildren to clumsily initiate a discussion ofthe risks of sexual intercourse and theimportance of condom use.

Serious QuestionsAfter the conclusion of the skits, Clinic-

to-Community HIV/AIDS OutreachAdvisor Dr. Mussa Calu, a member of theUSAID health team, answered questionsthat were unexpectedly technical in nature.

“The students were surprisingly wellinformed on the biology component of thevirus, but it’s clear that they need to focuson behavior change and female empower-ment,” she said.

Gender inequality is a serious issue inMozambique, where it is often difficult forwomen to negotiate the terms of sex orturn down sex. The May 19 road show per-formance in front of 75 factory workers atthe Unilever plant highlighted theproblem. Men asked questions like “Howcan I have a chi ld even i f I ’m HIV-

positive?” and “When can I stop using acondom with my girlfriend?” while thewomen’s questions centered on assertingcontrol over sexual choices.

One of Tamimo’s skits emphasized theissue: A housewife cleaning out herhusband’s suitcase after his business tripfinds condoms and refuses to be intimatewith him until he’s shown her the results ofan HIV test. Smiles, laughter, pensive looksand applause from the audience were proofthat the message had been received. Evenmore remarkably, Tamimo’s sign-up sheetfor Unilever employees interested informing their own theatrical group filledup quickly.

Tamimo, Dr. Calu, Branca Cruz, JoanaCoana, Euridia Azevedo, Leonardo Ricardo,Adriano Tivane, Silvia Fernandes, SamuelDzimba and Joaquim Martins—the found-ing members of the road show—have allshown a remarkable commitment to thefight against HIV/AIDS. Their personalexamples demonstrate to their communi-ties that through the steadfast efforts of afew, many and much can change. �

The author was until recently the economic/political officer at the U.S. Embassy inMaputo.


Tamino Ali, left, poses with other members of the theater group.

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AMERICAN CULTURE INSPIRES LITHUANIAN STUDENTS BY TREVOR BOYD

EducationalAdventures

Lithuania’s program, one of the largest per capita in theworld, sends 2,000 university students to more than 30states each year. Placed primarily in service-oriented posi-tions in tourist areas along the East Coast and Great Lakes,Lithuanians participate to improve language skills, learnabout American culture and earn money for their studies.

To better understand the program’s impact through theeyes of participants, the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius created anddistributed a questionnaire to alumni from the 2003–2005program years.

Students responded that the main reasons they partici-pated were to improve language abilities, satisfy a sense ofadventure and curiosity about America and earn money.Most came away impressed with the customer service-ori-ented, friendly nature of Americansand our “supersized” lifestyle. Theysaid they returned to Lithuania moreconfident, self-sufficient and appre-ciative of the democratic ideals,cultural diversity and natural beautyof the United States.

One student said her experienceat a special needs camp in Illinoiswill make her a better doctor by sen-sitizing her to the needs of thedisabled. She hoped to apply someof the treatment and mainstreamingtechniques she learned to Lithuania.Other participants cited diverse“best” experiences: halibut fishingin Alaska, attending a Buffalo Billsgame, seeing the skyscrapers of NewYork City, visiting New Orleans jazzclubs and (from a computer sciencemajor) having the opportunity toeat lunch on the Google campus.

Some other participant comments:“The national anthem began to play at the beginning of

a game on TV. The man I was sitting with on the porchput down his glass, stood up, put his hand on his chestand said, ‘You know, kids, that is our national anthem.’That was amazing. That’s what makes me respectAmerican culture. They taught me to love my country.”

“Seeing Niagara Falls is something unbelievable. Thatis the memory that will always stay in my mind. Seeing the

power and greatness of it is something that you cannotexperience watching movies or pictures.”

“Americans do not complain about their problems likewe do; they just solve the problems.”

“I realized that I am a completely different person. Igrew up and am no longer the naïve girl I was beforegoing to the U.S. I am now self-confident. I can fight formyself and I know what I want from my life.”

“I like the attitude of the citizens to the law.”Participants universally affirmed that the program gave

them a distinct advantage over other graduates whenseeking employment, observing that Lithuanian employersgreatly value their American experience, particularly theirexposure to a multinational culture, their language skills

and familiarity with American corporate culture and man-agement styles. Recent program alumni have securedleadership positions in both governmental and privateinstitutions, such as chief legal specialist for the Vilniuscity administration and consultant in an internationalmanagement-consulting firm. �

The author, a vice consul, has left post for his next assignmentin Yerevan, Armenia.


Through the Work and Travel Program, Lithuanian university students Ausrina Pociute, left,and Ieva Vaicikauskaite experienced firsthand the diversity of American culture.

Exchange programs serve as an important public diplo-macy tool. The Summer Work and Travel Program, forexample, at no cost to the American taxpayer, providesemployment opportunities in service-oriented positionsin the United States to thousands of foreign universitystudents during their summer breaks. The programhelps instill in them a better understanding of America.

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On May 30, the U.S. Postal Serviceunveiled a commemorative stamp series,“Distinguished American Diplomats,”posthumously honoring six accom-plished Foreign Service officers. HiramBingham IV, Charles E. Bohlen, Philip C.Habib, Robert D. Murphy, Clifton R.Wharton Sr. and Frances E. Willis maynot yet be household names, but theiraccomplishments and their professionwere celebrated in style during a ceremo-ny at the Washington 2006 WorldPhilatelic Exhibition.

The official unveiling of this stamp seriesmarked the culmination of years of effort

by relatives, State Department employees,the Postal Service, the American ForeignService Association and Diplomatic andConsular Officers, Retired.

Obtaining approval for commemora-tive stamps is no simple task. The impetusto issue the “Distinguished AmericanDiplomats” series began in the late 1990swhen the friends and family of HiramBingham IV petitioned the Postal Serviceto issue a stamp in his memory.

David Failor, USPS executive directorof Stamp Services, emphasized thatnominations do not come from withinthe Postal Service. They come from

organizations, individuals or families,such as the Binghams, who petition theUSPS Citizen’s Stamp AdvisoryCommittee. The committee is made upof 15 members appointed by the post-master general. According to committeemember John Hotchner, the committeeconsiders about 50,000 public requestsfor commemorative stamps each year. Ofthese, it recommends 25 subjects forcommemoration.

Broader FocusHotchner, a longtime State Depart-

ment employee—he is a senior policy

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SERIES HONORS LEGENDARY DIPLOMATS’ PASSION FOR SERVICE BY DR. AMY GARRETT

Stamps ofApproval

officer in the Human Smuggling andTrafficking Center—and an avid stampcollector, proposed that the committeebroaden the focus of the originalBingham family proposal to create aseries of stamps recognizing a broadergroup of professional diplomats.

A number of famous diplomats havealready graced U.S. postage stamps,among them William Seward, GeorgeMarshall, John Quincy Adams and RalphBunche. However, these men were allnon-career appointees and appeared onsingle issues. The “Dist inguishedAmerican Diplomats” series recognizessix career diplomats and their professionin a pane of six 39-cent stamps.

These stamps mark the first time theForeign Service profession has been rec-ognized on U.S. postage. In Mr. Failor’swords, they celebrate “the broad impactof what diplomats do.” To identify theindividual diplomats who could ade-quately represent varied anddistinguished service to the UnitedStates and the international community,the advisory committee consulted AFSAand DACOR for nominations thatwould complement a Hiram BinghamIV stamp. Once the diplomats had beenselected, the Department’s Office of theHistorian assisted the committee byproviding the professional backgroundsof the six honorees.

At the May 30 dedication ceremony,Deputy Assistant Secretary for PublicAffairs Teresa Dean and DepartmentHistorian Dr. Marc Susser joined PostalService officials and the audience inviewing a taped welcome by SecretaryCondoleezza Rice. Chairman of thePostal Service Board of GovernorsJames C. Miller III said the honorees“shared a common passion forservice—a passion that sometimesput them in harm’s way. They tookrisks to advance humanitarianism.They took risks to advance ideas. Theytook risks to advance peace.”

Charm and DedicationFamilies of the six diplomats filled the

first several rows of the audience. Theircomments added a personal touch.Robert Kim Bingham believed his father“would be embarrassed by all the atten-tion” he received for defying U.S. policy

by issuing visas to Jewish refugees inoccupied France during World War II. Allfamily members echoed this sentiment,especially Sherene Gravatte, great-niece ofFrances Willis, the first female ForeignService officer to rise through the ranksto become a career ambassador. Willismerely “wanted her actions to speak for

themselves,” she said.

Aside frommodesty, these diplomats shared othertraits—charm and dedication. Avis Bohlendescribed her father, Soviet expert CharlesBohlen, as “a man of many talents” and“wonderful company.” Mildred Pond,whose father, Robert Murphy, served asthe first postwar U.S. ambassador toJapan, spoke of him as “shrewd and san-

guine” with “an amazing capacity to lookfor solutions.” Clifton R. Wharton Jr. por-trayed his father, Clifton R. Wharton Sr.,the first black Foreign Service officer torise through the ranks to become ambas-sador, as a man who “dedicated his life toserving the foreign policy of the UnitedStates.” Susan Michaels, daughter ofMiddle East peace negotiator PhilipHabib, said simply that diplomacy was

“a career my father loved.”All family members

agreed that, aside fromthe acknowledgment theirrelatives received,the value of this stampseries is that it celebratesthe commitment andprofessionalism of careerdiplomats.

The Postal Service hasissued a one-time printing ofthree million sheets of the“Distinguished AmericanDiplomats” stamps. To obtain

the collectable stamps, visit http://www.usps.com/shop or call 800-STAMP-24(800-782-6724). �

The author is a historian in thePolicy Studies Division of the Officeof the Historian.


Chairman of the Postal Service Board of Governors James C. Miller cited the six diplomats’ passionfor service at the unveiling of the Distinguished American Diplomats commemorative stamp series.


O F F I C E O F T H E M O N T H

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BY SUSAN K. HOLLY

LEARNINGHISTORY’SLESSONS

You might expect that any office in the Department of Statewhose basic assignment dates back 145 years might be a littlestuffy and set in its ways. But if you were talking about the Officeof the Historian, you would be wrong.

Although the office traces its mandate back to President Lincolnin 1861, its work has changed just as much as the world has.

“A major job is still to compile Foreign Relations of the UnitedStates, which is the official documentary record of Americanforeign policy,” explained Historian of the Department Dr. MarcJ. Susser. “But I don’t think that President Lincoln and Secretaryof State Seward could ever have imagined what a huge job thatwould turn out to be.”

Dr. Susser’s historians comb through tens of thousands of doc-uments for each volume of the Foreign Relations series. A singlevolume—and there have been more than 400 over the years—takes several years to produce. Today, those volumes includeDepartment memos and telegrams, transcripts of presidentialaudio conversations and records from all agencies of the U.S.Government involved in foreign policy. No other department oragency publishes this type of official record.

ACCURATE AND RELIABLE“It’s definitely harder than ever to compile an accurate, com-

prehensive account because there are so many players,” Dr. Sussersaid. “And it’s only going to get harder when we have to recon-struct a chain of events from e-mail messages.”

His message for today’s desk officers: “Preserve those e-mailmessages—they’re a big part of the official record.”

Sometimes, the Office of the Historian has found itself on thefront page of the New York Times, caught up in controversies overthe release of volumes or the declassification of documents. Dr.

Susser notes that the congressional mandate governing the officerequires that the official account be thorough, accurate and reli-able. That can lead to major confrontations with othergovernment agencies, and sometimes to protracted negotiationsover words, phrases and even punctuation.

Fast Facts:Office of the Historian>>> The office has about 40 historians,

editors and declassification special-ists. Most have PhDs.

>>> Foreign Relations of the UnitedStates is the oldest continuallypublished official documentaryhistory in the world.

>>> Each video title produced by theoffice has a potential audience ofmore than one million students.

>>> The office handles hundreds ofpublic inquiries per month throughits [email protected] mailbox.

>>> The office softball team, the FoggyBottom Dwellers, proves that histo-rians do go outside (sometimes).

>>> No one ever beats the office atState Department trivia.

Opposite page: Marc J. Susser, historian of the Department and officedirector, consults a volume of the Department’s official series ForeignRelations of the United States. Left: General editor Ted Keefer and MelissaJane Taylor. Below: Intern Andrea Peterson, left, joins Joyce Schimsky andLinda Guimarin in responding to requests from educators for historicalvideos produced by the office.


“Let’s just say that we get a lot of practice atbeing both historians and diplomats,” he said.

The work of the office is reviewed four timeseach year by the Advisory Committee onHistorical Diplomatic Documentation, whosemembership includes distinguished historians,political scientists, archivists and internationallawyers. One of the Advisory Committee’salumni is Philip D. Zelikow, the counselor ofthe Department.

But the Office of the Historian isn’t justabout preserving the past; it’s also about decod-ing the historical record to help today’spolicymakers make decisions. Former DeputySecretary Richard Armitage repeatedly calledon Dr. Susser for historical precedents andanalogies in regard to our operations in Iraq.His requests—often with short-fuse dead-lines—led him to describe the office as working

under “what amounts to combat conditions forscholars.” Former Assistant Secretary for PublicAffairs Richard Boucher described it as “historyin the service of current policy.”

In fact, the office has a division just for his-torical policy studies, under Division ChiefPaul Claussen, to research a wide variety ofspecialized questions.

“We get a lot of calls from the seventh floor,we’ve had calls from the Secretary’s plane, andwe’re usually able to find the answers prettyquickly,” Dr. Susser said.

The office also provides assistance to indi-vidual bureaus and posts, as well as to theWhite House, tracking down everything fromthe name of a 19th-century consul to themakeup of prior presidential delegations. Theoffice’s products range from short analyticalpapers to book-length organizational histories. PH

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Clockwise from above: Paul Claussenwas interviewed this spring in theRare Book Room of the Ralph BuncheLibrary by both the Discovery Channeland the History Channel on aspectsof Department history. Chris Morrisonreviews visual images for a specialproject. Doug Kraft, Edmund Pechatyand intern Amin Eshaiker preparecopies of the video Sports andDiplomacy in the Global Arena formailing. Myra Burton conductsresearch for Foreign Relations of theUnited States. Historical videos awaitshipment.


Perhaps surprisingly, the office has made severalforays into the world of cultural diplomacy. A jointpublication project with the Russian Ministry ofForeign Affairs is well advanced, while a similarproject with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairshas just begun.

SHARPER PROFILEDr. Susser has been the Department’s historian

since January 2001, and has worked to raise theoffice’s profile and reputation in the academic com-munity. In 2003, the office hosted its first academicconference, which was linked to the release of along-awaited volume on U.S. policy towardGuatemala in 1954.

Two other conferences—on the 1967 Arab-IsraeliWar and the 1971 South Asia crisis—have spotlight-ed key diplomatic incidents. The next conference,co-sponsored by George Washington University, isbeing held this month and will focus on PresidentNixon’s opening to China.

“This office has always been an important sourcefor college-level academics and students, but we’renow reaching out to a younger audience, as well,”Dr. Susser said. In 2002, the Office of the Historianbegan producing educational videos on diplomatictopics for middle- and high-school audiences. Thefirst, Terrorism: A War Without Borders, was themost widely distributed video and curriculumpackage for high schools after September 11, and isstill requested by teachers today.

Two other well-received videos followed: A Historyof Diplomacy and Sports and Diplomacy in the GlobalArena. Next up, in December 2006: Today inWashington: The Media and Diplomacy.

“The impact has really been phenomenal,” Dr.Susser said. “We’ve had teachers tell us that theynever had any idea how much of a role diplomacyhas played in American history. Helping studentsunderstand what an important job the Departmentof State does may well be the most important thingwe can do for the future of our country.” �

The author is a senior historian in the Office of theHistorian.

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WHERE DO YOUR FOREIGN SERVICERETIREMENT CONTRIBUTIONS GO?

BY DAVID B. DLOUHY

$how Me the Money

The biweekly Foreign Service Earnings and Leave StatementForeign Service employees find every two weeks at e-Phone con-tains under “Deductions” a line item for their retirementcontributions to the Department pension fund: the Foreign ServiceRetirement and Disability Fund. When the money is deducted fromtheir earnings—either 7.25 percent (“old” Foreign ServiceRetirement and Disability System) or 1.35 percent (“new” ForeignService Pension System) of their paycheck—where does it go?

The short, nontechnical answer is: West Virginia, to the Bureauof Public Debt. The longer answer is: South Carolina, where itreappears the first of every month as an electronic funds transferpaid by the Retirement Accounts Division in the annuity checks ofone of the 15,345 Foreign Service annuitants. In between the startand finish lines is a large financial operation that manages theForeign Service Retirement and Disability Fund.

The Fund, with around $14 billion in assets available for invest-ments, is the largest single monetary asset held by the Department.Most Department Foreign Service annuitants are receiving pay-ments under the old FSRDSpension plan. However, as of2004, most employees are retiringunder the new FSPS system. Allemployees hired since Dec. 31,1983, are participants in the FSPSsystem, but many other employeesalso switched to the new system,giving them an old and newblend. There are only 1,447 active employees left in the old system.Both the old and new systems are part of the same pension fund.

Healthy SurplusSince this is about high finance and not multiplication of loaves

and fishes, how do 12,168 active employees paying into the fundsupport 15,345 annuitants receiving payments from the fund? Theanswer lies in very sound actuarial management and accountingwork by two bureaus, Human Resources and ResourceManagement, backed by the Department of the Treasury’s Bureauof the Public Debt. The Foreign Service Retirement and DisabilityFund is unique among government pension funds because it hasno unfunded liability and actually boasts a healthy surplus.

The conveyor belt that starts all Foreign Service careers at A-100ends all careers at H-620, the Office of Retirement. The adminis-trator of the fund—the director of the Office of Retirement—andthe director for Global Compensation in the Bureau of ResourceManagement make sure that the fund is solvent and able to paywhen retirement day comes for Foreign Service personnel. ThePlan administrator must personally sign the public annualActuarial Report for the Valuation of the Fund. A similar operationis run by the Office of Personnel Management, which runs theCivil Service Retirement and Disability Fund for all Civil Serviceemployees. The two Foreign Service pension systems (FSRDS andFSPS) that make up The Foreign Service Retirement and DisabilityFund, are among 36 federal pension systems.

U.S. Treasury securities are issued by the Treasury Department’sBureau of the Public Debt. BPD’s primary function is to borrowthe money needed to operate the federal government and toaccount for the resulting debt. BPD borrows the money necessaryto fund the government by selling U.S. Savings Bonds, Treasurybills, Treasury notes and Treasury bonds to the general public andto government agencies.

Currently, 71 government agencies hold approximately 250investment funds. Generally, these agencies have been granted theauthority from Congress to invest in Government Account Seriessecurities. Approximately $3.6 trillion of the $8.3 trillion total debtoutstanding is invested in GAS securities. GAS securities includeOvernight Certificates of Indebtedness, mirror-image market-based Treasury securities and par-value securities.

Overnight Certificates of Indebtedness are securities that maturewithin one business day. Mirror-image market-based securitiesinclude Treasury bills, notes and bonds whose yield is determinedby the Treasury auction process and a secondary market. Thesesecurities cannot be purchased on the open market but are, in fact,issued in accordance with the prevailing market rate.

Par-value securities are similar to mirror-image Treasury billsbecause they can be purchased only from BPD and cannot betransferred into a secondary market. Par-value securities are differ-ent from market-based securities because their interest rate isdetermined by a formula specified in the fund’s authorizing legis-

lation. They are issued at face value, with a specified rate ofinterest, which they pay on a semiannual basis.

FS InvestmentsThe Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund invests in

par-value securities and holds its own investment portfolio withthe Bureau of the Public Debt. The portfolio is developed andmaintained by a fund manager in the Office of GlobalCompensation who determines the appropriate amount of moneyavailable for investment. The fund manager initiates requests forinvestments and redemptions by accessing BPD’s online invest-ment system, FedInvest.

Only portions of the FSRDF that are not immediately requiredfor the payment of annuities, cash benefits, refunds andallowances are invested in Treasury securities. BPD executes thetransaction request for Treasury securities and provides confir-mations for the fund managers. Since BPD processes only thetransaction request made by the fund manager, the bureau main-tains no detail of the investment portfolio with regard toindividual beneficiaries or projects to which the monies arerelated. Other government agencies that invest in par-value secu-rities include the Social Security Trust Funds, UnemploymentTrust Funds and Civil Service Retirement Funds.

Most employees admit they pay little attention to their retire-ment deductions. They assume that, when the time comes, themoney will be there for their retirement. They trust their biggestinvestment is being well managed and is a sure thing. Fortunately,thanks to a lot of behind-the-scenes work from Departmentemployees at State and Treasury, the Foreign Service Retirementand Disability Fund is solvent and secure. �

The author is the administrator of the Foreign Service Retirementand Disability Fund and director of the Office of Retirement.


MO$T EMPLOYEE$ ADMITTHEY PAY LITTLE ATTENTION

TO RETIREMENT DEDUCTION$.


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Student Records OnlineNeed your class schedule or an unoffi-

cial transcript of training taken throughFSI? Visit the FSI Registrar’s Office webpage on the Department of State OpenNetat http://fsi.state.gov/admin/reg.

Mandatory Leadership Training Leadership training is mandatory for

Foreign Service and Civil Service employ-ees at the FS-03/GS-13 levels and above toensure that they have the necessary prepa-ration for increasing levels ofresponsibility. FSI’s Leadership andManagement School offers the requiredcourses to meet these mandatory trainingrequirements and other leadership coursesfor all FS and GS employees.

FasTrac Distance Learning:Learn at Your Own Pace,When and Where You Want!

All State Department employees, FSNsand EFMs are eligible. With your FasTracpassword, you may access the entireFasTrac catalog of more than 3,000courses, from home or office (Intranet orInternet). Courses cover numerous topics,such as project management, computerskills and grammar and writing skills, as

Senior Policy SeminarsFSI’s Leadership and Management

School offers professional developmentand policy seminars for senior-level execu-tives of the Department and the foreignaffairs/national security community.

For more information contact FSI’sLeadership and Management School at(703) 302-6743, [email protected] orhttp://fsiweb.fsi.state.gov/fsi/lms.

well as soft skills such as leadership. Toview the FasTrac catalog, visit the FasTracweb site at http://fsi.state.gov/fastrac.

FSI Distance Learning ProgramAn extensive menu of FSI-developed

distance learning courses is also availableto eligible participants on the FSI learningmanagement system. See (U) State 009772dated January 14, 2005, or the FSI webpage (Distance Learning) for information.

Dates for FSI Transition Center Courses are shown below. For information on all the coursesavailable at FSI, visit the Schedule of Courses on the Department of State’s OpenNet athttp://fsi.state.gov. See Department Notices for announcements of new courses and newcourse dates and periodic announcements of external training opportunities sponsored by FSI.For additional information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at (703) 302-7144/7137.

Security Oct Nov Length

MQ911 SOS: Security Overseas Seminar 10, 23 6, 20 2 D

MQ912 ASOS: Advanced Security Overseas Seminar 17 28 1 D

Foreign Service Life Skills Oct Nov Length

MQ104 Regulations Allowances and Finances 29 3 Din the Foreign Service Context

MQ107 English Teaching Seminar 27 2 D

MQ111 Making Presentations: Design to Delivery 30 3 D

MQ116 Protocol and U.S. Representation Abroad 28 18 1 D

MQ302 Transition to Washington for Foreign Born Spouses 14 2 H

MQ703 Post Options for Employment and Training 19 1 D

MQ802 Communicating Across Cultures 27 1 D

MQ803 Realities of Foreign Service Life 4 1 D

MQ851 Raising Bilingual Children 15 2.5 H

Career Transition Center Oct Nov Length

RV101 Retirement Planning Seminar 28 4 D

RV102 Job Search Program 2 8 W

RV103 Financial Management and Estate Planning 30 1 D

RV104 Annuities, Benefits and Social Security 29 1 D

Length: H = Hours, D = Days, W = Weeks

FS-3/GS-13PK245 Basic Leadership Skills

FS-2/GS-14PT207 Intermediate Leadership Skills

FS-1/GS-15PT210 Advanced Leadership Skills

Managers and SupervisorsPT107 EEO Diversity Awareness for

Managers and Supervisors

Newly promoted FS-OC/SESPT133 Senior Executive Threshold

Seminar

*Mandatory Courses

EDUCATION+TRAINING


By Charles N. Silver

Office work can be hazardous to ourhealth. We sit at our desks for long hours,sending and receiving e-mail, talking on thetelephone and moving from one meeting toanother. Some of our more dedicated col-leagues are disciplined enough to fit regularexercise into their lives. For many of us,however, when the doctor asks, “How oftendo you exercise?” we feel twinges of guiltand produce evasive answers.

“Well, I sort of try to work out twice aweek,” we might say, knowing full well thatthis is a goal as often missed as met.

Recently, Jakarta Regional MedicalOfficer Dr. Chuck Wright decided to con-front this dilemma head-on. Dr. Wrightchallenged the members of the Americanand Foreign Service National staff to walkto Bali.

No, the embassy did not close while wetook to the road en masse. Instead, Dr.Wright challenged everyone to take 10,000steps each day right on the embassygrounds, at home and in the surroundingarea. Each person who did this for 120 dayswould “walk” the equivalent of 600miles—the distance that separates Balifrom Jakarta.

To make the virtual walk more appeal-ing, Dr. Wright donated an actual trip toBali. Everyone who successfully “walked toBali” became eligible for the drawing for around-trip air ticket to Bali.

Ten thousand steps burn about 500 calo-ries, and since walking can be donewithout equipment, anytime, and any-place, it is the ideal exercise to fit into abusy day.

The Medical Unit began by issuingpedometers so participants could recordthe number of steps they took each day.When the pedometers were issued, themedical unit staff members took baselinemeasurements of each participant’s bloodpressure, weight and body mass to becompared with the same data fourmonths later.

The pedometers were essential. Havingimmediate feedback on how we were doingmade a tremendous difference, and peoplebegan changing their habits to increasetheir totals.

Dr. Wright also came up with some cre-ative ideas for getting people up andmoving about the embassy. He suggestedthat we all use different restrooms on theembassy grounds—the farther away, thebetter. If a person had to climb stairs to getthere, that was a plus. Dr. Wright eveninstalled a treadmill in an office lobby sothat people could walk for a few minutes inan air-conditioned area without having togo to the gym.

As the “walk” progressed, Dr. Wright andhis crew posted monthly progress reports.One report read: “On November 30, 2005,you must have reached the city of Pasuran.You’re still on (the island of) Java but havealready gone 450 miles on your way to Bali.Pasuran hosts the following tourist attrac-tions…” The rest of the report describedwhat we would have seen on a real walk toBali and made most of us wish we had beendoing the real thing.

The results of this effort were amazing.Sedentary individuals changed their habits,leaving their desks to walk over and talk tocolleagues rather than sending an e-mail orpicking up the phone. People were seenpacing back and forth while waiting for

meetings, often casting circumspect glancesat their pedometers. Since the importantthing is moving and expending calories,some of the staff members even developedthe pedometer shuffle—a short version ofthe “twist”—when they met in the hallways.It usually counted for about 10 steps.

The biggest benefit was the realizationthat it is possible to exercise while working.Having a daily record was an importantincentive. People who had not achievedtheir target during the day would oftenreturn home, look at their pedometer anddecide that they needed to take a walk orgo to the gym to get their step total up tothe target.

At the end, almost 10 percent of the par-ticipants went the distance, losing a fairamount of weight and lowering their collec-tive blood pressure. Best of all, long after thechallenge ended, some people were stillwearing their pedometers. Dr. Wright’schallenge had indeed led to improvedhealth awareness and better habits amongsome of us. �

The author is public affairs officer at theU.S. Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Road to Bali

AmbassadorB. Lynn Pascoeshows off hispedometer.

S A F E T Y S C E N E


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My son’s car was hit from behind while stopped at a traffic light. Thedriver in the car following was busy changing the CD and did not see thelight turn red or the red brake lights on my son’s car. Fortunately, therear-end collision was a minor fender bender with no serious injuries.

How many times have you watched a car in the rearview mirrorapproach your stopped car and wondered if it was going to stop? Howoften have you followed a car that is not keeping up with traffic and won-dered if something was wrong with the driver? And how often have youpassed that car and realized that the driver was on the cell phone, talkingto others in the car, eating breakfast, reading or looking at a map? Howoften was that distracted driver you?

JUST DRIVEDON’T MULTITASK WHEN BEHIND THE WHEEL BY EILEEN VERITY


This Quitter WinsCecilia LeBlanc is a quitter. Although for years she

thought she would never succeed in quitting, she has nowbeen smoke-free for all of 2006. She and her husband quiton New Year’s Day.

How did she do it? “With a little help from my friends,” she says. “I have

been a smoker for 30 years. My family and friends, whoinclude many health care professionals, have urged me toquit. I have attempted to quit about six times, with thelongest period being four months. Finally, one of themstopped nagging and told me how much it meant to haveus in his life and that he wanted us in it for a long time.That really affected me.

“Another big motivation was that a very good friend andsmoking buddy from our last post was diagnosed with lungcancer. She was always in excellent physical condition. Iguess the ‘it couldn’t happen to me’ syndrome hit home.”

Cecilia still has cravings, but is able to work throughthem and doesn’t plan to ever light up again.

“I’m determined to improve my life, and have clearedthe first hurdle,” she says. “I have received excellentsupport from a very good friend in the Med Unit, and Iknow now that I can’t have a cigarette with a drink becauseI will go right back to smoking.”

Cecilia works in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs in theOffice of Regional Affairs.

HEALTHY HEROA Department of Transportation report issued in April found

that drivers engaging in visually or manually complex tasks(changing the radio station or climate controls, shaving, puttingon makeup, dialing a cell phone) have a three times higher near-crash or crash risk than drivers who are conscientious abouttheir driving.

Driver distraction or inattentive driving occurs when a driver’sability to recognize information needed to drive safely is delayedby an interruption inside or outside the vehicle. Many driversafety programs recommend that drivers shift their eyes every twoseconds and check the rearview mirrors every five to eightseconds. Any glance away from the road in front that lasts morethan two seconds increases the crash risk.

Information overload or inattention (physically not looking ormentally thinking of other things) can cause the driver to miss acue for an action he or she must take. The situation around thevehicle can change instantly and drivers cannot predict a safe timeto look away. The most frequently reported distraction was usinga handheld device, either a cell phone or personal digital assistant.Dialing, listening or talking have the same crash risk. Dialing ismore dangerous, because it takes the eyes and focus off the road,but it occurs less often.

The type of driving distraction is often age-related. ChangingCDs or tuning the radio most often distracts drivers under 20.Passengers are often the distraction for ages 20 to 29. Events orobjects outside of the vehicle, such as construction or accidentsoften distract drivers over age 65. The National Highway TrafficSafety Administration reports that at least one in every fourpolice-reported crashes (4,000–8,000 a day) involves some formof driver inattention.

If you eat, drink, smoke, tune the radio, talk on the cell phone,break up fights between your kids, shave or put on make up whiledriving, you are a distracted driver.

The following tips will reduce the likelihood of being a dis-tracted driver:

• Keep your hands on the wheel.• Don’t reach over to get something off the floor, out of the

glove compartment or behind the drivers seat;• Adjust your mirrors, radio or temperature controls before

putting the vehicle in gear;• Personal grooming can wait until the car is parked;• Eat your meals at home or in a restaurant, not on the go;• Pull over to answer cell phones. Call or send text messages

when you reach your destination.• Keep your eyes and mind on the road.• Plan your route before you leave or ask someone to be your

co-pilot and read the map for you;• Try to avoid emotional conversations while driving;• Don’t “rubberneck” at accidents (you have seen it all before);• Don’t look away to change the music.Talk to other drivers in your family about the importance of

avoiding driver distractions. We live in a multitasking world, butdriving must remain a single task to have a safe journey for your-self, your family and others with whom you share the road. �

The author is a safety and occupational health specialist with theDivision of Safety, Health and Environmental Management.

P E O P L E L I K E Y O U


Passion’s

GIFTACCOMPLISHED PAINTER FILLS CANVAS

WITH LIGHT AND FEELINGBY MARK A. CAUDILL

Every Saturday morning,Ayfle Köseo lu leaves home for an appointment with passion.

A busy wife, mother and Locally Employed Staff member working in the consular section at theU.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Ms. Köseo lu’s weekly rendezvous occurs at a small, serenestudio near the Bosphorus—one of the world’s busiest sea lanes—where she spends the day paint-ing portraits and landscapes.

“I started painting to give myself a gift,” says Ms. Köseo lu. “I needed a break from my routineand a way to express my feelings.”

Her talent manifested itself early; an elementary school teacher was impressed enough to suggesta career in art, but Ms. Köseo lu’s parents directed her toward more conventional pursuits. Thepainting bug lay dormant for decades and was reawakened when she found a drawing of a garden,one of many she had made as a child for her friends.

“For a long time I felt that something in my life was missing,” she says. “By picking up the brushagain, I felt that a piece of my soul had been restored.”

Nine years later, Ms. Köseo lu, 42, has progressed from self-taught dabbler to an accomplishedartist whose style reflects the Impressionists she adores.

Light is the key element in painting, according to Ms. Köseo lu, who works exclusively from pho-tographs that show the delicate interplay between sun and shadows.

“Cezanne, Renoir, Monet—these painters taught me the importance of light, that what you leaveoff the canvas is as important as what you put on it,” she says. “Like me, some of the great masterslacked formal training but put so much soul into their works that you can feel what they felt.”

Does she regret not having formally studied art in school? “I am comfortable with the technique I have developed,” she says, “but I do sometimes wonder how many women like

me—here and in other countries—miss opportunities to develop their talents because they are expected to conform towhat is socially acceptable. What I would notgive to have been a man during the Renaissanceand apprenticed with da Vinci.”

For Ms. Köseo lu, art’s ability to bridge culturesas well as time makes it important. She feels atpeace when she paints; the peace in art makes herbelieve there must be art in peace. She thinksexposure to art can open hearts and minds.

“Art teaches us to see the world differently, afacility everyone—particularly those of us workingin diplomacy—should strive to develop,” she says.

Ms. Köseo lu paints under her maiden name,Kahriman. She has produced nearly 70 paintings,many of which have been sold. An exhibition ofher works is on display at the Consulate General.

Although she was born in Ankara, Ms. Köseo lu’shome since 1998, Istanbul is a favorite subject.

“Up close, the architecture here is a riot ofclashing styles,” she says. “But once you step backand take in the cityscape, the contrasts diminishand harmony emerges. The minarets and fog andshadows along the Bosphorus convey a uniquemixture of joy and sorrow.”

Ms. Köseo lu hopes to capture on canvas scenes from Turkey’s rapidly changing countryside before modernity completelyovertakes the traditional way of life.

More of her paintings may be viewed on her web site, www.aysekahriman.com. �

The author works in the consular section of the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul.


Alfonso, Betty M.Cole, Orville L.Davenport, Joseph

EdwardDent Jr., Lynwood M.Droney, Dennis AlanEllison, Michael E.Evans, Trevor JamesFrese, John Herbert

Gonzalez, Richard F.Hartnett-Kelly, Patricia A.Leahy, W. P.Magee, Rebecca A.Mallory, Thurron JacksonMcKniff, JoanSack, Larry A.Weaver, Stephen J.

Beckmann, Richard S.Besson, Wanda KayBynum, Willie J.Chadran, Jijis M.Cheatham, DonaldCook, Linda D.Cormier, Elizabeth C.Curry, Jannie O.Davidson, Michael C.Eaglin, Geraldine E.Ellis, Susan S.Farwell, Janet E L.Hardrick, Margaret L.Healey, Judith K.

Hickman, Elida L.Holsendorff, Earl F.Hunter, Jacqueline D.Jackson, Roberta B.Lader, Paula S.Lang, Hien N.Lawrence Jr., MalcolmLivers, Hildagard D.Marshall, Brenda A.Matsuno, Barbara F.McCurry, Lizabeth M.Meyer, Susan A.Mitchell, WarrenPalmer-Royston, Sharon E.

Phillips, Loretta AntoniniPopovich, Patricia AnnRichardson, Alvin B.Roman, Margaret E.Short, Shirley PittsSnowden, MarijeanStafford, Mark MerrillStarr, Nancy H.Thompson, Richard A.Ward, Everett B.Watkins, Calvin S.Williams, Yvonne P.Woodard, William

Augustus

Foreign Service >>> Civil Service >>>

A P P O I N T M E N T S


U.S. Ambassador to CroatiaRobert Anthony Bradtke of Maryland, acareer member of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Minister-Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia.Until recently, he was executive secretary ofthe Secretary’s Accountability Review Board.Prior to that, he was a principal deputyassistant secretary in the Bureau ofEuropean and Eurasian Affairs. His otherassignments include Georgetown, Zagreb,Moscow, Bonn and London. He is married.

U.S. Ambassador to BeninGayleatha Beatrice Brown of New Jersey,a career member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic of Benin. Untilrecently, she was counselor for politicalaffairs in South Africa. Her other overseasassignments include Strasbourg, Harare, Dares Salaam, Paris and Abidjan. Before joiningthe Department, she worked for the U.S.Agency for International Development andthe U.S. Congress.

Assistant Secretary for AdministrationRajkumar Chellaraj of Texas, a governmentofficial and business executive, is the newAssistant Secretary for Administration. Untilrecently, he was director of corporate devel-opment at Celanese Corporation. He alsoworked for Exxon Corporation and heldhigh-level positions with the U.S. Mint, U.S.Agency for International Development andEnvironmental Protection Agency. He ismarried and has a son.

U.S. Ambassador to MoldovaMichael D. Kirby of Virginia, a careermember of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Minister-Counselor, is the new U.S.Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova.Prior to this assignment, he was consulgeneral in Seoul. His other overseas assign-ments include Georgetown, Dar es Salaam,Krakow, Frankfurt and Warsaw. He ismarried and has two daughters.

U.S. Ambassador to KenyaMichael E. Ranneberger of Virginia, acareer member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Minister-Counselor, is thenew U.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofKenya. Until recently, he was senior repre-sentative on Sudan in the Bureau ofAfrican Affairs. Before that, he was thebureau’s principal deputy assistant secre-tary. His other overseas assignmentsinclude Maputo, Asunción, Mogadishu,Haiti and Mali, where he was ambassador.

U.S. Ambassador to UkraineWilliam B. Taylor Jr. of Virginia, a govern-ment official, is the new U.S. Ambassadorto Ukraine. Prior to that, he was U.S. rep-resentative to the Quartet’s effort tofacilitate Israeli disengagement from Gazaand parts of the West Bank. He has alsoserved as director of the IraqReconstruction Office in Baghdad andcoordinated U.S. assistance to Afghanistanand the former Soviet Union and EasternEurope. He was an infantry officer in theArmy. He is married and has two children.

retirements*

O B I T U A R I E S


<<< Robert A. Clark Jr., 85, a retiredForeign Service officer, died June 19 ofbladder cancer in Woodbridge, Va. Hebriefly served in the Army Air Corpsbefore joining the Department in 1944.His overseas postings includedMatamoros, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta andFrance. He was in charge of evacuatingU.S. citizens from Hungary during theHungarian revolution of 1956. In retire-

ment, he served on a volunteer rescue squad and taught Englishas a second language.

<<< Jake M. Dyels Jr., 72, a retiredForeign Service officer, died June 12 ofcancer in Brentwood, Calif. He served inthe Navy and Peace Corps before joiningthe Department in 1969. He retired in1997. He served overseas inNewfoundland, Bogotá, Panama City,Colombo, Amsterdam and Monterrey. Inthe latter two posts he was consul generaland principal officer.

Lisa Marie Emerine-Cruise, 39, daughter of deceased ForeignService officers Frank and Sally Emerine, died April 30 of compli-cations of diabetes in Ravenna, Ohio. She lived with her parents inLiberia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, Egypt andIndonesia. She worked at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta. Prior to herdeath, she was studying to become a nurse.

<<< Steve Koumanelis, 86, a retiredCivil Service employee who worked inarms control, died June 8 in Arlington, Va.He served in the Army in World War II.After he retired from the Department in1988, he enjoyed reading, tennis and trav-eling with his wife to Greece, Canada andaround the U.S.

John E. MacDonald, 91, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedSept. 29, 2005, in Exeter, New Hampshire. He joined theDepartment in 1945 and served overseas in Beijing, Seoul, Tokyoand Saigon. He transferred to the Civil Service and worked onintelligence matters, becoming chief of the South Asia Division. Heretired in 1968.

<<< Marlin Kent Mackebon, 64, aretired Foreign Service facilities mainte-nance manager, died May 18 in Beijing,China. He joined the Department in 1994and served overseas in Islamabad. Afterretiring in 2003, he worked as a contractoron the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou andthe new U.S. Embassy in Beijing. He wasactive in his church.

<<< Robert L. Nichols, 81, a retiredForeign Service officer, died June 12 ofcancer in Yarmouthport, Mass. Afterserving in the Pacific in World War II, hejoined the U.S. Information Agency andserved overseas in the Philippines, HongKong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Italy.He retired to Cape Cod in 1979, where hetaught Chinese culture and history andconducted study groups to China.

Geraldine R. Sheehan, 81, a retired Foreign Service officer,died June 2 in Washington, D.C., after a brief illness. She was aneditor at the New York Times before joining the Department in1962. Her overseas postings included Liberia and Somalia. Afterretiring in 1984, she served on the Foreign Service GrievanceBoard until 1992. She enjoyed reading.

<<< Charlette “Charlie” R.Springer, 57, a retired Foreign Serviceofficer, died July 5 of congestive heartfailure in Alexandria, Va. She joined theU.S. Information Agency in 1975 andserved overseas in Russia, Venezuela, Israeland England. She retired in 2005.

<<< Dorothy L. “Peggy” Woosley,79, a retired Foreign Service officer, diedMarch 2. Her overseas postings includedWiesbaden, Turin, Durban, Tehran, WestBerlin, Vienna and Warsaw. After retiringin 1987, she worked part-time for theDepartment in Geneva, the Hague, St.Petersburg and Washington. She was activein her church, tutored, enjoyed playing thepiano and sang in choirs around the world.

P A R T I N G S H O T S


PAGE10 PAGE14 PAGE32 PAGE44

We get a lotof practice

being both historiansand diplomats.”

Marc J. Susser“Learning History’s Lessons”Page 34

COMING INOCTOBER

Miss an Issue?Back issues are available online atwww.state.gov/m/dghr/statemag

A Greener FutureFor U.S. Embassies

‘ReasonableAccommodation’Supports Talented

Employees

State Finds GoldAmong Katrina

Refugees

Interning at State:‘Where’s My Stapler?’

... and much more!

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State Magazine, September 2006

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Transcript of State Magazine, September 2006