state magazine, december 2006

M A G A Z I N E

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

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6

CONTENTSSTATE MAGAZINE + DECEMBER 2006 + NUMBER 507

The Price of LifeStudent learns about medicine in Central Africa.

A Critical DifferenceFSN of the Year supports freedom in Burma.

Office of the Month:Office of Treaty AffairsDespite a small staff, L/T has a long reach.

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40 *ON THE COVERThe State Department marks the traditionalholiday season by continuing to spread thelight of freedom and truth throughout the world.Photo by Corbis

COLUMNS2 FROM THE SECRETARY

3 READERS’ FEEDBACK

4 FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY

5 IN THE NEWS

9 DIRECT FROM THE D.G.

45 STATE OF THE ARTS

46 APPOINTMENTS

46 RETIREMENTS

47 OBITUARIES

48 THE LAST WORD

10 Calgary at 100Consulate marks centennial with cowboy hats.

12 Eyes and EarsOne-officer posts help cover France.

20 Summer VacationTeen volunteers at Romanian orphanage.

24 Albuquerque ‘Angel’International visitor receives the gift of sight.

30 Elementary, HomesConsulate helps flood-ravaged Indians.

32 Hearts, Minds and LivesTraining physicians in Yemen builds goodwill.

34 Building CSI TbilisiProjects help Georgians fight crime.

36 The Tie That BindsBrazil consulate celebrates historic visit.

38 Where’s My Stapler?State fills internships with challenging tasks.

44 Home BaseLodging program benefits FSI students.

Post of the Month:

VallettaMalta has complex history andexciting future.

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As we come to the holiday season, I wishto personally thank all the men and womenof our State Department who are servingworldwide. You work so admirably tofurther the diplomatic mission of ournation, and your continuing efforts arehelping to promote peace and prosperityfor our citizens and people everywhere. Aswe bid farewell to 2006, we give thanks forour many blessings, we reflect on ourachievements and we prepare ourselves forthe challenges ahead.

President Bush has tasked all of us with abold mission, one that summons thedecency and the determination that char-acterize our nation at its best. Though wedeal with the world as it is, we also embrace

our ability, indeed our responsibility, torally our many international partnersaround a vision of a better world, and towork every day—slowly at times, neverwithout patience and humility, but alwayswith confidence and optimism—to makethat vision a reality.

This year has been a time of testing—atime when America, and the entire interna-tional community, has faced newchallenges and tough decisions. This hasbeen a year when hope has also demandedcourage, and when a love of peace has alsorequired the will to defend it. Yet whether

in Asia or Africa, in Latin America or theMiddle East, we are advancing our goalsof security and freedom, and we arebuilding new partnerships with all whoaspire to the universal ideals of libertyand human rights.

Our successes this year have not comewithout sacrifice, as nothing of real valuein life ever does. These are extraordinarytimes, and they demand much of us. Thisholiday season, our thoughts turn to themany members of our State Departmentfamily whose devotion to service has ledthem to dangerous posts abroad, far fromtheir homes and their loved ones. We alsoremember the precious friends and col-leagues we lost this year, both the menand women of the State Department andthe many Americans in uniform whohave made the ultimate sacrifice todefend our country. We honor theirlegacy, and we send our deepest condo-lences to their families.

In the year that lies ahead, we resolve toredouble our commitment to the peopleand the principles that depend on us, toshoulder our duty with renewed vigor andto advance the promise of freedom, justiceand peace for all mankind. Thank you allfor your good work, and may you and yourfamilies have a safe and happy holiday. �

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

A Time for Reflection and Hope

2 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6

“This holiday season, our thoughts turnto the many members of our StateDepartment family whose devotion to

service has led them to dangerous posts abroad,far from their homes and their loved ones.”

R E A D E R ’ S F E E D B A C K

3D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

Shared Services InitiativeRegarding Under Secretary Fore’s piece,

“Moving to Shared Services,” in the October

issue, this initiative is right on target. By

moving to share administrative and infor-

mation technology services throughout the

Department, State will improve support and

achieve economies of scale. The outmoded

practice of multiple bureaus each providing

administrative and IT services is too costly

and too slow for a Department engaged in

transforming American diplomacy.As acting executive director for the

Information Resource ManagementBureau, I recently participated in theimplementation of a major shared servic-es initiative: the groundbreakingpartnership between the Bureau ofAdministration and IRM. A Bureauassumed responsibility for administrative

services previously provided by IRM,while IRM assumed responsibility forcomputer desktop and network servicespreviously provided by A. While thisshared services partnership meant theabolishment of IRM’s executive office,where I served for a decade, the initiativehas my full support.

I encourage my colleagues throughoutthe Department to join this epic shared-services initiative and help transformmanagement and results at State.

Dan SheerinBureau of Information

Resource Management

Ambassador Wharton’s TutorialI’d like to share a Foreign Service

memory which links two articles in theSeptember issue, “Stamps of Approval,”honoring six legendary diplomats, and“Learning History’s Lessons,” a profile ofthe Office of the Historian.

My first post was Lisbon, whereAmbassador Clifton R. Wharton, one ofthe legendary diplomats, was then consul

general. It was under his stern but avuncu-lar gaze that I was introduced to consularaffairs.

One morning, Mr. Wharton was con-ducting one of his vigorous tutorials withme, correcting (again) a draft of mine.Emphasizing the crucial importance ofclear and correct writing, he said, “I neverwant to see in Foreign Relations of theUnited States something you wrote withthe notation ‘sic’ .” He pulled a volume ofForeign Relations from a nearby shelf andopened it to an entry he’d written as ayoung chargé in Monrovia. He jabbed atthe page and I saw that dreaded “sic”forever attached to Mr. Wharton’s docu-ment. He reshelved the volume and with afinal admonishment or two sent me backto work.

For all I know, Ambassador Whartonused that same “show and tell” with count-less young FSOs in training, but for me, itwas an unforgettable lesson from a trueofficer and a gentleman.

Ralph W. RichardsonRetired Foreign Service officer

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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.

Let Us Hear from You


I announced our Shared Services initia-tive in my October column. Since then, theManagement family has made significantprogress in advancing the pilot projectsgeared toward providing world-class globalservices more efficiently.

Our focus this month is the Bureau ofHuman Resources, which has rolled out theHR Centers of Excellence pilot program.Candidate bureaus—Administration,Consular Affairs, Diplomatic Security, theForeign Service Institute and Arms Controland International Security Affairs—areworking to demonstrate that they can meetand maintain best-in-class performancestandards for customer satisfaction,responsiveness, timeliness and service effi-ciency. In setting the standard, HR lookedto public and private sector shared servicesleaders, including the Department ofTreasury’s Administrative Resource Center.During the pilot, the candidate COE will bemeasuring the following HR processmetrics to see if they can meet or exceedthe ARC standard: Time from ManagersRequest to Signed Position Description,Time from Signed Position Description toJob Announcement, and Average Numberof Days to Hire, from close of announce-ment to job offer. In addition, they will bemeasuring their cost efficiency in providingthese services.

It is our goal that by the end of this pilotnext summer, we will have determinedwhich of the candidate bureaus can meetthe HR COE standard. Each of you will beable to track the results of this pilot on theDepartment Intranet. By the pilot’s com-pletion bureaus will have had access to allthe information needed to assess whetherthey wish to divest of their HR services bysigning on with a COE as a service provideror petition to become a COE themselves.

Now is the time to begin taking stock ofyour HR operations. Can your bureau meetthe best-in-class standard? Go to http://hrweb.hr.state.gov and start measuring.Map out your process in hiring and otherHR services and measure your progressalong each step in the process. By analyzingdata gathered over a period of a fewmonths, you will see how your bureaucompares to the Centers of Excellence.

Shared Services and TransformationalDiplomacy—it’s about managementexcellence

As we change our diplomatic posture toshift more positions overseas, we must con-sider that the average overseas positioncosts roughly three times that of a domes-

tic position. In times of tight budgets, werequire a more efficient business model toenable us to redirect resources to strategicforeign policy programs instead of admin-istrative overhead.

Performance measurement is essential toour providing the most effective and effi-cient platform for carrying outTransformational Diplomacy. By usingtarget measures, baselines and benchmarksto track our organization’s efforts towardan end result, we ensure accountability andprogress toward our goals. By mappingwork processes, we better understand ourcapabilities and how to align our workmore efficiently.

Recognizing process mapping as a bestpractice in quality management, in 2005the Una Chapman Cox Foundation gavethe Department one of its largest grants,$600,000, to conduct workshops to trainemployees in processing mapping. As aresult, 8 workshops were held in 7 loca-tions, covering 45 processes, involving 159Department employees representing 83

posts, all regions and 3 domestic offices.Posts are able to use these process maps toimprove efficiency and customer service byclearly delineating responsibilities andidentifying bottlenecks.

If you were not able to attend the work-shops, there is invaluable information notonly on process mapping, but also on sharedservices and other performance measure-ment topics right at your fingertips:

• http://m.state.govShared Services dashboard summary,links to individual shared services Websites such as HR and A Bureaus• http://agssi.a.state.gov Best Practices, Success Stories, Toolkits• American Productivity & QualityCenter online research library (registra-tion free to State employees—see linkon A/GSSI’s Web site) • FSI Classroom and Distance

LearningPD529–Strategic Planning andPerformance Measurement• FastTrac Distance Learning15744–General Skills: ISO 9000 44733–The Auditing Process OPER0406 Continual QualityImprovementOPER0405 Processes for QualityProducts and ServicesOPER0403 Quality-mindedManagement OPER0401 The Who, What & Why ofISO 9000• http://buncheelectroniclibrary.state.govE-books, databases, periodicals/journalsWhether your bureau is interested in

buying a shared service, becoming aCenter of Excellence or improving a workprocess, I encourage you to consult theseresources, schedule time to study systemicproblems/issues in your workflow andutilize performance measurement to reen-ergize your work group, and take distancelearning classes on quality improvementand performance management.

I urge you as customers to sit on cus-tomer service boards and to completecustomer satisfaction surveys—your ideasare the most important element to creat-ing positive change and managementexcellence. �

UNDER SECRETARY HENRIETTA FORE

Spotlighting Centers of Excellence


)(NEWS

>>>

The U.S. Embassy in Panama opened its doors to 28Panamanian high school students and eight teachers for an“employee shadowing day” at the initiative of AmbassadorWilliam Eaton.

The students—from different backgrounds—came from localhigh schools, both public and private.

They were briefed by several sections—political, general serv-ices, economic, public affairs and law enforcement—on thework they do. This was followed by the highlight of the day for

some students: a demonstration of fire-extinguishing tech-niques, led by the maintenance office.

Students then shadowed their embassy hosts for the morninghours. Ambassador Eaton took his new assistant, Isaac

Villaverde from Instituto Fermin Naudeau, to apublic ceremony where the embassy donated boatsto the maritime service. Public affairs officer forthe day Miriam Rodriguez, of Instituto FerminNaudeau, helped distribute press releases andassisted journalists with interview requests. Otherstudents witnessed the hectic routine of thehousing section. Yuneirys de Leon from EscuelaIsabel H. Obaldia attended a conference at a localhotel with her host employee.

At noon, all the visitors enjoyed lunch withAmbassador Eaton and discussed their impres-sions of the day.

Yarielis Bethancourt, a 12th grader fromInstituto Rubiano who plans to study to be a mar-itime engineer, said she did not realize that theembassy did so many goodwill projects forPanamanians until she shadowed People-to-People Coordinator Martina Hand.

The visitors expressed sincere appreciation forthe opportunity and went home with flag pins,certificates of participation and lifetime memo-

ries of their visit to the embassy and their luncheon with theU.S. ambassador.

Daysiree Batista, a senior from Instituto Fermin Naudeau,said, “It is interesting what the U.S. Embassy is doing with thePanamanian students. It’s an incentive for us to study English.”

Embassy ‘Shadow Day’ Reaches Out to Youth

Visiting students practiced fire safety with the embassy staff.

PLUS>>> EMBASSY BOMBINGS REMEMBERED + EXCHANGE SPECIALIST SELECTEDAS MANSFIELD FELLOW + STATE GOES ‘GREEN’ ON REAL PROPERTY INITIATIVE +AFSA SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR AWARDS + OBO INDUSTRY DAY + NICOSIA BLOODDRIVES HONOR 9/11 VICTIMS + AFSA COLLEGE AID APPLICATION AVAILABLE NOW


James L. Hathaway, an international leader-ship exchange specialist for East Asia with theBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, hasbeen awarded a prestigious MansfieldFellowship.

In September, he began 10 months offull-time Japanese language study, to be fol-lowed by a year in Japan working in aministry or agency of the government ofJapan. During the year in Japan, he plans toexamine public diplomacy engagement andeconomic cooperation between Japan andChina and Japan and the United States. Healso plans to explore public-private partner-ships and their role in bilateral and regionaleconomic cooperation.

“James Hathaway has demonstrated astrong career interest in Japan and a commit-ment to using the knowledge and skillsgained through the fellowship in service tothe Department of State and the U.S. govern-

ment,” said L. Gordon Flake, executive direc-tor of The Maureen and Mike MansfieldFoundation, which administers the programwith the Bureau of Educational and CulturalAffairs as grantor.

Mr. Hathaway is the second Departmentemployee to be named a Mansfield Fellow.William Heinrich, a foreign affairs analyst inthe Bureau of Intelligence and Research,Office of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, isnow in Japan for the second year of his fel-lowship.

Established in 1994, the fellowships arebuilding a core group of U.S. government offi-cials who serve as a resource to their agencieson Japan issues because they have proficien-cy in the Japanese language and experienceworking inside Japan’s government. Some 75Fellows, representing 21 agencies anddepartments of the U.S. government, haveentered the program.

EXCHANGE SPECIALIST SELECTEDAS MANSFIELD FELLOW

The State Department paused on August 10 to remember thosekilled and injured in the August 7, 1998, terrorist bombings of theU.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, and to honor thefamilies who lost loved ones that day.

Speaking at a ceremony in the Delegates Lounge, UnderSecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns assured thefamilies, friends and col-leagues of the victims thatthe Department caresabout them and is “listen-ing to all those who wereaffected that day.” Hestressed that al-Qaedafailed to achieve its objec-tives with the attacks.

“The terrorists”, Burnssaid, “didn’t kill our spirit,and they didn’t kill thesense of purpose andmission that the UnitedStates has to have in theworld, about the kind ofcountry we are and thekind of world we hope tobuild.”

Highlighting lessonslearned from the tragedies,Under Secretary for Management Henrietta Fore emphasized thatthe Department makes great efforts to take care of its own.

“We live with the knowledge that risk and danger abound in thework that we do,” she said. “It is our duty as well as our obligationto be prepared.”

Former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Prudence Bushnell andformer Chargé d’Affaires to Tanzania John Lange attended theevent. Ambassador Bushnell, noting that “like a lot of people,I don’t need a ceremony to remember what happened on August7,” stressed that “we all need to be reminded” about the impor-tance of community.

“It was,” she said, “communitythat got us up that steep hill inNairobi. It is community thatallows the State Department todo its important work, and it iscommunity in the United Statesthat keeps us resilient no matterwhat happens.”

During his turn at the podium,Ambassador Lange shared withthe audience an e-mail from aForeign Service member who wasin Dar es Salaam on the day ofthe attack and is now servingelsewhere in Africa. “I do go toDar,” she wrote, “and each visit isvery emotional. I am not sure if Iwill ever get over it or if I evenwant to. The moment and placeis a part of my life, so more thanlikely it will be with me forever.”

In addition to former Ambassador Bushnell and former ChargéLange, several family members of victims and survivors attendedthe event. They include Howard Kavaler, who lost his wife, Prabhi;Deborah Hobson-Bird, whose husband, Sgt. Kenneth Hobson, waskilled; and Lydia Sparks, who was injured.

Families and Victims of Embassy Bombings Remembered

Posing in front of the memorial plaque are, from left: Under Secretary forPolitical Affairs Nicholas Burns; Anthony Holmes, president of AFSA; LilyMuraka, Tanzania deputy chief of mission; Prudence Bushnell, former ambas-sador to Kenya; Lily Semba, Embassy Nairobi chargé d’affaires; PeterMacharia, Embassy Nairobi second secretary; Jendayi Frazer, assistant secre-tary, Bureau of African Affairs; and Wilfred Pere, Embassy Nairobi educationattaché.

STATE GOES ‘GREEN’ON PMA REAL-PROPERTY INITIATIVE

The Department is the first federal agency,behind the General Services Administration,to have gone “green” on the President’sManagement Agenda Real Property AssetManagement Initiative scorecard.

By coordinating their efforts and bysharing each other’s real property experienceand resources, the Office of Real PropertyManagement and the Bureau of OverseasBuildings Operations were able to move theDepartment’s scorecard to green on progressand yellow on status, up from previous redscores on both.

This accomplishment was recognizedrecently with an award celebration in theDelegates Lounge featuring Under Secretaryfor Management Henrietta Fore and OBODirector General Charles Williams.


Since its inception five years ago, theBureau of Overseas Buildings Operations’Industry Day—popular with both industryand government—has expanded from anannual one-day event to this year’s first-ever two-day matchmaking event.

Congressman Frank Wolf, chairman ofthe Science, State, Commerce and JusticeAppropriations Subcommittee, presentedan update on his committee’s activities andreceived an award in recognition of hisstrong support over the last several years.

Under Secretary for ManagementHenrietta Fore gave the keynote address.She encouraged public-private partner-ships and emphasized the importance andaccomplishments of the strong partnershipbetween industry and OBO.

Industry Day brings together owners,developers, contractors, engineers, con-sultants, government officials andarchitects. This year, more than 500 peopleattended on day one, including representa-tives from Israel, Germany, TheNetherlands, Canada and 30 U.S. states.Participating were 278 first-time attendees,39 woman-owned businesses and 46minority-owned businesses.

More than 400 people participated inday two’s matchmaking event, featuringone-on-one appointments between com-panies, OBO representatives and businessmatchmakers.

The annual Industry Day helps OBOprovide the very best “platforms for diplo-macy” that meet U.S. diplomatic needswhile providing safe and comfortableaccommodations.

OBO INDUSTRY DAY FEATURES MATCHMAKING EVENT

The American ForeignService Association is calling fornominations for the 2007 AFSAConstructive Dissent Awards.These unique awards are basedon integrity and professionalcourage rather than perform-ance of duties.

AFSA feels it is vital to recog-nize and honor those who havedemonstrated the initiative,integrity and intellectualcourage to promote construc-tive and creative dissent on anissue which affects the work ofthe Foreign Service.

The four awards offered are:the Tex Harris Award forForeign Service Specialists;the W. Averell Harriman Awardfor junior officers (FS 6-4);the William R. Rivkin Awardfor mid-career officers (FS 3-1);and the Christian A. HerterAward for senior officers(FE OC-CA).

The nomination shouldinclude the following:

Part I—the name of the awardfor which the person is beingnominated; the nominee’s name,grade, agency and position.

Part II—the nominator’sname, grade, agency and posi-tion, and a description of thenominator’s association with thenominee.

Part III—the justification forthe nomination. This narrativeshould discuss the actions andqualities the nominatorbelieves qualify the nomineefor the award, giving specificexamples of accomplishmentsthat fulfill the criteria. Part IIIshould not exceed 700 words.

Submissions that do notmeet the criteria of initiative,integrity and intellectualcourage that contribute to con-structive dissent, as determinedby our judges and the awards

& plaque committee, will notbe considered.

All winners receive a mone-tary award of $2,500 and aframed certificate and arehonored at a reception in lateJune in the Benjamin FranklinDiplomatic Reception Room.The Secretary of State is invitedto participate in the ceremony.

AFSA also offers threeawards recognizing exemplaryperformance of assigned dutiesor voluntary activities at anoverseas post that demonstrateextraordinary contributions toeffectiveness, professionalismand morale.

—The Delavan Awardacknowledges the work of aForeign Service office manage-ment specialist who contributessignificantly to post or officeeffectiveness and morale.

—The M. Juanita GuessAward is presented to a com-

munity liaison officer who hasdemonstrated outstandingleadership, dedication, initiativeand imagination in assisting thefamilies of Americans servingabroad.

—The Avis Bohlen Awardrecognizes the accomplish-ments of a family member of aForeign Service employeewhose relations with theAmerican and foreign commu-nities have greatly advancedU.S. interests.

Details on nominationprocedures and a nominationform can be found on theAFSA web site at www.afsa.org/awards.cfm.

Any questions should bedirected to Barbara Berger,coordinator for professionalissues, at [email protected] or(202) 338-4045, ext. 521. Thedeadline for submitting nomi-nations is February 28, 2007.

AFSA Seeks Nominations for Dissent Awards

An OBO division attracts attendeeswith a large display panel.


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.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Send changes of address to StateMagazine, 2401 E Street, N.W., SA-1,Room H-236, Washington, D.C. 20522-0108. You may also e-mail addresschanges to [email protected].

SUBSCRIPTIONS

State Magazine is available by subscriptionthrough the U.S. Government PrintingOffice by telephone at (202) 512-1800 oron the web at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

SUBMISSIONS

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 the February2007 issue is December 15. The deadlinefor the March 2007 issue is January 15.

High school seniors and college undergraduates who are children of Foreign Serviceemployees—active-duty, retired and deceased—are eligible to apply for one-timeacademic/art merit awards and renewable need-based financial aid scholarships spon-sored by the American Foreign Service Association Scholarship Fund.

Awards range from $1,500 to $3,000. Applications are now available and the submis-sion deadline is Feb. 6, 2007.

There is no AFSA membership requirement for parents of applicants for the financialaid scholarships. For the merit competition, at least one Foreign Service parent must be amember of AFSA or the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide.

Students applying for financial aid scholarships need to maintain at least a 2.0 cumula-tive grade point average and take 12 credits a semester. Beginning this year, AFSA hasdropped the U.S.-college-only requirement and will now fund students who attend anoverseas university.

A total of 55 financial aid scholarships—some funded by Diplomats and ConsularOfficers Retired and AAFSW—and 15 merit awards are offered each year through AFSA’sScholarship Fund.

Visit the AFSA Scholarship Program web page at www.afsa.org/scholar/index.cfm fordetails and to download an application, or contact Lori Dec at [email protected], (202) 944-5504 or (800) 704-2372, ext. 504.

Students can also visit online scholarship search engines such as www.fastweb.com,www.wiredscholar.com, www.srnexpress.com and www.brokescholar.com to exploreother scholarship opportunities.

AFSA COLLEGE AID APPLICATIONAVAILABLE NOW

In memory of the innocent people from more than 90 countries who perished fiveyears ago on Sept. 11, 2001, 11 staff members from the U.S. Embassy in Nicosia and 44officers and sailors from the visiting USS Hue City donated blood to the Nicosia GeneralHospital and Limassol Hospital blood banks, respectively.

These blood drives, undertaken in response to the urgent need for donations to Cyprus’blood supply, highlighted the bilateral cooperation between the United States and Cyprusagainst all forms of terrorism.

Nicosia Blood Drives Honor 9/11 Victims

U.S. Embassy staffmembers donateblood with a smile.


Like the brave men and women of ourArmed Forces, Department of State per-sonnel have always responded to ournation’s call to service. Under challengingcircumstances, they are making a positivedifference in the lives of others.

This year, two of our colleagues,Ambassador Nancy Powell and SpecialAssistant Christina Sanford, were awardedprestigious Service to America Medals fortheir exceptional efforts. They werehonored at a gala awards cere-mony in Washington, D.C.,along with seven other notablepublic servants, including aNobel Prize–winning physicistand the architect of the per-sonnel recovery system thatguided the rescue of Jessica Lynch andothers in Iraq and in Afghanistan.

Service to America Medals are awardedannually by the Partnership for PublicService and the magazines of the AtlanticMedia Company, The Atlantic Monthly,National Journal and GovernmentExecutive, to celebrate the accomplish-ments and commitment of America’soutstanding federal employees. They

highlight the great, inspiring work thatpublic servants do each and every day.

For example, more than 50 countriesaround the world have experienced out-breaks of avian influenza among theirpoultry populations, and there are con-cerns that the ongoing outbreaks have thepotential to turn into a human influenzapandemic that would have significantinternational political, economic andsocial consequences.

The Department of State established anAction Group to coordinate United Statespreparedness and response to avianinfluenza and the threat of a globalhuman influenza pandemic. We areworking with countries around the worldand key international organizations toassist in the preparation, surveillance andresponse to the threat.

Ambassador Powell, the winner of the2006 Homeland Security Medal, led keydiplomatic efforts to organize interna-tional preparations for an avian flupandemic. Her work in the early days ofthe task force and the international part-nership laid the foundation to save notjust Americans but innumerable livesworldwide. She helped bring togethernations at the January 2006 donors con-ference to pledge $1.9 billion to helpaffected countries develop preparednessplans, improve surveillance systems and

begin to build the capacity to contain andtreat avian influenza. In her words, sheenjoys the concept of service and contin-ues to find challenges working in thepublic realm.

Christina Sanford, the recipient of the2006 Call to Service Medal, served as chiefof the Legal office at the U.S. embassy inIraq and provided critical support forIraq’s democratically elected government.

Christina worked diligently with the Iraqisto figure out the transition process to agovernment elected by the Iraqi people.She chose to work for the Departmentafter graduating from the New YorkUniversity School of Law because shewanted to do something that “made a dif-ference and impacted people in a way thatshe felt working in the private sectorwouldn’t do” for her. In her words: “Youhave to like coming to work every day. Ifyou can’t say that, then it is not worthshowing up.”

The Department of State is full ofheroic individuals, and it is important thatthey get the recognition they deserve. Wealso want to encourage a new generationto serve.

I encourage all of our bureaus to submitnominations for the 2007 Service toAmerica Medals. You can learn moreabout the application process and obtainonline application forms at http://www.servicetoamericamedals.org.

On April 27, 2006, the White Houseissued an Executive Order identifyingresponsibilities of federal departmentswith respect to volunteer communityservice. Deputy Assistant Secretary TeddyTaylor is the Liaison for VolunteerCommunity Service, and HR/ER/WLP hasbeen delegated with the responsibility topromote volunteer opportunities and

practices available to all employees.Information on ways to volunteer willsoon be available on the HR/ER web site.These will include the President's Councilon Service and Civic Participation whichcreated the President's Volunteer ServiceAward.

If you have suggestions or comments,please send them via unclassified e-mail to“DG Direct.” �

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

Department of State Employees:Making a Difference in the Lives of Others

“The Department of State isfull of heroic individuals...”

In September, the U.S. ConsulateGeneral in Calgary celebrated 100years of continuous operation.

In a ceremony before the CityCouncil at Calgary City Hall, newlyarrived Consul General TomHuffaker and his wife Claire were“white-hatted” by Calgary MayorDave Bronconnier. It’s a local tradi-tion for visiting and newly arriveddignitaries receive white cowboyhats as a welcome—the equivalentof a key to the city.

That evening, the Huffakershosted more than 100 businesscontacts, Consulate General staffand friends at a reception to markthis important milestone. Plans are

under way to continue to celebratethe anniversary over the next year.

In the late 1890s, Americansbegan to emigrate to westernCanada in record numbers. In1894, records showed 50Americans living in westernCanada; by 1905, that number hadjumped to 105,000. U.S. settlerswere looking for good crop-and-range land. Their first stop wasusually Calgary. Then they scat-tered across Alberta andSaskatchewan.

At the time, there was a smallconsular agency in Lethbridge,Alberta, but beyond that, there wasno official American presence

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CONSULATE’S CENTENNIALMARKED WITH CALGARY

COWBOY HATSBY BETTY RICE

Calgary at 100


between Winnipeg, Manitoba, andVancouver, British Columbia—adistance of more than 1,100 miles.As Americans poured into theregion, local leaders and the pressbegan calling for Washington toconsider setting up shop in abigger, more permanent way.

In early 1906, it was reported thatthe U.S. House of Representativeshad authorized the StateDepartment to appoint a Calgary-based consul. Although Regina,Saskatchewan, and Edmonton,Alberta—both provincial capi-tals—were also considered, Calgarywas ultimately chosen because of itsproximity to the rail lines and thelarge number of Americans alreadypresent and doing business in thefast-growing city.

The Daily Herald theorized as towhy the decision was made: “Thisis the result of a quiet campaigndating back to last July (1905),when the newspaper correspon-

dents from Washington wereentertained in Calgary. They tookthe first opportunity to displaytheir appreciation, and have steadi-ly annoyed the members ofCongress until the authority hasbeen secured.”

So, in September 1906, theConsulate General in Calgaryopened its doors. Over the years,additional offices were set up inother western Canadian cities, butonly the consulate in Calgary haswithstood the test of time anddemographic and economic trends.

Today, the consulate covers theprov inces of Alber ta andSaskatchewan and the NorthwestTerritories, and handles U.S. citizenand nonimmigrant visa issuesfor the province of Manitoba,as well. �

The author works in public affairat the U.S. Consulate Generalin Calgary.


Above: Consul GeneralTom Huffaker and hiswife Claire pose withthe staff on the stepsof Calgary City Hallafter their “hatting.”Left: The Huffakers posewith Calgary MayorDave Bronconnier inCouncil Chambers. Theyare holding a photo ofthe first office buildingin which the ConsulateGeneral was located.

While “transformational diplomacy”and “American Presence Post” may be rela-tively recent additions to most diplomaticlexicons, the APP concept has been aliveand well in France since 1999. The U.S.Mission to France created the first APPsmore than seven years ago, and the five inFrance represent the most successful expe-rience with the model to date.

The mission hosts American PresencePosts in Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Rennes andToulouse, in addition to two traditionalconsulates general in Marseilles andStrasbourg. These posts provide an impor-tant frontline capability in the mission’stransformational diplomacy agendathroughout France.

The rationale creating APPs in Francewas straightforward. Like other WesternEuropean countries, France witnessed theclosure in the 1980s and 1990s of manylong-established consulates. Closure ratesincreased in the late 1990s with the need tofind resources to staff new embassies in theformer Soviet republics.

Then-Ambassador Felix Rohatyn andhis country team saw that the United Stateswas losing its eyes and ears in importantregional centers in France. With France’sglobal diplomatic and military presenceand its status as the world’s fifth largesteconomy, cultivating favorable French atti-

tudes toward American people, policiesand products is especially important. theU.S. Mission in France resolved to correctthis situation by creating the AmericanPresence Post concept, reestablishing anon-the-ground presence throughout thecountry using existing embassy positionsand resources.

Each APP is staffed with one mid-levelForeign Service officer, supported by oneto four Locally Engaged Staff. The agendais focused: public diplomacy, commercialadvocacy and essential American citizen

services. The APPs have proven to be aneffective way to bring America’s message tothe French people, through close contactswith the regional press, speeches and sem-inars with local educational institutionsand outreach to specialized groups,including France’s substantial Muslimcommunity.

APP BordeauxConsul J. Brinton Rowdybush

U.S. consular activities originated inBordeaux in 1790, making it the first per-

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ONE-OFFICER POSTS SPREAD TRANSFORMATIONALDIPLOMACY THROUGHOUT FRANCE BY THOMAS J. WHITE

Eyes and Ears

APP Bordeaux Consul J. Brinton Rowdybush speaks tohigh school students at the College Jean Lartaut Jarnac.

manent consular post in the world for theyoung United States. In 1995, the consulatewas closed for budgetary reasons. In 2000,Bordeaux was reopened as an APP. Today,its district covers the three southwesternregions of Aquitaine, Poitou-Charentes andthe Limousin. Although Bordeaux isknown worldwide for its wine, the region isalso a major player in aeronautics, lasers,pharmaceuticals and wood. Its eight uni-versities enroll 125,000 students. TheUniversity of California has had an activeexchange program based in Bordeaux formore than 40 years. The United States is theleading foreign investor in Aquitaine, aswell as the primary supplier and customerof the region.

APP LilleConsul Jeffrey Hawkins

APP Lille’s district covers the north ofFrance, from the outskirts of Paris to theBelgian border. Lille sits on a majorEuropean crossroads and is roughly equi-distant from Paris, Brussels and London.Other major centers include the ports ofCalais and Dunkerque and historicAmiens. Long dependent on smokestackindustries like textiles, steel and mining, theregion passed through a difficult period ofretrenchment in the 1980s and 1990s. Theregion now seeks to turn its central loca-tion close to 300 million of Europe’s mostprosperous consumers into an engine foreconomic renewal. A key focus is providingsupport to U.S. business. APP Lille supple-ments its thin staff with strong supportfrom the embassy in designing publicdiplomacy programs targeting the region’slarge university population, vibrant region-al media and active cultural institutions.

APP LyonConsul Angie Bryan

France’s second-largest metropolitanarea Lyon is both France’s culinary capitaland the historical capital of the French silkindustry. Lyon hosts several national tradeshows and is Interpol’s world headquarters.The largest and oldest APP (like Bordeaux,a former consulate general), APP Lyoncovers much of central and eastern France,including Chamonix, Clermont-Ferrand,Grenoble, Dijon and Saint-Etienne. Ties tothe United States are extensive: 14 friendshipassociations, 15 sister-city relationships,Tufts University’s European campus, anAmerican Club and France’s second-highest concentration of Americanbusinesses. With Lyon’s pharmaceuticaland biotech industry and Grenoble’s high-tech cluster of enterprises and researchinstitutions, the region is one of France’smost dynamic.

APP RennesConsul Virginia Murray

The APP Rennes district—westernFrance, including Brittany, Normandy andmuch of the Loire—is familiar ground toAmerican travelers. The older generationretains an emotional bond with the U.S.because of the allies’ role in liberating thearea during World War II. The challenge isto connect with the younger generation.APP Rennes has created an active outreachprogram, targeting small-town grammarschools and big-city universities, toencourage students to study English andpursue advanced degrees in the UnitedStates. An active public diplomacy outreachprogram addresses issues from Mideastpolicy to U.S. environmental efforts. APP

Rennes is responsible for one of the biggestcommercial success stories emerging fromFrance in recent years: General Electric thisyear signed a $200 million contract tosupply propulsion systems to a French-Italian naval frigate program, thanks inlarge part to the liaison work of the post’scommercial assistant.

APP ToulouseConsul Jennifer Bachus-Carleton

The APP district covers the Midi-Pyrenees region, the largest in France,roughly the size of Belgium and theNetherlands combined. Best known as thehome of Airbus, Toulouse is one of theleading European cities for aerospace andaviation, and the final assembly point for

Airbus aircraft. The city also is one of thefastest-growing centers in France for biotechresearch and boasts a strong electronicsindustry. With more than 110,000 studentsenrolled at three public universities and 14graduate engineering and business schools,Toulouse ranks second only to Paris as anacademic center in France. �

The author is minister-counselor foreconomic affairs at the U.S. Embassy inParis and coordinator for APP activitiesin France.


Above: Lyon Consul Angie Bryan, second fromright, attends the 100th anniversary of the townof Roybon’s own Statue of Liberty. To her right isAndre Vallini, vice president of the FrenchAmerican Friendship Group in the NationalAssembly. Raybon Mayor Marcel Bachasson isthird from left. Left: U.S. Ambassador CraigStapleton, center, poses at Ecole Centrale deLille with French students bound for a semesterat the University of Texas at Austin.

Limestone, light and the turquoisewaters of the Mediterranean make forscenic vistas. Many coves are madeof rugged, chiseled limestone.

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Valletta

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

MEDITERRANEAN CROSSROADSDRAWS TOURISTS AND BUSINESS

BY LISA HAMLIN ANDJONATHAN SCHOOLS


Merhba bikomfi Malta.

Welcome to the Republic ofMalta, location of the world’soldest known free-standingman-made structures, suchas the megalithic temples atHagar Qim on the mainisland of Malta or Ggantijaon the island of Gozo.

Welcome to a country witha rich history as a strategiccrossroads between Europeand Africa. Malta, an inde-pendent republic since 1964,has been ruled at varioustimes by the Phoenicians,Romans, Arabs, Normans,Aragonese, Spanish, French,the Knights of Saint John ofJerusalem—also known asthe Knights of Malta—andthe British.

Welcome to the land of theMaltese Cross, worn by theKnights, with its eight pointsrepresenting eight nationali-ties: Auvergne, Provence,France, Aragon, Castile,England, Germany and Italy.

Welcome to a country witha complex history and anexciting future.

Malta is the largest of the three inhabited islands that comprise the Republic of Maltaand is home to the capital city of Valletta. Despite its diminutive size—26 miles long bynine miles wide—Malta has been viewed for centuries as some of the most prized realestate in the region because its location at the heart of the Mediterranean makes it mili-tarily and commercially strategic and a natural maritime crossroads for travel betweenEurope, Africa and the Levant.

An Epic History Not surprisingly, Malta’s 7,000 years of history is a violent and bloody one replete with

epic naval battles, surprise invasions and repeated occupation. Malta was the mostbombed real estate, per square meter, of any country during the Second World War.

Malta was ruled by Britain from 1814 until it achieved a peaceful independence in1964. The British legacy left an indelible mark on the culture, cuisine, education, healthcare, government and language. Maltese and English are both official languages, and in

Embassy employees Chris Jones, left, and Martin Agius, right,join Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Grant in practicing rockclimbing on one of Malta’s many limestone outcroppings.

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AT A GLANCE

Country nameMalta

CapitalValletta

GovernmentRepublic

IndependenceSeptember 21, 1964 (from theUnited Kingdom)

Population400,200

LanguagesMaltese and English

Total area316 square kilometers

Approximate sizeNearly twice the size ofWashington, DC

CurrencyMaltese lira (MTL)

Per capita income$19,700

Unemployment rate7.8 percent

Import partnersItaly (32.3 percent), UnitedKingdom (11.5 percent) andFrance (9.6 percent)

Export partnersFrance (15.4 percent), UnitedStates (14.4 percent) andSingapore (12.3 percent)

Internet country code.mt

Airports1

SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2006

May 2004, Malta became a member of theEuropean Union.

Malta is seeking to transition from aneconomy based largely on tourism andmanufacturing to one that is more knowl-edge-based, as evidenced by the recentannouncement of SmartCity@Malta, agovernment-sponsored information tech-nology park being created by Dubai-basedinvestors and modeled on the successfulDubai SmartCity concept.

Several major motion pictures havebeen filmed, in whole or part, in Malta,including The DaVinci Code, Munich, U-571, Troy, Gladiator, Popeye and MidnightExpress.

Malta is one of the smallest nations inEurope, approximately twice the size ofWashington, D.C. The population of400,000 swells to nearly one million inthe summer months, which are generallyhot and dry. Many tourists come fromEurope—especially Great Britain—andAsia. A number of cruise ships are eitherbased in Valletta’s Grand Harbour orare regular visitors during theirMediterranean cruises.

The tourists are attracted by more than300 days of annual sunshine, some of thebest diving in the region, affordableaccommodations, dramatic scenery andMalta’s rich history and architecture.

Flying in, visitors can see that theMaltese islands are not volcanic in origin.They are rounded lumps of ancientseafloor that were pushed above waterlevel when the African and European tec-tonic plates collided. The terrain is mostlylow, rocky hills and steep sea cliffs withlittle in the way of natural water- or land-based wildlife. Grass and trees are sparse.

The islands feature indented coastlines,numerous bays, rock-terraced fields andclusters of homes that form the manysprawling villages. The contrast betweenthe honey-colored stone of buildings—bui l t f rom quar r i ed Mal te selimestone—and the deep azure hue of thesea is striking. The unique quality of lightin Malta is celebrated by photo enthusiastsand landscape artists alike.

U.S. PresenceThe United States has had a diplomatic

presence in Malta since 1796 and anembassy since Malta became independentin 1964. Malta’s location and importancein shipping drives much of U.S. interests.


The country is situated on one of the world’s main east-west tradingroutes, and approximately 30 percent of all global container cargopasses through Maltese waters. The Malta Freeport is a major region-al container transshipment facility serving ships trading betweenNorth Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the United States.

Embassy staff, in concert with the Department of HomelandSecurity, State’s Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation and other U.S. government agencies, work closely withFreeport officials to ensure robust controls are in place to prevent anddetect the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The U.S. government donated a Vehicle and Container InspectionSystem mobile screening unit to Maltese Customs and conducts exten-sive training with Maltese authorities on detection techniques. TheUnited States has also donated most of the funding for two 87-footcoastal patrol boats to the Maltese Maritime Squadron for search andrescue operations and border control.

The United States and Malta recently signed an updated extraditionagreement and are finalizing a Proliferation Security Initiative agree-ment. The embassy’s Defense Attaché Office works closely with theMaltese Armed Forces on a variety of issues, and the resident NavalCriminal Investigative Services attaché works with Maltese authoritieson port visits of U.S. Navy vessels transiting or stationed in theMediterranean theater of operations.

Above: As a predominantly Catholic country, Malta celebrates many saints withband concerts, processions and fireworks. Right: Ambassador Molly Bordonaroand her daughter Skylar plant a tree donated by the embassy during a ceremo-ny at Malta’s Ta’Qali National Park.


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The consular section, in addition to routine con-sular work, instituted monthly citizen services visitsthis year to the neighboring island of Gozo. This ini-tiative has been well received by the manydual-national citizens who reside there. Otherembassy officers accompany the consular team ontheir visits and expand their contacts with the localleadership of this somewhat culturally separatesister island of Malta.

Following its entry into the EU in May 2004,Malta hopes to capitalize on its historically strongties to North Africa and strategic location to per-suade more American businesses to locate to Malta.American businesses already directly employapproximately 3,000 Maltese citizens, and Americanfranchises increase that number considerably.Ambassador Molly Bordonaro and embassy staff seethat inquiries from potential U.S. commercial inter-ests are presented to Maltese business executives andgovernment officials.

All these mission programs are supported by amultifaceted public diplomacy program. The ambas-sador is an active speaker to local organizations andbusiness associations. Embassy staff and familymembers participate in outreach activities, such asthe successful local school program, that pairs themwith groups of students to speak about subjects theteachers propose in advance. Schools report enthusi-astic responses from their students, and embassypresenters are gratified to talk about America.

In December, the purchase of a 10-acre site for theconstruction of a new embassy compound shouldbe completed, and construction will follow accord-ing to the Office of Overseas Buildings Operationstimetable. This is a much-anticipated event for allembassy employees.

Working at a small post such as Malta has itsadvantages. For one, people typically perform mul-tiple tasks and have overlapping and numerousresponsibilities not typical for an officer at a largerpost. And while the isolation of life on a small islandisn’t for everyone, it is perfect for some, and Sicily isonly a 45-minute ferry ride away. Families with chil-dren love the generally safe and friendly atmosphereof the islands, not to mention the weather.

So, as they say in Maltese, Sahaa—good healthand see you soon. �

Lisa Hamlin is the community liaison officer andJonathan Schools is the management officer at theU.S. Embassy in Valletta.

Top: Private yachts like this one and cruise ships like theQEII frequent Malta. Middle: Ambassador Bordonaro andJohn Mifsud, director of Malta Customs, walk togetherduring a groundbreaking ceremony at Malta Freeportwhere the U.S. is renovating a warehouse. Bottom:Catherine Brown, left, sang at the Ambassador’sResidence during Daniel Pearl Music Days.

19

Can an American teenager make a difference in the lives of chil-dren with disabilities in Romania?

You bet. Mark Phillips, my son and a 10th grader at SaguaroHigh School in Scottsdale, Ariz., first became involved in commu-nity service at age three, when he rode his tricycle more than twoand a half miles in Japan to earn money for the American RedCross. Since then, he has volunteered with many othercharitable organizations.

In the fall of 2005, Mark founded the Red Nose Clubat his high school, a service organization committed toimproving the lives of children with serious illnessesand physical and mental disabilities. The name andinspiration come from the 1998 movie Patch Adams, inwhich a physician on his visits to pediatrics wards oftenwore a red nose to cheer up his young patients.

Mark lived in Romania with me from 2003 to 2005,so it was natural that one of the club’s projects wouldbe a fund-raiser for Scoala Speciala, a special needsschool and orphanage for mentally challenged childrenin Breaza, Romania.

In June, Mark and I traveled to Romania to presentthe $1,000 his club raised for the school. Speaking inperfect Romanian, Mark presented the check at a festi-val that featured performances by special-needsstudents throughout the region.

In today’s world, where teens go to school dressed in the latestfashions and sporting expensive cell phones, the Scoala Speciala isa world apart. The school’s administrators told us the $1,000

raised by Mark’s club would be given to students to buy new shoesthat fit—a rare privilege.

Mark wanted to show that Americans do more than just givemoney. Working through a representative of the RomanianMinistry of Foreign Affairs, he volunteered to spend his summer atthe school as a teacher and counselor.

The school comprises grades one through eight, with studentsranging in age from 6 to 16, grouped according to their ability toreceive instruction. Of the 104 children, 90 percent have beeneither orphaned or abandoned and live on the school grounds. PH

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U.S. TEEN VOLUNTEERS AT ROMANIANORPHANAGE BY TIMOTHY PHILLIPS

SummerVacation

Mark Phillips speaks to high school students on the importance of volunteer service.

Romanian orphanages have received much unfavorable press. Atthe Scoala Speciala, conditions were certainly challenging. On thepositive side, the school’s administrators and teachers are dedicat-ed, caring and concerned for students’ welfare. All were doing theirbest with limited resources.

One of the school’s major concerns is “mainstreaming” studentsinto society. To assist in their transition, the school turned a class-room building recently constructed by a British charity into adormitory for graduates entering the workforce.

I questioned how Mark would cope, alone, with the many dailychallenges. But he was committed: “I came here to help at theorphanage,” he said. “I made a promise to the director and I will behere for the summer.”

While working at the orphanage, Mark lived with Romanianfamilies and became immersed in the life of a small Romaniantown. He was exceptionally successful as a “professor” and a coun-selor, teaching language skills and taking the students on long

hikes in the surrounding countryside. Skilled in infor-mation technology, he repaired several of the school’scomputers.

He visited a local high school and spoke on theimportance of volunteer service, a concept largely extin-

guished in Romania after more than five decades of communistrule. The students expressed interest in establishing a Romanianchapter of his Red Nose Club in Breaza.

On July 4, the Mayor of Breaza visited the Scoala Speciala tocommend Mark for his volunteer service and present him with aproclamation from the city.

“It is people like you,” he said, “not governments or the military,that are the heart of the relationship between our two countries.”

Mark truly represents the American volunteer spirit, puttingservice above self in an extremely challenging environment. As hetold the Romanian newspaper Jurnalul National, “Each youngperson should understand the importance of volunteer service.The fact that you can make a difference and help people is its ownreward.” �

The author is a financial economist with the Bureau of Economicand Business Affairs and served in Bucharest from 2003 to 2005.


“I came here to help at the orphanage.I made a promise to the director and Iwill be here for the summer.”

Top left: Mark poses with the mayorof Breaza, George Maracineanu.Left: Students create playground artat Scoala Speciala. Above: Studentsbuy shoes using the money donatedby Mark’s club.

How can we put a price tag on life? Well,in Cameroon it’s possible—and you couldput the figure at $200, or even less. That’swhat a person needing medical care mighthave to pay to save his or her life.

I’m 15 and want to be a doctor. So whenI met Dr. Bart Muhs, a Fulbright exchangescholar at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde, Iasked if I could visit his hospital—theUniversity Hospital Center of Yaounde.

Dr. Muhs, a vascular surgeon who teachesat New York University, took me on surgicalrounds with his Cameroonian colleague Dr.Marc Guifo. I saw the good and bad parts ofthe practice of medicine in Africa.

On one hand, there are dedicateddoctors and nurses doing heroic work invery difficult circumstances. Cameroon isblessed with well-trained medical profes-

sionals who care deeply about improvingpeople’s lives.

On the other hand, patients who needsurgery must provide—up front—all theequipment needed, including scalpels,rubber gloves, antibiotics, anesthetic andeven bed sheets. They must also pay allrequired fees for their hospital room andmedical care.

Dr. Guifo, an orthopedic surgeon, toldme the cost for a typical appendectomy isthe equivalent of $200—about three orfour months’ salary for an averageCameroonian. Half of the time, thepatients never return with the requireditems, because they don’t have the moneyor would rather die than burden their fam-ilies with debts. Many of these patients dosuccumb to their injury or illness, either for

lack of treatment or because they turn indesperation to “roadside doctors,” oftenwith tragic results.

Cameroon has only one medicalschool—at the University of Yaounde—and it takes in only about 85 new medicalstudents each year. Estimates of thenumber of doctors practicing medicine inCameroon range from one for every 10,000people to one for every 40,000—far fewerthan the World Health Organization rec-ommends. There is a similar shortage ofmedical support staff.

But the main problem is not the lack ofdoctors; it’s the skewed distribution ofmedical care. Most doctors work in Yaoundeor Douala, Cameroon’s commercial center.There is an acute shortage of medical per-sonnel and clinics in remote areas. PH

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PRACTICING MEDICINE IN CENTRAL AFRICA BY DAVID M. NELSON

The Price of Life

David poses with an emergency-room doctor at Central Hospital.

Widespread poverty and cultural normslead people in rural areas to opt for tradi-tional medicine over modern science. Forexample, many poor people believeHIV/AIDS is a poison that can be curedonly through traditional potions.

Many of the patients in the surgical wardof the University Hospital Center werevictims of car accidents. Before Dr. Muhsarrived, many received quick amputationsbecause the doctors did not know the latestadvances in vascular surgery. I watched asDr. Muhs conducted one minor surgeryafter another, using bottles of anesthetic hecarried in his pockets to prevent theft orprofiteering. The patients didn’t know it,but he was saving their arms and legs—andteaching other surgeons how to do thesame for their patients.

During my second hospital visit, Dr.Muhs allowed me to observe a complexoperation to remove an aortic aneurysmfrom a Cameroonian woman. He cau-tioned me that operations of thismagnitude are almost never done inCameroon and that the patient might notsurvive the procedure. The surgery lastedmore than four hours and consisted of theremoval of a section of the aorta, whichwas then replaced with a synthetic tube. Ihave never seen so much blood in my life,but happily the patient did survive.

For my third hospital visit, I went toYaounde’s busiest medical facility: CentralHospital. I was led through cancer wards,the maternity clinic and the emergencyroom by Dr. Marcel Monny Lobe, a hema-tologist and HIV/AIDS researcher and thefather of a classmate of mine at theAmerican School of Yaounde.

Each section of the hospital has its ownlab and doctors often do the lab tests them-selves. As at other hospitals, treatment isadministered after payment has beenmade, but Central Hospital is different inone important respect: When a patientneeds emergency care or a woman is inlabor, payment can be made afterward. Iwas impressed with the care given, espe-cially because I had been told this was the“hospital of last resort” in Yaounde.

So what have I learned about the practiceof medicine in Central Africa? I’ve learnedthat despite the unfortunate paymentsystem, there are still doctors, nurses andhospital staff working hard to save lives.And I’ve learned something about myself:More than ever, I want to be a doctor. I amstarting to do volunteer work at Central

Hospital under Dr. Monny Lobe’s supervi-sion. I hope someday I will have anopportunity to help people in Africa or oneof the other countries where I’ve livedgrowing up in the Foreign Service.

Bart Muhs spent many of his weekendsperforming surgery in Cameroonian vil-lages that have no clinics, with patients

placed on tables, desks and even the hoodsof cars. Maybe, like him, I too will be ableto save someone’s life. �

The author is in the 10th grade at theAmerican School of Yaounde. His father,Rick Nelson, is deputy chief of mission atthe U.S. Embassy in Yaounde.


Top: A lab technician at Central hospital briefs David. Bottom: Dr. Marc Guifo and David check on ayoung patient.

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LIBERIAN BROADCASTERRECEIVES THE GIFT OF SIGHT

BY JENNY EISENBERG

When Liberian radio broadcaster JeffTarnue arrived in the United States on July16 for a three-week International VisitorLeadership Program, he expected a career-enhancing opportunity to meet fellowAmerican radio broadcasters. He could nothave anticipated that the journey wouldchange his life.

It did, though. Through the generosity ofan American he had just met, Mr. Tarnuereceived the gift of sight.

The tenacious force that made the giftpossible was Betty Davis, who has volun-teered with the International VisitorLeadership Program for 14 years in herhometown of Albuquerque. She invitedthe delegation of Anglophone Africanradio broadcasters to her home for dinnerand a chance to see how “regular”Americans live. The group was to leaveAlbuquerque the next day for meetings inSanta Fe, and from there would go toMiami before returning to Africa.

Mr. Tarnue told Mr. and Mrs. Davis hewas born with cataracts and had been blindsince birth. He said no one in Liberia hadthe training or tools to remove cataracts.

That night, Mrs. Davis awoke at 3 a.m.with insomnia. “I kept thinking, ‘He’snever been evaluated by an ophthalmolo-gist!’ ” As she lay awake throughout thenight, she kept poking her husband Dana,repeating “He’s never been evaluated by anophthalmologist!”

Undeterred by the fact that the groupwas leaving Albuquerque, Mrs. Daviscalled two ophthalmologists on the offchance they would agree to evaluate Mr.Tarnue to determine whether anythingcould be done to help him. Both doctorscalled to say they could fit him in forappointments that very day. The group,however, had already arrived in Santa Fefor professional meetings.

After calling Mr. Tarnue to see if hewanted to proceed (he did), she hoppedinto the car, drove to Santa Fe, picked himup and drove straight to the doctor’s officein Albuquerque, arriving just in time forthe appointment. As soon as that appoint-ment ended, they jumped back into the carand drove straight to the other doctor forthe second opinion. Both doctors agreedthat an operation would be worthwhile.

Mrs. Davis got permission from theBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairsto extend Mr. Tarnue’s visa for medicalpurposes, and accepted responsibility forhim while he remained a guest in herhome. He rejoined his group for meetings

in Miami, but instead of flying back toAfrica he returned to Albuquerque. Surgeryon his right eye was performed on August24 and five days later surgeons operated onhis left eye. He can now see colors and canread the large “E” on an eye chart. Doctorsanticipate continued improvement.

By the time he returned to Liberia inSeptember, he had been a guest of theDavis family for six weeks. Family friendswent out of their way to look up recipes forLiberian food and cook familiar dishes tomake him feel more at home. He touchedmany hearts in the community, where hesang with the church choir and attendedfree computer courses for the blindbetween his operations.

Three doctors cared for Mr. Tarnuewhile he was in Albuquerque. Even thoughthey waived fees for some (and in one caseall) procedures, medical bills nonethelessgrew to more than $3,700 for anesthesia

and specialists at the hospital. The Davisesalso paid $494 for an airline ticket to bringhim back to Albuquerque from Miami.With the help of the Internal RevenueService, Mrs. Davis set up an EmployerIdentification Number to receive contribu-tions on behalf of Mr. Tarnue. She hasalready raised $2,970, but anticipatesreceiving more bills for medical services.

Readers wishing to contribute towardthe medical expenses can make a check outto the “Jeff E. Tarnue Medical Fund” andsend it care of Betty Davis at:

Albuquerque Council forInternational VisitorsSheraton Uptown Albuquerque Hotel2600 Louisiana Boulevard, NE, Suite 227Albuquerque, NM 87110 �

The author is an international visitorexchange specialist in the Bureau ofEducational and Cultural Affairs.


The world is no longer a dark maze for Jeff Tarnue.

Six outstanding Foreign Service National employees were honored inOctober as FSNs of the Year for the regional bureaus. One of them—SannSann Myint of Burma—received the Department-wide FSN of the YearAward for her work at the forefront of transformational diplomacy inBurma providing inspiration and support to the democratic opposition.

She was chosen from among 55 FSN nominees from posts worldwide.She and the other winners received certificates, cash awards and trips toWashington. Highlights of the trip included a photo opportunity withSecretary Condoleezza Rice, a reception given by the Office of OverseasEmployment and a tour of the Pentagon.

At the awards ceremony, Under Secretary for Political Affairs NicholasBurns said Department officials abroad could not live without the friend-ship and dedication of FSNs.

“All of us who serve overseas feel that dedication,” he said, adding thatone of this year’s honorees, Amany Abdel Kader Osman, taught him therules of the road for protecting American citizens in Cairo when he was ajunior officer there 23 years ago. He said every Foreign Service officer in theroom could cite cases of FSNs who made a critical difference in theircareers, as Ms. Osman had done for him.


FSN OF THE YEAR FIGHTSFOR DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

BY BILL PALMER

A Critical Difference

Sann Sann Myint, a cultural affairs spe-cialist at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, isthe 2006 Foreign Service National of theYear. Nominated by the Bureau of EastAsian and Pacific Affairs, Ms. Myint wascited “for her exceptional and courageousefforts working in one of the world’s mostoppressive authoritarian environments.”

She is at the forefront of the post’stransformational diplomacy efforts inBurma, especially for her work withmembers of Burma’s beleaguered politicalopposition led by Nobel Laureate AungSan Suu Kyi.

When Burmese authorities suddenlyreleased a large group of political prison-ers in 2005, the embassy counseled themand drew hundreds into English languageprograms at the American Center, whereMs. Myint works on exchanges andspeaker programs.

Her work with Burma’s ethnic minori-ties gives her credibility with these groupsand has enabled her to bring their leaderstogether. She has inspired the democraticopposition to overcome differences andbecome more cohesive.

Why does she take the personal risksher work entails? “Everyone deservesfreedom and equal opportunity,” she says.“I’m in a unique position. The least I cando is listen and be supportive of their (theopposition’s) aspirations.”

Though Burma’s military regimeremains entrenched, she does not despair.“We have to have hope,” she says.“Without believing in the triumph oftruth, how could we survive?”

Ms. Myint, who has worked for theembassy for 12 years, is married and hasthree sons.

Ahmad Wali Saidi, who was principalcashier at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, is theFSN of the Year for the Bureau of Southand Central Asian Affairs. He was cited forhis “courage, dedication, creativity and

resourcefulness in an incredibly tough anddangerous wartime environment.”

Despite having no particular back-ground in finance, Mr. Saidi founded thefinancial section of the embassy after itreopened in 2002. “When I got the job, Iread lots of financial books,” he says. Hetook them home at night and also studiedDepartment regulations.

But the Foreign Affairs Manual didn’tapply very well to a country with a casheconomy. “Checks were unacceptable tovendors and others outside the embassy,”Mr. Saidi says. As there were no banksthen, he drove an embassy car every weekto a U.S. military base to cash checks. Hecarried as much as $100,000 over a dan-gerous route “where robbers would shootyou for $100,” he says.

When the U.S. military suddenlystopped cashing embassy checks in 2004,Mr. Saidi acted quickly to locate a bankand establish a relationship. Without his

initiative, the embassy could have beenwithout money for salaries, fuel andwater bills.

He helped the FSNs open bankaccounts and convinced vendors heworked with to do the same. He hasmoved from cashing hundreds of checkseach pay period to a paperless checkcashing system. He persuaded a bank toinstall an ATM at the embassy—only thefourth ATM in the entire country.

In short, he moved the embassy out ofthe financial stone age into the modernfinancial world in a few short years.

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As there were nobanks then, hedrove an embassycar every week to aU.S. military base tocash checks. Hecarried as much as$100,000 over adangerous route“where robberswould shoot youfor $100,” he says.

Mr. Saidi, who now works in theembassy’s narcotics affairs section, liveswith his family and recently becameengaged.

Alemseged Abadi, customs and shippingsupervisor at the U.S. Embassy in AddisAbaba, is the FSN of the Year for theBureau of African Affairs. He was citedfor his “consistently outstanding effortsin support of mission and U.S. Govern-ment goals.”

He developed and used relationshipswith high-level government officials tofacilitate bilateral negotiations—particularly the long and complex effortthat led to the signing in December 2005of a lease for the site of a much-needednew embassy compound.

The site, adjacent to the currentembassy, is on land once owned byEmperor Haile Selassi and long used bythe Ethiopian Navy. There was an effort to

give the land back to the late emperor’sfamily, Mr. Abadi said. But he tirelesslyworked his contacts, from the city mayorto the ministries of Defense and ForeignAffairs. When contacts were replaced bynew faces—a common occurrence—hehad to start all over again.

Thanks to his persistence and knowl-edge of Ethiopian culture that helped himidentify potential roadblocks, a newembassy complex will soon be built torelieve the chronic overcrowding at thegrowing mission.

He was also successful in working outarrangements with the culturally conser-vative Ministry of Foreign Affairs toextend certain diplomatic privileges toembassy members of household, such as

parents and fiancé(e)s, and to grant visasto same-sex partners.

Because of his relationships, U.S.embassy shipments clear customs in a fewdays, compared to two or three weeks forother embassies, he says.

Mr. Abadi says his approach on all con-tacts with government officials is thesame: “You have to be respectful, smileand have a good approach.” It doesn’t hurtthat some of his relationships go back tohis school days.

He has worked at the embassy since1997. He is married and has a daughter.

Luis Beccar, a political specialist at theU.S. Embassy in La Paz, is the FSN of theYear for the Bureau of WesternHemisphere Affairs. He was cited for “hiscritical role in facilitating communicationbetween embassy officers and key political,social sector and government leadersduring a prolonged period of institutionalcrisis and social unrest in Bolivia.”

Mr. Beccar said he could see changescoming in the country—changes that ledto the 2005 election of populist PresidentEvo Morales—and started developing con-tacts three years ago with some of thepeople in the social movements that arenow in power. For instance, he personallyknows seven of the nine new regional gov-ernors. Thanks to him, the embassy wasnot starting from scratch.

“The dynamics of Bolivian politics issuch that things can change very rapidly,”he says. “I treat everybody in the best wayand as equally as possible. Anyone canbecome minister of foreign affairs there.”

He is helped by Bolivia’s well-developedcell phone network, which enabled him tostay in minute-by-minute touch withmany legislators who fled after minersarmed with dynamite marched towardCongress in 2005. He assured them of U.S.government interest in their fate. “I canuse my cell phone when I’m asleep,” hesays, smiling.

His boundless energy, insightful analy-sis, people skills, good humor andflexibility greatly benefited U.S. interestsduring a time when the U.S. image wasoften under siege.

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Mr. Abadi says hisapproach with allgovernment officialsis the same: “Youhave to be respect-ful, smile and havea good approach.”

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Mr. Beccar has worked for the embassyfour and a half years. He is married andhas a young daughter.

Amany Abdel Kader Osman, the seniorFSN in the American Citizen Services unitat the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, is the FSN ofthe Year for the Bureau of Near EasternAffairs. She was cited for “her extraordinaryskills, dedication and amazing effectivenessin protecting U.S. citizens in Egypt.”

She has demonstrated exceptionalliaison work with Egyptian governmentofficials at all levels to support Americanofficers and provide essential emergencyservices to Americans after terroristattacks, deaths, accidents and arrests.

Following the 2005 terrorist bombing inSharm El Sheikh, her round-the-clockcommunication with State Security andthe South Sinai governor’s office trackeddown every lead regarding casualties andhelped guide a consular officer to the loca-tion of a dead American.

She is there for the victims and theirfamilies. “I don’t mind being there to holdthem and give them a shoulder to cry on,”she says. “They are vulnerable and needsomeone to look after them. I thank God Ican play that role.”

Her work on more than 25 cases ofchild abduction stands out. She combinesher knowledge of Egyptian family law andlocal practice to help American parentsgain access to and in some cases legalcustody of their children.

She says she is always looking for newresources and new ways of doing thingsthat will help in the next incident or crisis.

“I love what I do,” she says. “I like to helpothers and like to feel I make a difference.”

Ms. Osman has worked at the embassy24 years. She is married and has two sons.

Agron Ramaj, a political specialist at theU.S. Office in Pristina, is the FSN of theYear for the Bureau of European and

Eurasian Affairs. He was cited for hismonitoring efforts during severe ethnicviolence and his outstanding politicalreporting.

Mr. Ramaj lives in a society in transi-tion and “I have been in transitionmyself,” he says. He trained as an electricalengineer and worked as a journalist for anindependent political weekly, where hestarted to create an impressive base ofcontacts. “I knew most of the politicalplayers when I started working at the U.S.Office,” he says.

Over a three-day period in 2004, theworst violence since 1999 swept Kosovo,leaving more than 1,000 Serb homes andreligious sites destroyed. Mr. Ramajworked for 48 hours straight as a one-mancall center, monitoring events in each ofthe country’s 30 municipalities.

Kosovo has been under U.N. rule forseven years and the U.S. plays a key role inshaping U.N. policies, so American officersneed accurate, unbiased information. Mr.Ramaj, a scholar of Kosovo history andparticularly of the 1998–99 war, focuseson providing them with the relevant back-ground, as well as analyzing patterns incurrent events and the motivations ofpoliticians.

With his complete fluency in Albanian,Serbian and English and ability to inter-pret the meaning of conversations, he hasbeen the interpreter and adviser of choicefor the office’s chiefs of mission. And hehas been a prolific reporter: He wrotenearly 100 cables a year in the postwaryears of 2001 and 2002, when Kosovo wasgetting a lot of attention in Washington.He still does about 50 per year, and hiscables have been singled out for praise atthe highest levels of the Department.

He has been working at the office for sixyears. He is single. �

The author is a writer/editor atState Magazine.

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“I don’t mind beingthere to hold themand give them ashoulder to cry on.They are vulnerableand need someoneto look after them.”

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Protected from the flooding by virtue ofliving on higher ground in the residentialneighborhoods near work, the Americansworking at the Consulate General werehardly prepared for the grim stories andimages relayed to us by the news and ourlocal staff, who, in the worst instances, lostnearly all their possessions as their homessuccumbed to the deluge.

The traditional agricultural villages ofRaita and Bhifol, precariously perched onthe edge of rapidly expanding Mumbai,about a two-hour drive from the con-sulate, were submerged under nearly sevenfeet of water by the Ulhas River. The dev-astation was still visible a year later. For thepoorest villagers, the cost of rebuildingeven a simple home might have meantfinancial ruin, as they would have toborrow at high interest rates againstunpredictable harvests.

It was to assist these villagers thatHabitat for Humanity India, Rotary ClubInternational and the American ConsulateGeneral teamed up to provide newhousing. Rotary and Habitat providedhigh-quality building materials, and thevillagers paid with “sweat equity” by build-ing their own homes. With the assistanceof gung-ho volunteers from the consulate,the new houses got built before the onsetof the new monsoon.

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CONSULATE HELPS FLOOD-RAVAGED INDIANSREBUILD HOMES BY ANTHONY RENUZULLI

Elementary,Homes

July 26, 2005,was a day that Mumbai and envi-rons will never forget. The economicengine of India sputtered to a halt asthe city, formerly known as Bombay,drowned in a torrential 37-inch rain-fall. More than 1,000 people died asthe poor-to-nonexistent drainagenetwork and oversilted rivers failedto absorb the monsoon downpours.

Annerieke Owen, wife of ConsulGeneral Michael Owen, reacheshigh with her paintbrush.

Over the course of four Saturdays, 35 con-sulate volunteers—both Locally employedand American staff, led by Consul GeneralMichael Owen and his wife Annerieke—trav-eled to the villages for long, hot days ofmixing and pouring cement, fetching water,spackling, painting and trying not to collapsefrom exhaustion.

The villagers—old and young, male andfemale, many without shoes and gloves—carried out their work with a dignity andsense of purpose matched only by theirfriendly disposition. As the volunteerspainted the last few houses, while the firstsprinkles of the new monsoon arrived, theycould not help but match the villagers’smiles, knowing that soon some familieswould call these houses “home.”

While Habitat for Humanity usually sellsits new homes—financed with affordable,no-interest loans—funding for these partic-ular houses was provided by Maharashtrastate flood recovery assistance, making this agenuine public-private partnership.

This team effort was aimed not only atbuilding 100 new homes, but also at raisingthe profile of Habitat for Humanity ahead ofthe October visit to India of Habitat’s mostillustrious volunteer, former PresidentJimmy Carter. Each year since 1984, he andhis wife Rosalynn give one week of their timeto Habitat projects.

The 2006 Jimmy Carter Work Project tookplace Oct. 29–Nov. 3 in a village nearLonavala, two hours from Mumbai. TheJCWP brought 2,000 volunteers from aroundthe world to construct 100 homes. ConsulGeneral and Mrs. Owen volunteered theentire week, and 140 U.S. Navy sailors andofficers whose port visit to Mumbai coincid-ed with the building project joined in theeffort on two days.

The JCWP was the first annual event ofHabitat for Humanity India’s five-year cam-paign to provide better housing for 250,000low-income Indians over the next years.Habitat estimates that 41 million Indians arehomeless and that 60 percent of the 180million dwellings in the country are tempo-rary or in dilapidated condition. �

The author is a Foreign Service officer whowas until recently assigned to the U.S.Consulate General in Mumbai.


Mrs. Owen (red pants) helps out at theJimmy Carter Work Project near Lonavala.

Bottom left: Anthony Renzulli, Wilson Ruark and amember of Habitat for Humanity India take a shortbreak from painting. Bottom right: Consul GeneralOwen, center rear, is surrounded by colleaguesand villagers, whose new homes were finishedbefore the monsoon arrived.

In the governorate of Marib, there istribalism, a strong Islamic tradition, fierceindependence and poverty. American aid toYemen has been focused here and in othergovernorates that are remote, poor, politi-cally sensitive and potential places forterrorists to hide.

Health care is primitive. The govern-ments of the United States and theRepublic of Yemen recently worked

together to address the deficit through theconstruction of the President’s Hospital inMarib, a modest but modern 200-bedfacility that opened in April. It is designedto meet the acute-care needs of the fiveneediest governates.

The hospital has two operating roomsand a four-bed intensive care unit. Helpedby a $6 million infusion of funds from theU.S. Department of Agriculture’s food-aid

program, it has modern anesthesiamachines, cardiac monitors and mechani-cal ventilators.

But to win hearts and minds, the hospi-tal must not only be well equipped, it mustbuild a reputation for professionalism andsuccess. It must save lives. It needed aninfusion of U.S. medical expertise to opti-mize the technology.

Jean Rinaldo, the Department’s regionalmedical officer, saw a way to do this. TheSanaa RMO’s region encompasses fiveAfrican and Arab nations in the Red Seaand Gulf regions. One is Djibouti. TheRMO goes there quarterly to keep tabs onthe health of embassy staff and to check outthe medical facilities that embassy person-nel might use if they get sick. PH

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MODEST PROJECT RUNS SHORT ON BUREAUCRACY, LONG ON GOODWILLBY JEAN E. RINALDO, AHMED ATTIEG AND NABEEL KHOURY

Hearts, Minds and LivesPosters of President Saleh of Yemen flank the entrance to President’s Hospital in Marib. The left poster shows him with an anesthesia machine and theright poster with a CT scanner.

After Vietnam, the phrase “winning hearts and minds” mayhave a sad or cynical ring to it. Back in the Sixties, that mélangeof political goals, military operations and humanitarian projectsdidn’t end very well.

We still need to win hearts and minds and so we still try. In Augustat the President’s Hospital in Marib, Yemen, it seemed to work.

There, in early August, Dr. Rinaldobumped into a gold mine: a Department ofDefense medical team at the CombinedJoint Task Force Horn of Africa. The cadreof highly qualified U.S. physicians was ledby anesthesiologist Craig Bonnema. Whennot deployed to Djibouti, Dr. Bonnema isthe chief of anesthesiology at the PensacolaNaval Hospital. It was a “Eureka!” moment.

In surgery, anesthesiologists watch andtreat heart rate, blood pressure and—inthe worst case—cardiac arrest. When notin the operating room, anesthesiologistsrun intensive care units, keeping criticallyill patients stable and comfortable untilthey heal. They make medical miraclespossible through a fine amalgam ofinstinct and technology. If these things aredone badly, lives are lost. Also lost are the

hearts and minds of the families whotrusted the caregivers and the hospital.

To bring Dr. Bonnema to Yemen, RMORinaldo and Dr. Ahmed Attieg of the U.S.Agency for International Developmentvisited the Ministry of Health in Yemen togenerate a Memorandum of Understand-ing between the American Embassy and theYemeni ministry. The MOU was intendedto forge a long-term commitment to worktogether on physician training.

Deputy Chief of Mission Nabeel Khouryleant his prestige to the project when itseemed to be faltering. He accompaniedDr. Attieg and Dr. Rinaldo to meet the min-ister of health, a pediatrician whounderstands the public health needs of thetribal governates. His enthusiasm clinchedthe deal. The MOU was signed by

Ambassador Thomas Krajeski and thedeputy minister of health in August.

Then, Navy Commander Mark Kreuserfrom the Sanaa embassy joined Dr. Rinaldoand Dr. Attieg on a quick trip to Djibouti toconvince Dr. Bonnema to become the first“visiting professor” at President’s Hospital.They also convinced Dr. Yahia Huraibifrom Al Thawra Hospital in Sanaa andarguably Yemen’s best anesthesiologist tocome along to Marib with Dr. Bonnema totranslate his lectures and forge a profes-sional link with the anesthetists of the fiveremote tribal governorates.

USAID identified and transported 28Yemeni anesthetists from these districts toMarib. Not all were trained anesthesiolo-gists. Some were technicians, some weresurgeons. The Ministry of Interior pitchedin with a security detail to accompany thesmall convoy of SUVs from Sanaa throughmountainous badlands to Marib.

The President’s Hospital visiting profes-sor project probably set a world record forintergovernmental and interagency collab-oration. It was short on bureaucracy, longon goodwill.

In three days of anesthesiology training,no political word was spoken. Dr. Bonnematalked about local anesthetic agents thatcan be used to block entire nerves for half aday so that traumatic injuries to arms andlegs can be surgically repaired withoutgeneral anesthesia. He talked about how totreat cardiac arrest in the operating room.Dr. Huraibi added his thoughts and put itall into colloquial Arabic. The U.S. foot-print was subtle but just about everybodyin Marib knew we were there.

Isn’t this what winning hearts and mindsis about? We did something together,taught something and learned somethingthat might save someone’s life. And we’ll beback. Both sides made a mutual promisethat what we started in August in Maribwould happen again. �

The authors work at the U.S. Embassy inSanaa. Jean Rinaldo is the regional medicalofficer, Ahmed Attieg is senior health adviserwith USAID and Nabeel Khoury is deputychief of mission.


Left: Dr. Rinaldo watches as AmbassadorThomas Krajeski, center, and the Yemenideputy minister of health sign theMemorandum of Understanding on physiciantraining. Below: Dr. Bonnema checks out a newanesthesia machine at President’s Hospital.

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The Republic of Georgia’s 2003 bloodlesscoup, the “Rose Revolution,” declared waragainst corruption. A new president waselected. Governmental reforms werelaunched, and several policemen and high-ranking officials were arrested and tried foraiding and abetting organized drug andalcohol smuggling circuits.

It was the dawn of a new era for Georgia.“The Georgian government has made great

strides in the areas of police reform andforensic investigations,” said Chris Panico, thenarcotics affairs section chief for the U.S.Embassy in Georgia.

And with the help of the United States andother nations, Georgia formed a new policeforce that now consistently ranks high inpublic opinion polls as one of the mosttrusted government institutions, he said.

To continue the crime fighting efforts, theState Department’s Bureau for InternationalNarcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs hasengaged the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Europe District, to award a contract to helpthe Georgian government establish enduringsecurity measures.

“It’s one contract but two projects,” saidWayne Uhl, a district program manager forInternational Engineering. One is the con-struction of a new police academy and theother is a renovation of a building that willhouse a new forensics laboratory. Both facili-ties will be in the capital, Tbilisi.

“These two facilities will greatly enhancethe government’s ability to meet head-on the

needs of an emerging democratic society,”Mr. Panico said.

The three-story international law enforce-ment academy, capable of housing up to 128recruits, will be one of many Department-funded police academies throughout Europe,Asia and Africa. Under U.S. direction, thesefacilities seek to cooperate in combatingorganized crime, harmonizing internationallaw enforcement activities and building link-ages between U.S. law enforcement entitiesand future criminal justice leadership.

The forensics lab, which will involve thetotal renovation of a nine-story building, willhelp with the technical side of law enforce-ment, Mr. Uhl said. The work will providelaboratory space for petroleum testing, bal-listics, automated fingerprint filing, properevidence control and storage and a DNAfacility. The goal is an effective forensics labthat will help the Georgians apply modernscientific principles to criminal investiga-tions and prosecutions.

“The refurbishment will allow theForensic Bureau to finally establish itself asthe primary crime lab in the country,” Mr.Panico said.

As time goes on, other countries in theregion will also become better equipped,better trained and better coordinated withone another, according to INL’s web site. �

The author is a public affairs specialistwith the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,Europe District.


INL PROJECTS WILL HELP GEORGIANS FIGHT CRIMEBY JUSTIN WARD

BuildingCSI Tbilisi

The U.S. Consulate in Recife, Brazil, isa four-officer post—a mere dot on thehump of northeastern Brazil bulgingtoward Africa.

But this small consulate covers a con-sular district of 50 million people in anarea three times the size of France. It isthe oldest continuous U.S. diplomaticpost in Brazil. The first consul, SamuelVoorhees, arrived in Recife in 1815, animportant year in Brazil’s history. ThePortuguese monarchy, which had fledNapoleon’s armies and set up its royalcourt in Rio, made Brazil the seat of thePortuguese Empire. In 1815, the monar-chy elevated Brazil from colony toempire, a status equal to Portugal, andopened Brazilian ports to free trade.Recife, as Brazil’s third largest city and amajor port for the trade of sugar, cottonand slaves, constituted an important eco-nomic hub for U.S. shipping. This

economic importance continued afterBrazil gained its independence in 1822.

Brazil and the United States emerged asclose friends and allies at the turn of the20th century. The two countries set up astring of air and naval bases along thenorthern coastline, near Recife, duringWorld War II.

Perhaps the highlight of the historyof U.S. interaction with the city ofRecife occurred 100 years ago on arainy July 21, when the U.S. cruiserCharleston anchored in the port ofRecife and Secretary of State Elihu Rootcame ashore.

Why did he come to Brazil and pay anofficial call in Recife?

Brazilian historians recount the role ofJoaquim Nabuco, the son of an aristocrat-ic plantation family, born in Recife in1849. He is best known for his role infighting slavery as a lawyer, politician and

writer. But Nabuco was also a diplomat.In 1905, he became the first Brazilianambassador to Washington, after the twocountries upgraded their diplomatic rep-resentation. He and Brazilian ForeignMinister Rio Branco advocated for a closepartnership between Brazil and theUnited States, two of the hemisphere’smajor republics, to counterbalance theEuropean colonial powers. Through theirefforts, Brazil and the United Statesachieved an “unwritten alliance.”

President Theodore Roosevelt andSecretary Root warmly welcomed Nabucoas an ally and friend. When the Third PanAmerican Conference—the first outsideNorth America—was held in Rio deJaneiro in 1906, Root stopped in Recifeon his way to Rio to learn about the placewhere his great friend Nabuco had grownup. The city received him with enthusias-tic honors. PH

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RECIFE CONSULATE CELEBRATES ITS ROLE IN U.S.–BRAZIL DIPLOMACYBY DIANA PAGE

The Tie That BindsFrom left, Dr. Thales Castro, author Diana Page, Dr. Claudio Marinho and Dr. Humberto França participate in the academic roundtable at the PernambucoGovernor’s Palace.

This year, to celebrate the centennial ofthat visit, the Recife consulate and theJoaquim Nabuco Foundation held an aca-demic conference at the PernambucoGovernor’s palace, where Root was for-mally received. The conference served as ajoint reaffirmation by Brazilians andAmericans of our mutual interest inworking together for peace and rule of lawthroughout the hemisphere.

The Department’s Office of theHistorian and the librarians at the Ralph J.Bunche Library helped, sending down the1906 volume of Foreign Relations of theUnited States, which contained the cableson Root’s trip. The U.S. Embassy inBrasilia’s Information Resource Centerprovided copies of the New York Timesand Washington Post articles.

Recife’s 180-year-old newspaper,Diario de Pernambuco, becameanother partner

in the history project, reprinting the 1906coverage of the Root visit in a full-pagespecial section.

The consulate invited as keynotespeaker former Brazilian ambassador toWashington Rubens Ricupero, a scholar aswell as a former finance minister and sec-retary general of the United NationsConference on Trade and Developmentfrom 1995 to 2005.

Speaking to 100 invited guests, includ-ing Governor of Pernambuco JoséMendonça Filho, Ricupero recreated theworldview of 1906, when wars over borderdisputes, monetary and resource claims infar-off territories were common amongthe major powers. The United States hadjust emerged as a power to be reck-oned with by

winning the Spanish-American War andtaking possession of some former Spanishcolonies, including the Philippines.

Ricupero said Ambassador Nabuco sawEuropean nations as belligerent colonialpowers, but saw the United States as a self-reforming democracy, sharing morevalues with Brazil than did the Europeans.Secretary Root quickly grasped the ideathat Brazil was the ideal partner for theUnited States in its effort to unite theAmericas around their common interestin peace and prosperity.

Secretary Root’s trip to South Americaled to closer cooperation between the twogiants of the hemisphere. AmbassadorRicupero noted that over time the PanAmerican system led to the formation ofthe Organization of American States.

“Little by little, this system helped toavert wars, to resolve disputes and give theAmericas the lowest incidence of armedconflict of any region in the world,”Ricupero said.

The hemisphere’s foreign ministers nowmeet frequently. The Summit of theAmericas is a regular event. In many spe-cialized forums, Brazil and the UnitedStates work side by side against themodern scourges of terrorism, drug traf-ficking, disease and poverty.

As the centennial celebration showed,the alliance is still strong. �

The author is principal officer at the U.S.Consulate in Recife.

Above: The centennial keynote speech at the Governor’s Palace was given by Ambassador RubensRicupero, second from left. To his left are Gov. José Mendonça Filho, at the microphone, and DianaPage. Below: In July, the Diario de Pernambuco ran an article on Secretary Root’s visit 100 years ago.

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STATE FILLS INTERNSHIPSWITH INTELLECTUALLYCHALLENGING TASKS

BY ALEXANDRA POMEROY

Where’s MyStapler?


I recall having lunch with three diplobratbuddies—all international relations majorswho had mastered a foreign language or two.“So what do you guys think you will bedoing after graduation?” I asked. The unani-mous response was, “Definitely not theForeign Service!” Yet a year later, three of thefour of us jumped on the opportunity tosign up for a summer at State.

I arrived on my first day at State skepticalof statements such as “Internships alwaysprovide you with an opportunity to learnabout things you can’t learn in the class-room.” I had a friend who interned in arenowned international law firm where themost challenging tasks were running errandsand, above all, stapling documents. Thus Ihalf expected my internship to be similar:running errands, answering phones, escort-ing people to meetings and, for the mostpart, pretending to be busy.

As orientation proceeded, I met a range ofpublic-policy-driven peers, coming from asfar as California, Texas and New York. Mostof us were unsure of what direction our liveswere taking, but were genuinely interested inpublic diplomacy.

I began my first day in Regional SecurityAffairs in the Africa Bureau fully expectingto run pieces of paper to and from officesand staple documents. Yet, to my surprise, Iwas thoroughly briefed on the new foreignassistance framework proposal and the mainissues circulating in the department, and wasasked what my interests were. I thought tomyself, “Maybe they’re just being polite.They can’t actually be taking this internshipthat seriously.”

They were. Throughout the summer,my co-workers would constantly shoot mee-mails or knock on my door to direct me toa session relating to a particular interest ofmine, urge me to attend an intern lecture

series or give me graduate school advice. Mydirect supervisor became my mentor, andnever ceased to amaze me in the way shelooked out for interesting opportunities forme to become more involved at State,updated me on bureau happenings and pro-vided great feedback on everything fromnote-taking skills to writing funding alloca-tion requests.

My surprisingly rich experience is notunique. The feedback from other college stu-dents I talked to during the summercentered on the Department’s sincere effortsto genuinely immerse the interns in what’sgoing on in the world. They want us to be anactive part of the process.

Tom Opstal, a William and Mary seniorwho interned in the Bureau of European andEurasian Affairs, said, “This internship is dif-ferent because of its emphasis on giving uschallenging, intellectual tasks to complete, asopposed to mundane office work, which istypically associated with other internships.”

Christine Perot, a junior from Penn State,added, “I wish I had done more of thesebefore. This internship has given me suchfocus on what I want to do after school interms of graduate school and my career—a great insight on the government process.”

In stark contrast to other summer“resume boosters,” State offers a wonderfulsupport system that encourages mentoringand allows interns to become real insiders.As a result of my summer experiences, I amdrawn more and more toward pursuing aForeign Service career. Unlike my friend whofelt like a drone at that international lawfirm, I am happy to report that there is nostapler glued to my hand. �

The author was an intern in the Office ofRegional Security Affairs in the Bureau ofAfrican Affairs.

As a former Foreign Service “diplobrat,” I was initiallyhesitant to apply for an internship with the Department ofState. From my experience rummaging through files as asummer hire at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo to knowing thecommunity liaison office staff to discovering my Americanidentity when I finally landed back in the U.S. after years ofbrief visits, I felt I had an insider perspective on what is oftenperceived as the glamorous life of the Foreign Service.

“Not for me, thanks; that’s my Dad’s thing,” was mystandard response—until last year.



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

STAFF DEALS WITH MORE THAN 10,000 AGREEMENTS BY ELINA SARKISOVA

Office ofTreaty Affairs

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At a GlanceOffice nameOffice of Treaty Affairs

SymbolL/T

Office directorJohn J. Kim

Office locationHarry S Truman, Suite 5420

Web sitewww.state.gov/s/l/treaty

Email [email protected]

Whether it’s mailing a letter reliably and easily to anyone in theworld or knowing what date and time it is anywhere, it is easy tooverlook the impact of treaties and international agreements onour everyday lives.

The Office of Treaty Affairs in the Office of the Legal Adviser(L/T) plays a key role in developing, coordinating and keepingrecords on treaties and treaty making.

L/T is a small office with a long reach, both internationally (theUnited States has more than 10,000 treaties and agreements inforce with virtually every country in the world, as well as withsome international organizations) and within the U.S. govern-ment, where many offices are involved in the treaty process.

The 15-person office consists of attorneys, treaty analysts, atreaty archivist, a treaty editor and paralegal treaty specialists, all ofwhom perform functions that are unique within the government.

“L/T deals with all areas of international law,” says MalloryStewart, an attorney-adviser in the office. “Every day I feel as ifI’m learning about a new area of international agreements or ofU.S. treaty practice. This is the most interesting part about thisoffice, but also, admittedly, one of the most challenging elementsof L/T’s work.”

The office is the principal repository for U.S. treaties and otherinternational agreements. Accordingly, it maintains records ofbilateral and multilateral treaties and agreements to which theUnited States is a party or anticipates becoming a party. Theserecords include negotiating histories. Many of its one-of-a-kind

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

Opposite page: Treaty Archivist Jennifer Walele and Treaty Analyst TomMalionek consult one of the thousands of treaties stored in L/T’s treatyvault. Below: From left, Treaty Paralegal Michelle Cannon, Treaty SpecialistBeverly Holman and Treaty Editor Christine Plunkett look over a treaty.

documents are housed in L/T’s vault. The collection is managedby Treaty Archivist Jennifer O’Neal Walele.

The office advises other offices within the Office of the LegalAdviser and other Department bureaus, overseas and other gov-ernment agencies about all aspects of treaty law and procedure,including constitutional questions. It also provides guidance andassistance in the authorization, drafting, negotiation, applicationand interpretation of approximately 400 agreements annually.

“Often, there are no easy or established answers to many ques-tions and so, together with other lawyers, we help develop soundand practical guidance that, over time, establishes the treaty lawand practice of the United States,” says John Kim, assistant legaladviser for treaty affairs.

Tools of DiplomacyTreaties and international agreements are indispensable tools of

diplomacy. It was not until after World War II, however, that theirnumbers began to surge. The Treaty Office has evolved to keeppace. Under Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg in 1928 issued aDepartment order setting up a treaty section in the Division ofResearch and Publications. Although its function was mostly pro-cedural, it also supplied vital information regarding existing andprospective agreements.

In 1946, this treaty section was transferred to the Office of theLegal Adviser. Today, under the direction of Mr. Kim, the officeprovides advice on U.S. treaty law and practice and performscertain statutory responsibilities on behalf of the Secretary of Statefor maintaining, publishing and reporting U.S. internationalagreements.

The office’s treaty analysts do a job that exists nowhere else. Eachanalyst is responsible for monitoring and assisting in the negotia-tion and completion of agreements in a range of subject areasthroughout their life cycle, from initial concept onward. Because somuch of what happens in the world of treaties is based on custom-ary international law and the practices of other countries, theanalysts serve as an important institutional memory to negotiatorsand anyone dealing with treaties and agreements.

Many Department employees will come into contact with L/T inconnection with the process by which the Secretary authorizes the PH

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Treaty Analyst Lois Allder, left, and Attorney-Adviser Mallory Stewart dis-cuss a treaty issue.

Treaty Analyst Frank Holleran, left, and Assistant Legal Adviser for TreatyAffairs John Kim confer.

1. Once the President or Secretary of State signs an interna-tional agreement, the United States is bound by it. FALSE: Some agreements enter into force when they aresigned, but others may require ratification or some otheraction to bring them into force.

2. A pastry chef could validly sign a treaty for the UnitedStates written in chocolate icing on a sheet cake. TRUE . . . but not automatically: Anyone could validlysign an agreement for the United States, but not without anauthority called “full power,” which must be signed by theSecretary of State. There is nothing legally significant aboutthe medium in which the treaty is written or signed,although we generally use more permanent (and far lesstasty) paper and ink.

3. The United States becomes a party to a treaty as soon asCongress ratifies it. FALSE: Under the Constitution, it is the President who rati-fies treaties; the Senate gives its advice and consent.

4. A minute is how long it takes to sign an agreement. MAYBE, but in treaty language, a “minute” is also a recordof an understanding or negotiation that may be includedwith an agreement.

5. Information about all international agreements to whichthe U.S. is party is available online. TRUE AND FALSE: The office is perfecting a TreatyInformation Management System to store and retrieve thisinformation, but it has to accommodate 230 years worth ofevolving treaty practice, so it is still in the testing phase. Theoffice posts treaty information on the Web page as itbecomes available for public release. It plans to updatemore frequently Treaties in Force on the Web page.

Treaty Affairs Pop Quiz—True or False?



negotiation and conclusion of international agreements. The“Circular 175 procedure” refers to regulations developed by theDepartment to ensure that treaties and other international agree-ments are made within constitutional and other legal limitations,with due consideration of foreign policy implications and withappropriate involvement by the State Department.

Binding or Nonbinding?Governments frequently wish to record the terms of an under-

standing or arrangement between them without creatingobligations that would be binding under international law. A non-binding instrument may carry significant moral or politicalweight. Under U.S. law, any such document must be reviewedbefore it can be signed, to ensure that it truly does not containinternational legal obligations.

“It’s a very common misconception,” says analyst TomMalionek, whose portfolio ranges from Antarctica to Yukon Riversalmon. “You think, ‘I don’t want this to be legally binding, so Idon’t need to involve the Treaty Office because it doesn’t needCircular 175 review.’ But by law, only State—in particular L/T—has the authority to say that a particular document is nonbindingand doesn’t need a ‘175.’”

By law, the Secretary of State is required to transmit copies ofinternational agreements (other than treaties, which are sent tothe Senate) to Congress within 60 days of their entry into force.This responsibility has been vested in the assistant legal adviserfor Treaty Affairs, who depends on all Department officers totransmit copies of international agreements to the office as soonas possible after their entry into force.

The office then publishes both an updated list of treaties inforce and the text of each individual document. The annual

Treaties in Force lists the more than 10,000 U.S. treaties and inter-national agreements in force as of January 1 of each year. TheTreaties and Other International Acts series contains the officialtext of each treaty or international agreement.

The office is also the government’s depository for certain mul-tilateral treaties. This task entails “arranging and conductingsigning ceremonies, drafting diplomatic notes, making certifiedcopies of agreements and updating the new treaty web site,” saysFrank Holleran, an analyst and treaty depository officer.

Moving aggressively into the 21st century, the office increasing-ly is making important treaty information available on its newweb page. It is developing a state-of-the-art, searchable computerdatabase of critical treaty-related information. For the first timeever, there will be a searchable database of all U.S. internationalagreements, including parties, dates of signature, date of entryinto force and subject matter. The office is also planning to estab-lish a searchable electronic database of Circular 175 memoranda.

These steps are necessary for the Office of Treaty Affairs toorganize the tremendous volume of information it receives everyyear and improve the ways in which it makes this vital informa-tion accessible to policymakers and lawyers throughout thegovernment and the world.

“We are a unique resource in the government,” Mr. Kim says,“andso we need to organize ourselves better for the 21st century.” �

The author is a paralegal specialist in the Office of the LegalAdviser.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Bosnian Foreign Minister MladenIvanic sign a Status of Forces Agreement and Open Skies Agreement lastyear. The two L/T treaty analysts helping to turn the pages are DaphneCook, left, and Frank Holleran, right.

In June 2006 the Bureau of HumanResources initiated a contract withOakwood Apartments to provide lodgingfor employees assigned to the ForeignService Institute for training. The contractculminated a yearlong effort to resolve theproblem of employees’ paying out of pocket

for temporary duty expenses while in atraining status for more than 60 days.

The Bureau of Human Resources hadlong been aware of the financial hardshipsthe sliding scale per diem created foremployees on long-term TDY, butattempts to resolve this issue proved tooexpensive. One estimate pegged the cost ofeliminating the sliding scale per diem at$15 million.

We were able to extend the 100 percentper diem from the old maximum of 30 daysto 60 days, but by 2004 our office beganlooking for new solutions. We felt that the

number of room nights we fund eachyear—currently more than 200,000—could be exploited to leverage better ratesfor the Department.

We explored a number of possibilities,including Government Services Adminis-tration contracts, before we decided to

issue our own solicitation. GSA wouldhave been faster but more expensive, andwe were trying to minimize costs as muchas possible.

We signed the contract on June 28 withthe winning bidder, the Falls Church prop-erty of Oakwood Apartment. In 2006alone, we saved 36 percent off the averageD.C. per diem rate, which is a flat $120 pernight regardless of the season. Oakwood isnow providing efficiencies, one-, two- andthree-bedroom apartments, depending onfamily size, to FSI students. To date we havemore than 24,000 room nights booked for

the pilot year. We expect this to growsteadily to the 200,000 room nights in thecontract.

All Department of State employeesassigned to the D.C. metropolitan area fortraining, whether new employees attendingthe A-100 or Specialist classes or employees

passing through D.C. for trainingon their way to another assign-ment, can stay at Oakwoodapartments and HR will pay thelodging bill while they are onTDY orders. Employees shouldmake tentative reservations withOakwood via the toll freenumber or the Oakwood Website and inform their CDA per-sonnel technicians [email protected] thatthey want to be part of theprogram. Once their orders arereceived showing that theirper diem includes meals andincidentals only, they can confirmtheir reservation with Oakwood.

Oakwood bills HR directly. Theemployees still receive the mealsand incidentals portion of theirper diem and are responsible forany additional charges.

The stay can include consulta-tions as well as scheduled training.Any annual leave or home leavewill not be paid by this contract,and arrangements must be madeby the employee to pay Oakwood

directly for these days. Discussions areunderway with other bureaus to allow allemployees to benefit.

Under the contract, Oakwood provideslocal telephone service, basic cable TV,weekly maid service, daily shuttle service toand from FSI and the Falls Church metrostation. For a full description of servicesand a virtual tour of the facilities, please goto the Oakwood Web site at www.state.oakwood.com. �

The author is Deputy Executive Director ofthe Bureau of Human Resources. PH

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PILOT PROGRAM DELIVERS ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME BY RAPHAEL MIRABAL

Home Base

Oakwood offers clean and comfortable living accommodations and other conveniences.

S T A T E O F T H E A R T S


By John Bentel

The Foreign Affairs RecreationAssociation and the State of the ArtsCultural Series had three outstanding pro-grams recently, including its first annualtalent show. Piano prodigy Kevin Hobbs,winner of the International Young ArtistsCompetition, presented music from 1683to the present. He performed difficultworks by Jean Phillipe Rameau, SergeiRachmaninoff and Alberto Ginastera withself-assurance and was rewarded withresounding applause.

The 1st Annual State Department TalentShow revealed an impressive array of per-formers. Barbara Pollard led off with arousing “I Really Love the Lord,” which shesang with heartfelt sincerity. CynthiaAndrews performed a sultry “GoodMorning Heartache.” Jennifer Leland sensi-tively performed the rhythmic “Children’sCorner Suite: Piano, Dr. Gradus adParnassum,” written by Claude Debussy for

his daughter. Rosa R. Ducker sang her ren-dition of “Alabaster Box.”

Taking a comical path, Cindy Slaughterplayed the guitar and sang her own compo-sition, “Talking Past Down,” which she saidwas written out of frustration with theworkplace. Talented saxophonist TorreyBurton gave a lively performance of “BlueBoston.” Andrew McCombe impersonatedFrank Sinatra with his rendition of “MyWay.” To end the show, Stephen Black andJackie Newton offered an entertaininginterpretation of Ike and Tina Turner’s“Rolling on the River.”

Back by popular demand, The MarquisTrio, consisting of pianist Diane WinterPyles, cellist John Kaboff and clarinetist Dr.Brian David Jones, performed works byMax Bruch and Luis Farrenc with a seamlesssound: each instrument was of solo quality,but did not overpower the others. �

The author is a computer specialist in theExecutive Secretariat.

Talent Show FeaturesMusical State Employees

CALENDARDecember 6 Dr. Sita Chakrawarti, holiday vocalist

December 13 James Matthews, holiday program

Performances are on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m.in the Dean Acheson Auditorium.

Torrey Burton plays his sax during theDepartment Talent Show.

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


U.S. Ambassador to BoliviaPhilip S. Goldberg of Massachusetts, acareer member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Counselor, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofBolivia. Previously, he was chief ofmission in Pristina and before thatdeputy chief of mission in Santiago. Hisother overseas postings include Bogotáand Pretoria. He was chief of staff forthe American delegation at the DaytonPeace Conference.

U.S. Ambassador toEquatorial GuineaDonald C. Johnson of Texas, a careermember of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Minister-Counselor, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofEquatorial Guinea. He previously servedas ambassador to Cape Verde and toMongolia. His other overseas postingsinclude Guatemala, Moscow, Taipei,Beijing, Madrid, Tegucigalpa andMoldova. He served in the U.S. Army.

U.S. Ambassador to Papua NewGuinea, the Southern SolomonIslands and VanuatuLeslie V. Rowe of Washington, a careermember of the Senior Foreign Service,class of Minister-Counselor, is the newU.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea,the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.Previously, she was deputy chief ofmission in Nairobi. Her other overseaspostings include Bangkok, Lisbon,Recife, San José and São Paulo. She ismarried and has three children.

U.S. Ambassador to DjiboutiW. Stuart Symington IV of Missouri, acareer member of the Senior ForeignService, class of Counselor, is the newU.S. Ambassador to the Republic ofDjibouti. Previously, he taught at theNational Defense University’s JointForces Staff College and worked in Iraqon the election process and politicalissues. His other overseas postingsinclude Honduras, Spain, Mexico,Ecuador and Niger, where he wasdeputy chief of mission.

Armstrong, Frances AnnCajina, Magna M.Cigtay, Olcay S.Dalch III, Walter E.Davis, Janet V.Dearing, Cynthia S.Duquette, Robert W.El Assal, Elaine C.Gibson, Henrietta A.Howard, Joseph S.Jackson, Hortensia

Sophia

Johnson, Cynthia A.Lincoln, Beverly E.Masserini, Mary A.Mills, Delores A.Murchison, Margaret AnnO’Brien, Margaret Y.Parsons, Terry M.Prieto, Steven D.Ritchie, Alice StevensSharp, Jerry L.Weaver, Kathleen SusanWills, Beverly Ann

Civil Service >>>Atherton, Lewis R.Blocker, Merrie D.Byrnes, AlbertCampbell, William NoelCarson, JohnnieChenevey, Robert JamesCheyne, Gerard A.Clerici, Laura A.Coleman Jr., Robert E.Cook, Frederick R.Crane Jr., William HolmerCrook-Castan, Clark

HarrisCunningham, Nancy S.DeThomas, Joseph

MichaelDlouhy, David BryanEcsodi, Joao MariaFellingham, John S.Gaddis, John PatrickGoldberg, Robert D.Grayson, Lois

Hays, Donald S.Herbert, Kevin F.Holloman, Ann ElizabethJohnson, David H.Johnson, Mary H.Jones, Frances ThorntonKamanu, Lillie J.Kimberly, Cynthia L.Lane, Robert L.Light Jr., Frank GristockMerante, Joseph JohnMerz, Dennis WayneMoody, Larry A.Mooney, William F.Moore, Alice C.Moreth, James E.Olson, Gordon R.Page, Harriette E.Parkin Jr., Ernest J.Perett, William GregoryPeters, Mary AnnPhalen, Thomas P.

Pinkley, Adele M.Pinson, Anthony DesalesPowers, Brian W.Rendeiro Jr., John G.Ritchie, John AlexanderRomeo, NicodemoRosenstein, Douglas J.Serwer, Claudia H.Skinner, Charles BronsonSmiley, Alfred AlanSmith, Glenn W.Smith, Karen M.Specht, Stanley HowardSpirnak, Madelyn E.Stevens, Michael A.Thomas, Shelia F.Uncu, Lucy PerronWangsness, Steven

JeromeWeatherston, RoyWestgate, SamWood, Peter S.

Foreign Service >>>

retirements*

O B I T U A R I E S

47

<<< William J. Barnsdale, 84, aretired Foreign Service officer, died of pan-creatic cancer Sept. 24 in Berkeley, Calif. Heserved in the Navy in World War II beforejoining the Foreign Service in 1947. Hiscareer was mostly in Italy, where he servedin Naples, Bari, Florence and Rome. He alsoserved in Stockholm, Bombay, Belgrade andBlantyre. In 1975, he joined the U.N. WorldFood Program and was posted to

Islamabad and Rome. In retirement, he was an active member ofthe Foreign Service Association of Northern California and theWorld Affairs Council, and frequently spoke on world affairs.

<<< Peter Benedict, 67, a retiredForeign Service officer, died May 16 ofcancer in Raleigh, N.C. In his 23-yearcareer, he served overseas in Mauritania,Niger, Cameroon and Zimbabwe. Afterretirement, he served with Family HealthInternational, Chemonics International andResearch Triangle Institute International,where he was senior project director for theIraq Democracy and Local Governance

Program. He enjoyed fly fishing, skeet shooting, wood marquetry,reworking old clocks and listening to choral music.

Louis G. Bush, 89, a retired Foreign Service regional medicalofficer, died Oct. 3 in Twin Falls, Idaho. He served in the PeaceCorps in the Philippines. After joining the Department in 1962, heserved overseas in Laos, Somalia, Liberia, Tunisia, Nepal, Vietnamand West Germany. After retiring from the Foreign Service, he con-tinued to practice medicine in Pocatello, Idaho, until he was 75.

<<< Charles H. Forms, 83, aretired Civil Service and Foreign Serviceemployee, died July 12, 2004, of a massivestroke. He served in the Army duringWorld War II. He worked for the U.S.Information Agency, the Voice of Americaand the Department. He served overseas inManila. He retired in 1978 after a 36-yearcareer.

<<< Robert Charles “Griff”Griffin, 77, a retired Foreign Servicemedical technologist, died Sept. 23 of vas-cular disease caused by hypertension anddiabetes. During his 29-year career, heserved overseas in Kabul, Saigon, Moscow,Monrovia and Cairo. After retiring in 1985,he accompanied his wife, Foreign Serviceofficer Christa Ute Griffin, on assignmentsto Athens, Lagos, Doha and Bujumbura.

They retired to Upper Marlboro, Md.

<<< Elizabeth Marie Jordan, 79,wife of retired U.S. Information Agencyofficer Robert F. Jordan, died Sept. 23 ofmesothelioma in Silver Spring, Md. Sheaccompanied her husband on postings toAsuncion, Rosario, Monterrey, Tegucigalpa,Palermo, Port-au-Prince, Dublin, Lisbon,Havana, Manila and Brasilia. She taughtEnglish in binational centers and washonored by the government of Honduras

for her volunteer work in hospitals. She helped produce severalcookbooks of ethnic recipes.

<<< L. Robert Kohls, former direc-tor of training and development for theU.S. Information Agency, died Aug. 9 oflymphoma in San Francisco, Calif. Heserved with the U.S. military in Korea. Afterhis tenure at USIA from 1974 to 1983, hebecame executive director of WashingtonInternational Center of Meridian House.He taught at various universities in SanFrancisco from 1987 to 2004 and was an

influential writer on intercultural studies.

<<< Olga Kuprevicz, 74, a retiredForeign Service communications officer,died Sept. 30 in Alexandria, Va. Her over-seas postings included Bonn, New Delhi,Madrid, Abidjan, Tokyo and Nairobi. Sheenjoyed traveling and supported manyphilanthropic causes.

<<< Jacqueline F.H. McGinness,widow of retired Foreign Service officerAlfred J. “Jack” McGinness Jr., died Sept. 23in Washington, D.C. She married herhusband in Paris in 1956 and accompaniedhim on postings to Vientiane, Taipei,Nairobi, Ankara, Beirut, Oslo, Budapest,Tehran, Paris and Madrid before his retire-ment in 1988.

<<< Virginia Everly Neubert,84, widow of retired Foreign Service officerJoseph Walter Neubert, died Oct. 4 inBothell, Wash. She served as a ForeignService secretary from 1951 to 1956 inChile and the Soviet Union. In 1956, sheresigned after marrying her husband, whodied in 1984.

D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 6 S TAT E M A G A Z I N E

T H E L A S T W O R D


COMING IN JANUARY• Diversity at State• Department Inner-View—Under Secretary

Karen Hughes• Worklife Quality• Where’s My Step Increase?... and much more!

Appropriately, in the midst of the 2006holiday season, this issue recognizes thegenerous nature of Americans and thegiving spirit of our colleagues around theworld.

Let’s go to Georgia, where the 2003 RoseRevolution launched extensive govern-ment reforms and a war againstcorruption. The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisiand the Bureau for International Narcoticsand Law Enforcement Affairs joined forceswith the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tohelp the new government build a policeacademy and to renovate an old buildingto house a new forensics laboratory. Theaim is to help the fledgling governmentmeet the security needs of an emergingdemocratic society.

A time zone away, on the Indian sub-continent, heavier than normal rains andsubsequent flooding in the summer of2005 had devastated large areas of Mumbaiand surrounding villages. A year later,many areas, including two small agricul-tural villages on the outskirts of Mumbai,still lacked adequate housing and the newmonsoon season was at hand.

The American Consulate General joinedhands with Habitat for Humanity India,Rotary Club International and the villagersto build 100 new homes in the two villages,Raita and Bhifol. Rotary and Habitat pro-vided the building materials; the villagesand 35 Consulate volunteers, includingConsul General Michael Owen and wife

Annerieke, supplied the sweat equity. Onfour consecutive Saturdays, the Consulatevolunteers took the two-hour trip to workside by side with the villagers—mixing andpouring cement, fetching water, spackling,painting and sweating.

Their efforts beat the monsoons andwon some new friends for the U.S.

On yet another continent, a resourcefulregional medical officer overcame a chal-lenge with some creative thinking. Afterthe United States and Republic of Yemengovernments cooperated to build a

modern and much-needed 200-bed hospi-tal in remote Marib, the RMO found a wayto train Yemeni anesthetists on the state-of-the-art technology built into the newhospital. Working closely with the U.S.Embassy in Sanaa, the U.S. Agency forInternational Development and variousYemeni ministries, RMO Dr. Jean Rinaldocoordinated efforts to set up a visiting pro-fessor project for the new hospital.

The intergovernmental and interagencycollaboration led to an apolitical three-daytraining seminar featuring Yemen’s topanesthesiologist and the chief of anesthesi-ology at the Pensacola Naval Hospital, whoat the time was leading the Department ofDefense’s Combined Joint Task ForceHorn of Africa. At the end of the day, Dr.Rinaldo’s efforts likely won over somehearts, changed some minds and undoubt-edly saved some future lives.

Last but never least, a final salute to ourcolleagues en route to their final posting:William J. Barnsdale; Peter Benedict; LouisG. Bush; Charles H. Forms; Robert Charles“Griff ” Griffin; Elizabeth Marie Jordan; L.Robert Kohls; Olga Kuprevicz; JacquelineF.H. McGinness; and Virginia EverlyNeubert.

Building Blocks

Rob WileyEditor-in-Chief

Questions? [email protected]

U.S. Department of StateBureau of Human ResourcesWashington, DC 20520

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