M A G A Z I N E

U . S . D E PA R T M E N T O F S TAT EJUNE 2004

StateStateM A G A Z I N E

U . S . D E PA R T M E N T O F S TAT EJUNE 2004

Peace Bloomsin Island NationPeace Bloomsin Island Nation

State Magazine (ISSN 1099–4165) is published monthly,except bimonthly in July and August, by the U.S. Departmentof State, 2201 C St., N.W., Washington, DC. Periodicals postagepaid at Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing locations.Send changes of address to State Magazine, HR/ER/SMG, SA-1,Room H-236, Washington, DC 20522-0108. You may alsoe-mail address changes to statemagazine@state.gov.

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StateStateMAGAZINE

Carl GoodmanEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Paul KoscakWRITER/EDITOR

Dave KreckeWRITER/EDITOR

David L. JohnstonART DIRECTOR

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Sylvia BazalaCHAIR

Jo Ellen PowellEXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Kelly Clements

Tom Gallo

Pam Holliday

Joe Johnson

Tom Krajeski

Jim Trommatter

Poised to Strike in PakistanIN OUR NEXT ISSUE:

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Pakistani troops receive commandotraining from the Department’s air wingto secure their western border withAfghanistan.

10 POST OF THE MONTH: COLOMBOPeace unleashes the potential of this energetic island nation.

16 OFFICE OF THE MONTH: NEAR EAST AND SOUTHASIA INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMSThey’re delivering an American message to two challenging regions.

20 RECRUITING HISPANIC AMERICANSThe search centers in the Southwest.

22 MENTORINGExperienced employees invest in the future as mentors.

30 NEW DIRECTIONS IN ARMS CONTROLConcern shifts to threats of terrorism and the spread of deadly weapons.

32 NEW DIPLOMATIC SECURITY IS MORE ACTIVEAND INVOLVEDThey’re making diplomacy safe at home and abroad.

32MAKING

DIPLOMACYSAFE

CONTENTS JUNE 2004

Escorted by special agents BartBrown, left, and Derrick Parker,U.S. representative to the Iraqiopposition, Zelmay Kahalilzad,center, arrives for a meeting.

NUMBER 480

2 From the Secretary

3 Letters to the Editor

4 In the News

7 Direct from the D.G.

8 Profiles in Service

34 Medical Report

36 People Like You

38 Our Town

39 Obituaries

40 Personnel Actions

Like the Statueof Liberty in NewYork Harbor, theUnited States has

a spine of iron and steel. We will guard our nation withvigor and vigilance, even as we hold high a welcominglight to good people across the globe who seek to enterin peace.

Our nation’s strength comes from sharing our valuesand experiences, not closing us off from the world.Keeping America’s doors open tells our terrorist ene-mies that they cannot shake our will or shut down ourfree and democratic society.

We at the State Department are proud of our role inimplementing President Bush’s policy of SecureBorders, Open Doors. Security will always be our pri-mary concern, but we are doing a better job than ever ofcombining and balancing security with openness.

As we approach summer, there are encouraging signsthat travel is on the upswing this year, both forAmericans going overseas and for visitors coming to theUnited States. That is welcome news indeed after thetwo-year downturn in travel following the attacks ofSept. 11, 2001.

Our Passport Office is seeing a jump of more than 22percent over last year in applications. That translatesinto many more Americans traveling abroad, carryingthe values we want to share with the rest of the world.The best antidote for anti-American attitudes is indi-vidual Americans showing the world what makes ourcountry special—our people.

Though we still have a long way to go before we seethe volume of visa applicants that we had before 9/11,applications for visitor visas to the United States also areon the rise.

The number of international students enrolled in theUnited States has grown each year, even in the post-9/11era, but the rate of increase has slowed. When we

attract students from other countries, we make long-term investments in international understanding andgoodwill. The world market for students is much morecompetitive than it used to be, so we must develop bet-ter ways of processing student applications so that theyknow we want them to come here.

As we welcome the uptrend in travel, we are alsodoing more than ever to protect our country from itsenemies. More consular officers have been hired andare on the job at the visa windows. Consular officers arebeing equipped with enhanced training.

A strengthened and enlarged name-check systemmoves applicants through the clearance process fasterbut with stronger, more reliable verification. We con-tributed the TIPOFF terrorist name checklist as thebasis for a national terrorist watch list, and we helpedcreate the new Terrorist Screening Center with the lawenforcement and intelligence communities.

We also are adopting 21st century solutions, includ-ing biometrics, to combat age-old problems of visa andpassport fraud. Future U.S. passports will have biomet-ric features. For visitors, most posts are now taking twoelectronically scanned fingerprints of all visa applicants.By November, all 211 visa-adjudicating posts will havethe fingerprinting equipment. Those scanned finger-prints, which are shared with the Department ofHomeland Security’s Customs and Border Protectionofficers at ports of entry, already have identified wantedcriminals and stopped impostors.

Our consular team has been superb adjusting to therealities of a post-9/11 world, but working to keep ourhomeland safe and our society open is not up toConsular Affairs alone. Whether it’s spreading the wordamong foreign publics that we welcome visitors, identi-fying candidates for exchange programs, coordinatingwith U.S. tourism-related businesses or any other effortthat contributes to Secure Borders, Open Doors, all ofus at the State Department must do our part. ■

Secure Borders,Open Doors

2 STATE MAGAZINE

FROM THE SECRETARYSECRETARY COLIN L. POWELL

Rebels on theSchool Compound

I read with more than casualinterest your January cover story onthe Office of Overseas Schools.Before joining the Foreign Service in1968, I taught in the AmericanSchool of Vientiane, Laos, from1964 to 1967. Here is a brief excerptfrom my memoir, “The Siege ofKM-6, Vientiane, Lagos, 1965.”

“About a week after it started, thecoup was fizzling, and soon, Ithought, everything would be backto normal. That meant back toschool, which I could see right out-side my front window. But what didI just see? Several dozen armed sol-diers trudging past my quarters andentering the school. I ran out withtwo other teachers from next doorand followed the troopers throughthe building to the inner courtyard.Most of them, frightened and clear-ly exhausted, had collapsed on thegrass in disorderly clusters. A fewofficers were standing on the far sideand appeared relieved to see us.

“Talking all at once, they asked forwater and food and confirmed their

rebel connection. They wanted tostay in the school, located in theAmerican housing compound, toavoid being killed by the pursuingloyalist forces.”

Fortunately, by the end of themorning, embassy defense attachénegotiators intervened and arrangedfor the rebels to exit the compoundin U.S. vehicles. For me, it was backto writing lesson plans and gradingpapers.

Robert W. Proctor Retired Foreign Service OfficerLa Luz, N.M.

The State of HomecomingThank you for promoting

Foreign Affairs Day, the StateDepartment’s homecoming for for-mer Foreign Service and CivilService employees.

As of April 22, we have registered450 retirees—with more sure tocome—and recruited a strong ros-ter of speakers and volunteers towelcome our retired colleagues andassist them in finding the seminarsthey want to attend.

Everyone’s response has beenenthusiastic, and we’re looking for-ward to the 39th reunion and yourcoverage in the July-August issue.

Peter WhaleySpecial Events CoordinatorBureau of Human Resources

A Second GlanceIn your April cover story on

Lagos, under Nigeria at a Glance,you state the approximate landmassas “slightly more than twice the sizeof California.”

California is 158,000 squaremiles. California, compared toNigeria’s landmass of 574,000square miles, is 3.63 times smallerthan Nigeria. Texas, on the otherhand, at 275,000 square miles, is2.14 times smaller than Nigeria.

Walter ShepherdFood for Peace OfficerUSAID, Bolivia

Thanks, Walter, for correcting themath of our source, the CIA.—Editor

3JUNE 2004

FROM THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Mentoring is alive and well in the Department, withactive involvement from Secretary Powell on down.Looking after the welfare of colleagues is the way webuild trust within and outside the Department, theSecretary said. In this issue, we look at the mentoringForeign Service and Civil Service employees arereceiving from every quarter of the Department. It’san investment that will pay high dividends. Our cov-erage starts on page 22.

Now that peace has come to tiny Sri Lanka, thenation is leading the region in literacy, life expectancy,low infant mortality and per capita income. Americanfirms have recognized Sri Lanka’s emergence as agrowing market and a gateway to India. The capital,Colombo, is a lovely city and a symbol of the energypeace has brought to the island nation. The Post of the

Month begins on page 10.Crafting American messages for audiences in the

Middle East is a challenge that employees in the Officeof Near East and South Asia InternationalInformation Programs embrace enthusiastically. Theoffice employs print and electronic products as well asspeakers to explain U.S. policies in the regions. TheOffice of the Month is on page 16.

Jon Martinson likes to test his diplomatic skills inand on the field. As a certified soccer referee in Togo,he has brought uniform rulings to the game as well asuniforms to local referees—courtesy of his statesidecontacts. Our People Like You is on page 36.

4 STATE MAGA-Z INE

I N T H E N E W S

The State Department and theNational Archives and RecordsAdministration recently completed thefirst electronic transfer of diplomaticrecords.

Secretary of State Colin Powell handeda stack of CD-ROMs to John Carlin,national archivist, during a ceremonyApril 13 in the Benjamin Franklin Room,transforming a paper process datingfrom World War II to modern electronictechnology.

The first set of records consists of diplomatic correspondence from July 1973 to December 1974,totaling about 700,000 documents.

Secretary Powell said the cooperative effort will make “the historical record of American foreignpolicy” accessible to millions of people at home and abroad. The Department’s records are the sec-ond most heavily used category of records after genealogical resources, according to the Archives.

Secretary Powell with archivist John Carlin and Under SecretaryGrant Green.

DiplomacyDIGITAL

State TransfersRecords to Archives

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I N T H E N E W S

Open Season for TSPThe current open season for the Thrift Savings Plan continues

through June 30. During this period, you may open a TSP accountand begin making contributions or change the amount of your con-tributions to an existing account.

You may allocate ongoing contributions at any time by completingForm TSP-50, Investment Allocation, and sending the form directlyto the National Finance Center in New Orleans.

You may also redistribute all or any portion of your existingaccount balance among the five investment funds by completing FormTSP-50 or by using the Thriftline, an interactive voice response system

for the Thrift Savings Plan. The number, (504) 255-8777, is available 24hours a day, 7 days a week from a touch-tone phone, but it is not a toll-

free number and you must have a Personal Identification Number, or PIN,to use either the phone system or the plan’s web site, www.tsp.gov.

For more information, see the “Summary of the Thrift Savings Plan forFederal Employees,” available from your Human Resources office.

A group of fresh recruits recently joined the ForeignService. Their career trajectories were extraordinary—they all made ambassador in a single day.

Twenty students from the District’s MinerElementary, the Department’s partner school, partici-pated in a Junior Ambassador program created especial-ly for them on Job Shadow Day, March 18. Employees

from theBureaus ofE d u c a t i o n a land CulturalAffairs andInternationalI n f o r m a t i o nPrograms tutorthese studentsonce a weekduring theschool year.

P a m e l aBr idgewater,

deputy assistant secretary for African Affairs, officiatedat the swearing-in ceremony in the Treaty Room. Thestudents raised their right hands and pledged to learneverything they could about the countries they repre-sented and to share what they learned with their class-

mates. Ambassador Bridgewater declared them JuniorAmbassadors for the day and then spoke about theimportance of diplomacy and the work diplomats do.Cyrille S. Oguin, ambassador to the United States fromBenin, talked about his own country and the impor-tance of education.

The Junior Ambassadors visited the bureaus’ offices inSouthwest Washington, where they were briefed on theday’s activities. Afterward, the ambassadors receivedtheir country assignments by drawing names from a hat.

More than 30 Department employees volunteered tobrief the new ambassadors on their countries of birth orcountries where they had served as Foreign Service offi-cers. The ambassadors and their aides spent an hour anda half globetrotting to places like Azerbaijan, Panama,Senegal, Canada, China and Mexico, to name a few.

The Junior Ambassadors acquired a number of sou-venirs from their travels—postcards from China, hatsand stuffed camels from Kazakhstan and wasabipeanuts from Japan—donated by their briefers. TheMexican table was a popular stop for snacks. After hav-ing pizza for lunch, they watched an animated filmabout a West African folktale.

While the Miner students’ careers as ambassadorswere short-lived, the ECA and IIP tutors trust that somewill become diplomats—as early as 2015.

STUDENTS SPEND DAY AS AMBASSADORS

Ambassadors Bridgewater and Oguin join Miner studentsin the Treaty Room.

6 STATE MAGAZINE

I N T H E N E W S

The U.S. Embassy in Georgetown held its first health fair in coop-eration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention inGuyana. The fair, which attracted nearly 200 participants, coincidedwith the World AIDS Day observance.

Guyana, with one of the highest HIV rates in the Caribbean region(second only to Haiti), is one of the countries benefiting from the U.S.initiative for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.The U.S. AIDS Emergency Relief Fund will also benefit Guyana resi-dents. Since September 2002, the CDC has been helping the countryexpand and strengthen its HIV/AIDS response.

U.N. statistics suggest most newly infected persons globally withHIV are in the 15-24 age group. Of the 160,000 males and females inthe 15-24 age group in Guyana, with a population 763,000, an esti-mated 4,300 females and 3,600 males are infected with HIV/AIDS.

The post’s first health fair involved 25 participating local organiza-tions: hospitals, laboratories, departments of the Ministry of Healthand a mobile dental clinic run by the Rotary Club of Georgetown.

Participants received free medical information and screening tests. Each registrant received a health promotion“passport” to record health information gathered at the various booths.

Embassy Cracks Third Abduction Case in 18 MonthsA four-year-old boy abducted by his father from

Miles, Texas, was returned to his mother ninemonths later thanks to a curious Minnesota touristand two officials at the U.S. Embassy in Belize.

While visiting the resort town of San Pedro, awoman noticed a boy and a man at a hotel bar. Thesetting seemed odd to the tourist and she struck upa conversation with them. Returning to Minnesota,she found Jacob and David Clenney on a missingchildren web site.

When Mr. Clenney escaped from Texas with hisson Jacob, he forged the child’s passport applicationbefore fleeing to a country he considered beyond thereach of American justice.

The tourist alerted authorities and soon the U.S.Attorney in Dallas asked the embassy to help find thechild and apprehend the kidnapper. ThadOsterhout, the regional security officer, investigated.

Traveling to San Pedro, he had little difficulty locat-ing Mr. Clenney and even spoke to Jacob. He thenobtained an expulsion order from the Belize attor-ney general and arranged for federal agents to escortMr. Clenney back to Texas, where he’s in custody.

Meanwhile, Robin Hasse, the embassy’s consularchief, arranged for a social worker to care for thechild until his mother arrived to take custody.

Jacob’s case marked the third abduction involvingthe embassy in the past 18 months in Belize, whichsupports the Hague Convention.

Georgetown HoldsFirst Health Fair

Ambassador Roland Bullen, left, and USAID HIV/AIDS tech-nical adviser Bill Slater watch as Peace Corps volunteerHope Wall checks the blood pressure of Dr. L. Ramsammy,Guyana minister of health.

Thad Osterhout, regional security officer at the U.S. Embassyin Belize, with Jacob Clenney before the child returned to theUnited States.

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In 2002, the Bureau ofHuman Resources devel-oped a survey designed tomeasure employee satis-faction and commitment.The idea was to conductthe survey biannually andto use the results to help

us learn what employees think about their jobs and do abetter job of making the Department a better place toserve the national interest. We recently completed thesecond edition of the survey, and I would like todescribe what the data—and the narrative responses—tell us about how we are doing.

First, let’s look at some of the numbers.This year, 4,040 Department employees responded to

the survey, a slight increase from 3,967 in 2002. Onepositive development was that a significantly greaterproportion of respondents this year identified them-selves as Civil Service employees (1,483, or 36.7 percent,compared to 946, or 23.8 percent, in 2002). The per-centage of employees who rated their morale as out-standing or good rose more than 7 points, from 60.4percent in 2002 to 67.8 percent in 2004, and the per-centage of those who found working for theDepartment a positive or satisfying experience also rosealmost 3 points, from 72.8 percent in 2002 to 75.7 per-cent this year.

The primary motivation for working for theDepartment remained unchanged: to serve theAmerican people (62.2 percent both this year and in2002); to experience other cultures (60 percent this year,67.2 percent in 2002); and to have a secure job with ben-efits (63.4 percent this year, 61.7 percent in 2002).

Generally speaking, then, employees continued to bemotivated by public service and by job security, includ-ing pay, allowances and benefits. A majority of respon-dents, however, said the Department could do a betterjob using employee talent, increasing flexibility to adaptto new foreign policy challenges and streamlining thebureaucratic process. A significant number of respon-dents regarded the Department as too bureaucratic (76

percent) and hierarchical (67.4 percent). Respondentsalso tended to believe that the Foreign Service and theCivil Service lack a common organizational culture (71percent) but thought that the discrepancy could be min-imized through better teamwork (60 percent), supervi-sion and leadership (61.1 percent).

Although approximately 60 percent of respondentsdescribed relations with their supervisors as respectful,supportive and friendly, the fact that 37 percent ofrespondents stated that inadequate performance bymanagers was due to inadequate training in leadershipand management suggests that employees are beginningto put a premium on such training as a way to improvethose skills.

The narrative comments in the 2004 survey also tellus that we need to do more to improve the quality andquantity of family member employment opportunities;bring overseas pay for Foreign Service employees intoline with the pay for employees based in Washington;and continue our efforts to minimize the culturaldivides that can separate our Civil Service and ForeignService employees and our Foreign Service specialistsand generalists.

These comments may not surprise any of us, but theissues they raise are not easy to resolve. In the Bureau ofHuman Resources, we are working hard to improveemployee employment opportunities overseas. We haveregistered some successes in recent years through newprograms such as the Spouse Network AssistanceProgram that uses local employment advisers to helpspouses find jobs on the local economy. And we all havean obligation to fight the false images that divide us intocategories as we work to honor the Secretary’s conceptof “one team, one mission.” Our people are confirmingthe value of that idea every day as they work together athome and abroad to a common end.

Once we have completed our analysis, we will post theresults on the bureau’s intranet page. We also conduct-ed a survey of junior officers earlier this year. Nearly1,000 replied, and we will be looking carefully at thatdata to see what it tells us about some of our newestemployees. ■

The 2004 EmployeeSatisfaction andCommitment Survey

DIRECT FROM THE D.G.AMBASSADOR W. ROBERT PEARSON

PROFILES IN SERVICE

8 STATE MAGAZINE

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Who would voluntarily trade the sophistication andculture of a coveted Paris assignment for a dusty circustent and Turkish toilet in Iraq? Not to mention a mon-ster workday that chops a novice diplomat’s compensa-tion to about the minimum wage.

Leslie Ordeman, for one.Fresh out of diplomacy school, he’s the political

adviser for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq’sQadisiyah Governorate, about 112 miles south ofBaghdad. Among his unexpected diplomatic tools are a9mm pistol, ceramic-plated vest and Kevlar helmet.

Mr. Ordeman joined the Foreign Service with mili-tary and Middle East experience. In 1992 he trainedmembers of Kuwait’s armed forces in weapons and tac-tics and spent time in Yemen, Tunis and Egypt. Just as hewas about to become a political officer in Paris, a cableasking for Iraq volunteers caught his attention.

“I had to accept it,” he recalled. “They wanted peoplewith experience in the military and in the region. I knewthat the State Department was having trouble fillingthese slots.”

Mr. Ordeman grew up in Colorado and lived in NewYork City for 10 years. Before joining the ForeignService he worked on a Columbia University researchproject documenting the city’s Muslim population.

In Iraq, Mr. Ordeman works with the provincialcouncil, a body of 40 Iraqis representing the gover-norate. He assisted with the governor and deputy gover-nor’s election and reviews ministry budgets. Much ofhis work involves building the council’s credibility.

“It is really a win-win-win situation: The councilgains legitimacy and the people of Diwaniyah get bettersewage systems, drinking water, bridges and schools,” hesaid. “At first it was difficult. They didn’t fully under-

Diplomat Postpones ParisHE TRADED A DREAM JOB TO HELP REBUILD A NATION BY DAVID STAPLES

Leslie Ordeman, center, presides over a governor’s ceremony.

9JUNE 2004

stand their function as representatives in government.”As the council gains more resources and responsibili-ties, Iraqis will look less to the Coalition ProvisionalAuthority and shoulder more of the burden themselves,he added.

Since Mr. Ordeman arrived last December, residentshave been doing just that. Up to that point, membersdidn’t know each other. They didn’t meet. There was nooffice space and the council had no idea what its rolewould be. “Now they work together, meet twice a week,and they have half of a provincial building dedicatedfor their work and ready for their next meeting.They’ve received $500,000 and have identified 17 proj-ects to fund.”

He said his original living conditions would probablybe considered somewhere between sub-par and unliv-able. “Fortunately, when one works 15 hours a day,seven days a week, there is little time to think about it.”

At first he worked out of a big, circus-like tent withplywood walls. He shared a dormitory room with twoothers and a bathroom sign that read, “Do Not Use theWater to Brush Your Teeth.”

Now, Ordeman lives in relative luxury. “We have aprefabricated dining facility where food is actuallycooked on-site and I have a trailer with a shower and atoilet that I have to share with only one person. The tentis gone and our offices are now in the dormitory.”

What a difference a year makes.His office has two security teams. One is made up of

American and Chilean contractors. They guard thebuildings and protect the governorate coordinator anddeputy. The second team is made up of soldiers fromthe Dominican Republic. “This is the group I usuallytravel with,” he said.

Colleagues told Mr. Ordeman, who completed hisfirst year with the State Department in March, that histime in Iraq is worth 20 years’ experience in more tradi-tional assignments. He arrived in Iraq in December.

“How often does someone get to help formulate elec-tion rules for a gubernatorial race, or set up a governingbody? It’s a privilege. Thanks to this experience I’ll feelmore comfortable assuming responsibility in thefuture,” he said. ■

The author is a public affairs officer in the Office of IraqReconstruction.

EMPLOYEE PROFILEName: Leslie Ordeman

Age: 34

Position: Political Adviser, QadisiyahGovernorate

Grade: FS-4

Education: Master’s in international affairs,Columbia University

Previous assignment: Studying French at FSI

Reason for serving in Iraq: “Since I had theexperience and skills the Secretary was look-ing for in Iraq, I thought I could help.”

Leslie Ordeman, seated, second from left, assists at a council meeting.

Fireworks light the nightsky during a celebrationin Colombo.

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

BY TERESA MANLOWE

It’s not easy to describe Sri Lanka. Tourism ads proclaim it

“a land like no other.” Is it the pearl of the Indian Ocean or

the teardrop off India’s coast? Is it delightful Serendib, an

unexpected gift, or the Ceylon of sapphire and tea fame? Is

it Sri Lanka, home of the terrorist Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam or beneficiary of billions of donor dollars for its com-

mitment to peaceful resolution of conflict?

As with many contradictions about Sri Lanka,

these are all true.

COLOMBO

12 STATE MAGAZINE

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What’s been billed as “the best place in South Asia tolive” is also the site of a brutal 20-year war that leftapproximately 64,000 dead. The country that spawnedthe word “serendipity” is also the home of some of theworld’s most devastatingsuicide bomb attacks.The migration of peopleinto and around theisland has created today’smultilayered patchworkof Sinhalese, Sri LankanTamils, Indian Tamils,Muslims, Buddhists,Hindus, Christians,Parsees, Dutch Burghers,Veddahs, expatriates and,increasingly, tourists.

Sri Lanka leads theregion with strong devel-opment ratings in litera-cy, life expectancy, lowinfant mortality and percapita income. The pop-ulation of Colombo, thecapital, has the highest

income and educationlevels in the nation.The capital is a lovelycity with shady resi-dential streets, busycommercial districtsand a swath of greenbordering the sea.Buildings are paintedrainbow colors andthe traffic congestioncould be worse.Elephants and oxcartsare common. Theroads, however,especially outsideColombo, need repair,as does much of thenation’s infrastruc-ture. Now that peacehas come, water andpower projects aregetting plenty ofattention fromdonors, but progress

is slow.The U.S. Embassy and American Center sit on the

coast looking toward the Republic of Maldives, 400miles to the west. The embassy is responsible for that

Above: Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead and NGO Director K.S. Lankathilake open a USAID housing reconstruc-tion project to build 100 homes in Deniyaya province. Below: Fishing cooperative members in Puttalam,north of Colombo, listen as USAID donates fishing boats to a war-affected Muslim community that is helpingits members regain lost livelihoods as peace takes hold in the country.

13JUNE 2004

A T A G L A N C E

SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2003

Country name: Sri Lanka

Capital: Colombo

Government: Republic

Independence: Feb. 4, 1948 (from theUnited Kingdom)

Constitution: Adopted Aug. 16, 1978

Population: 19.7 million

Religions: Buddhist, Hindu, Christianand Muslim

Land mass: 40,768 square miles

Approximate size: Slightly larger thanWest Virginia

Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

Exports: textiles, apparel, tea, diamonds

Export partners: United States, UnitedKingdom, Belgium and Germany

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Forceand police force

island nation as well, requiring officers to travel therefrequently. While providing relief from the tropicalheat, salty sea breezes degrade facilities and keep themaintenance staff busy. Buddhist and Hindu temples sitnext to mosques and churches. New stores, restaurantsand coffee shops have opened with no sign of the cur-fews and wartime roadblocks. Shopping remains afavorite pastime of the local and expatriate population.

After years of conflict, a ceasefire agreement signed inFebruary 2002 brought peace between the Tiger terror-ists and the government. Six rounds of peace negotia-tions were concluded before talks were suspended in2003. Now, pending a final peace settlement, the TamilEelam exercises de facto control in parts of the Northand East. During the war, much of the island was off-limits to residents and foreigners. After the ceasefire,many visited those areas for the first time in 20 years.

In late 2001, a new Sri Lankan governmentemerged—one committed to resolving the conflict in apeaceful manner and promising to pursue major eco-nomic reforms. In response, the U.S. governmentincreased its level of bilateral engagement, seeing aunique opportunity for early involvement in the resolu-tion of a seemingly intractable situation. If Sri Lankacould settle its conflict peacefully, it could be a modelfor the region and the world.

As the nation debated the political structure of aunited island, the embassy hosted an expert in federal-ism and representatives from former warring parties inNorthern Ireland, South Africa, Guatemala and ElSalvador.

The embassy is working with Japan, Norway and theEuropean Union to lead the international community’ssupport for peace. At a June 2003 conference in Tokyo,donors pledged $4.5 billion to Sri Lankan rehabilitationand reconstruction.

USAID supports the peace efforts with assistance tothe government’s Peace Secretariat, civil society andcommunity groups active in promoting peace. Tostrengthen the population’s commitment to peace, theagency has funded 126 projects that address thedestruction of jobs and infrastructure and violent con-flict between ethnic communities. Successful projectsinclude a Peace Village Sinhalese and Tamils are build-ing where members of both communities can live sideby side.

Thanks to combined U.S. and local health ministryfunds, with land donated by a mosque and labor by res-idents, a new clinic now serves internally displacedMuslims, local Sinhalese and Tamils.

14 STATE MAGAZINE

The embassy also coordinates the U.S. humanitariandemining efforts, bringing in teams of people, dogs andequipment to demine and train the army to detect andremove mines and unexploded ordnance left from thewar in the North and East.

Various religious, ethnic, familial and socioeconomicgroups make Sri Lanka a complex society. The LTTE, adesignated foreign terrorist organization, keeps every-one guessing about its ultimate intentions. The groupprofesses to be committed to a peaceful resolution, butMuslims in the LTTE-controlled North and East areconcerned about their rights and security. The“upcountry Tamils,” who arrived from India in the 19thcentury, are predominantly tea estate workers. Monks inthis mostly Buddhist country have become an increas-ingly influential political force, with some contendingsuccessfully in recent parliamentary elections. A formerradical group, the JVP, responsible for much violence in

preceding decades, also participated in the elections as alegitimate political party.

Tensions between the leaders of the two major par-ties, governing as president and prime minister, eruptedlate in 2003 and culminated in the president’s dissolu-tion of Parliament. Relatively peaceful elections wereheld April 2 as embassy staff joined domestic and inter-national representatives as monitors. Results portend asignificant change in both the style and substance ofgovernance. A new coalition must be established andthe new government will face the continuing challengeof bringing peace and economic development to thecountry.

A trade-based nation outside strategic shipping lanes,Sri Lanka is ideally situated to serve trade and transportneeds in the region and between Southeast Asia and theMiddle East. The government aspires to become a gate-way to India and a hub for the region. The United States

A contractor briefs Dean Thompson, head of the economics section, about training the Sri Lankan Army in humanitarian demining.

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is working with SriLanka to makeColombo the firstcontainer-security-initiative port inSouth Asia.

Sri Lanka is afounding memberof the World TradeOrganization andhas a reputation asa consensus builderand honest brokerin regional andm u l t i n a t i o n a lforums. It hadgained enoughattention and sup-port for its open,reform-or ientedpolicies to promptthe U.S. govern-ment to conclude aTrade and Invest-ment FrameworkAgreement and tocontemplate a FreeTrade Agreement.Other U.S. agencies, including the Departments ofAgriculture, Treasury and Labor and USAID, are activein the economic field.

American firms have recognized Sri Lanka’s emer-gence as a growing market and a gateway to India. Asmall but growing U.S. business community is becom-ing more active through the American Chamber ofCommerce. The business community works closelywith the embassy for policy and advocacy support.

Sri Lanka also hosts the International BroadcastingBureau. Located on a 410-acre coconut plantationmore than two hours north of the capital, the bureaubroadcasts in some 20 languages to the Middle East,Asia and East African countries, including Afghanistan,Iraq, Iran, China, Tibet, Burma and Vietnam. To main-tain their expansive facility, staff must contend withcobras, falling coconuts and corrosive sea air.

The Republic of Maldives is a coral atoll nation ofapproximately 1,000 islands, surrounded by azure seas.Officers commute by boat from one of the resortislands to the capital island, Male, home to most gov-ernment and commercial offices. It’s fun being dressed

in professional clothes, surrounded by tourists in resortwear. The booming tourist industry has made Maldivesthe wealthiest country per capita in South Asia and itwill soon lose its status in the U.N. as a Least DevelopedCountry.

Bilateral relations focus on human rights anddemocracy, economic growth, trade, militaryexchanges and customs cooperation. Economic growthhas prompted calls to reform the political system. Theembassy supports the efforts of a new Human RightsCommission and engages the government on issuesrelated to its impending graduation from least devel-oped status.

The United States sponsors a trade and catalogshow—the nation’s only annual commercial event—and provides consular services to Maldivians.

The meeting of cultures, stunning natural beauty, anexciting neighborhood and fluid politics make SriLanka and Maldives a fascinating assignment. ■

The author is an economic/commercial officer inColombo.

The IPC team in a trishaw, from left, James Keller, Bruce Begnell and Michael Haag.

16 STATE MAGAZINE

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

STORY BY WILLIAM ARMBRUSTER | PHOTOS BY JOHN WICART

Delivering America’s Message from Marrakesh to Bangladesh

Office of Near East andSouth Asia International

Information Programs

A young Middle Eastern man reads articles in Arabicabout the United States in hi magazine. Eager to learnmore about American notions of democracy, he attendsa lecture on the topic delivered at his university by anAmerican expert. Leaving, he takes a publication inArabic that explains the role U.S. government branches,interest groups and private citizens play in developingU.S. policy for the Middle East.

His newly gained understanding of the United States,in all likelihood, reflects the work of the Department’sBureau of International Information Programs.

IIP’s mission is to “promote U.S. policy and Americanvalues by engaging, informing and influencing interna-

tional publics.” The bureau does this through an arrayof products and services developed in coordinationwith field officers to reach foreign decision makers, theforeign press and broader foreign audiences. IIP’s geo-graphic and thematic offices work cooperatively toaccomplish its mission with digital videoconferences,print materials and electronic media in English, Arabic,Persian and other foreign languages and by sponsoringAmerican experts on speaking tours of the region.

The bureau’s Office of Near East and South AsianAffairs takes the lead in developing information prod-ucts and programs concerned with these regions. Itworks with other Department elements as well as with

Members of the staff meet with FSNs visiting from the Near East and South Asia to discuss events and trends within the regions.

17JUNE 2004

the Department of Defense, the U.S. Agency forInternational Development and the CoalitionProvisional Authority to explain U.S. government ini-tiatives in the two regions. The products help allDepartment employees explain U.S. policies to foreignaudiences.

hi magazine, and its associated web site,www.himag.com, seeks to establish an interactive dia-logue with young Arab readers as part of theDepartment’s broader agenda of developing civil socie-ty and engaging younger foreign audiences. Developedby IIP in July 2003, the magazine is a public-privateproject that covers many facets of American society,including music, sports, technology, careers, science andlifestyle.

hi is sold at newsstands in 19 Arab countries and isalso available in London and Paris. Negotiations areunder way to increase the number of markets. hi’s pop-ular, interactive web site attracted nearly 11,000 visitorsin March, five times the number who visited the site inJanuary. Readers ask questions on different aspects oflife in the United States and answers appear in subse-quent issues of the magazine.

“I want to thank all those involved in producing himagazine,” one reader wrote. “I would like to applaudthe recent changes made in the last issue, which broughtthe magazine one step nearer to the needs of the Arabreader. It was a pleasure to note that the changes madeemanated from the requests of your own readers. Thismeans that the magazine respects its readers.”

IIP uses traditional and modern means to reach itsforeign audiences, keeping abreast of the Internet as itbecomes more widely accessible. In addition to receiv-ing hard copies of information products, foreign audi-ences can visit IIP web sites and subscribe to a numberof different listservs that allow them to receive the infor-mation they seek instantaneously.

The principal IIP web site is usinfo.state.gov. Theteam maintains a variety of region-specific web sites.The Washington File is a key IIP product, an officialcompendium of U.S. policy-related documents andstatements that serves as an electronic record of U.S.policy and a valuable information resource for foreignaudiences and Department employees alike. TheWashington File is sent electronically to field officerswho, based on local conditions, may wish to printand distribute it manually or electronically to their keycontacts.

The content of IIP’s Middle East and North Africaweb site ranges from major policy addresses on the two

regions by President Bush and Secretary Powell to staff-written articles covering political, economic, culturaland social issues. The office’s writers travel inside theUnited States and beyond to gather information andconduct interviews for articles covering importantevents and projects sponsored by the U.S. government.

IIP/NEA-SA translates U.S. policy statements andother materials into Arabic and Persian for target audi-ences. Timely translations are critical to ensuring wide-spread dissemination of the message. The office’s lan-guage experts translate key documents into Arabic andPersian. These documents are immediately available toforeign audiences via electronic media. IIP’s Persianweb site has become the number one link in Google’s

Persian language search engine for the generic term“Middle East Peace” and nearly 600 non-U.S. web siteshave linked to this IIP site.

In the absence of an official U.S. presence in Iran, theIIP Persian web site serves as a virtual embassy and cul-tural center for hundreds of thousands of Iranians withaccess to the Internet. One young Iranian reader wroteto the Persian web managers, “Your site is really usefulfor improving the relationship between Iranian peopleand [the] U.S. government. I sent your site address tomost of my friends.” Who could ask for better evidenceof IIP’s success in bridging this political and culturaldivide?

Amina ElBishlawi, one of six Arabic translator-editors, translatesan article using a split English and Arabic computer screen.

18 STATE MAGAZINE

IIP products appear regularly in foreign newspapersand posts often report their use in overseas radio andtelevision broadcasts. One brazen Pakistani journalistreprinted a full article in his country’s largest English-language daily under his own byline.

The office plays a critical role in supporting theDepartment’s efforts in Iraq. Working with the policyand public diplomacy staffs of the Bureau of NearEastern Affairs, IIP has created specialized materials forthe Arabic and Persian web sites on U.S. initiatives inIraq requested by the Coalition Provisional Authority.The articles convey positive U.S. developments in Iraqbased on the CPA’s four key priority areas: essentialservices, governance, economy and security. Otherresource materials have been developed for field offi-cers. IIP works with other Department elements todetermine how best to convey to foreign audiences theU.S. government’s transfer of authority in Iraq.

The staff manages several sections of USINFO ontopics such as the new Iraq, Iraq update, rebuildingAfghanistan, the Middle East vision for the future,

response to terrorism and Middle East free trade. Thesesites (see box) feature photo galleries that complementstaff articles or provide a visual information library.

One of the office’s newest and most visited sites is“The New Iraq: Progress and Accomplishments,”offered in English, Arabic and Persian. Launched inSeptember 2003, the site highlights recent progress inIraq in the CPA’s four major categories. Materials forthese “factoids” come from several government sources,including the White House, the Department, USAID,the Coalition Provisional Authority and theDepartment of Defense.

Not all of the office’s products are electronic. IIP’sbook translation programs, pamphlets and fact sheetsdeliver information about the United States, its society,values and policies in the most portable, long-lastingformat: the hard copy printed page. Working withembassies in Cairo and Amman, the office funds thetranslation into Arabic of American books dealing withtopics such as democracy building, conflict resolution,bilateral U.S. relations and, increasingly, titles of interestto the young, successor generation. The most recent,specialized publication focuses on the fundamentals ofdemocracy for use in Iraq outreach programs.

Still, the most effective and engaging diplomacy isconducted face-to-face. IIP manages a U.S. speaker-specialist program that sends U.S. experts in a variety ofpriority fields to discuss critical issues with foreignaudiences. The process is a collaborative effort involvingU.S. embassies and IIP geographic and thematic special-ists. These programs offer firsthand opportunities forU.S. experts and their foreign counterparts to exchangeideas on topics of mutual interest.

In December 2003, Margaret Badran, a senior fellowat Georgetown University’s Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, traveled to western India todiscuss contemporary issues and challenges facingMuslim women. To packed audiences of Muslim and

Above: Siham Wehbi, one of the three Arabic web editors, reviews articlesfor the Arabic web site, http://usinfo.state.gov/arabic/. Below: RaphaelCalis is the editorial adviser for hi, a monthly cultural magazine targetedto readers age 18-35.

19JUNE 2004

For more information on the Bureau of International Information Program’s Office of Near Eastand South Asian Affairs and its many products, visit the following IIP web sites:

usinfo.state.govwww.himagazine.com

The New Iraq: Progress and Accomplishments:http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/middle_east_north_africa/new_iraq.html

Iraq Updatehttp://usinfo.state.gov/mena/middle_east_north_africa/iraq.html

Rebuilding Afghanistanhttp://usinfo.state.gov/sa/rebuilding_afghanistan.html

Middle East Vision for the Futurehttp://usinfo.state.gov/mena/middle_east_north_africa/me_vision.html

Response to Terrorismhttp://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/

Middle East Free Tradehttp://usinfo.state.gov/mena/middle_east_north_africa/us_me_free_trade.html

List of Publications in Englishhttp://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs

non-Muslim intellectuals, think-tank members andprofessionals from all walks of life, she articulated thehopes and aspirations of modern Muslim women andworked to overcome misconceptions about genderissues in Islam.

Thanks to Ms. Badran’s presentations, several promi-nent Indian print and television media circulated herviews to the wider Muslim community in India, further-ing U.S. efforts to encourage gender equality around theworld and build bridges with Indian Muslims.

Increasingly, digital videoconferences allow speakersto engage their audiences from afar.

The Department’s Bureau of InternationalInformation Programs is at the forefront of governmentefforts to convey U.S. policies, initiatives and values toforeign audiences. The office is charged with developingways to ensure that these messages are appropriatelyand broadly disseminated in the Near East and SouthAsia. It is a daunting but rewarding task for the 20 pro-fessionals in this diverse office. ■

The author is the deputy director of the office of NearEast and South Asia in the Bureau of InternationalInformation Programs. Mohammed Rahawi edits an article translated into Arabic.

MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE

20 STATE MAGAZINE

It seems obvious.What better place to search than

the Southwest and the University ofTexas if you’re interested in luringHispanics to the State Department?

For sheer numbers, it can’t bebeat. More than 50,000 students areenrolled at the Austin campus.

To tap that talent, Oliver Garza,a former U.S. ambassador toNicaragua, is connecting theregion’s Hispanic community withthe university as a diplomat-in-res-idence. Mr. Garza is one of 17diplomats who promote the StateDepartment to minority popula-tions, particularly on campuses.

Although quantity may be what’sobvious, there’s another reason Mr.Garza finds Texas appealing: thetop 10 percent of the state’s stu-dents can gain automatic admis-sion to the University of Texas atAustin, considered the flagshipschool of the Texas universitysystem.

“The University of Texas has thebest-qualified Hispanics,” he said.“They’re well-prepared kids.”

And in addition to meeting someof the Lone Star State’s brighteststudents, Mr. Garza praises the uni-versity’s Lyndon B. Johnson Schoolof Public Affairs for providingvaluable guidance to those consid-ering a diplomatic career. “The LBJSchool prepares students for theoral presentations, just likeHarvard, Princeton and Yale.”

Mr. Garza recruited at the LBJSchool and at the university’s

School of Physical Science duringtwo recent job fairs. TheDepartment competed with suchindustry giants as Microsoft and

IBM. Like a billboard, the recruit-ing table backdrop with the officialseal drew both the curious and theknowledgeable.

Oliver Garza, diplomat-in-residence at the University of Texas in Austin, discusses State Departmentcareers with potential applicants.

Lone Star SearchDEPARTMENT LOOKS TO TEXAS FOR MINORITY RECRUITS

STORY AND PHOTOS BY PAUL KOSCAK

21JUNE 2004

Mr. Garza answered questionsabout the Department’s mission, itsrole in fostering peace and careeropportunities. Other visitors simplystuffed the Department’sbrochures, handouts and pens intoshopping bags already crammedwith the literature and trinkets ofpotential employers.

“I’d need to think about it more,”one hesitant student remarkedwhen asked if she might sign up forthe Foreign Service exam.

Dimas Turcios, a senior majoringin math, said he’d like an intern-ship. He prefers a Civil Service posi-tion in mathematical modeling thatwouldn’t require him to live over-seas.

Senior Steve Ou, a computer sci-ence major, wasn’t sold. “I want tolive in one place and have a normallife.”

Undeterred, Mr. Garza saidrecruiting is about long-term rela-tionships, making connections withcommunity leaders and gettingreferrals. Sometimes, he even bringsan intern to help make the pitch.“Students can relate to their peerseasier.”

For those unfamiliar with theState Department, Mr. Garza sharesthis anecdote: “The one thing I cansay is ‘I work for Colin Powell.’ He’sthe trigger. I might have to explain

other things further, but now theyknow what I’m talking about.”

The diplomats-in-residence pro-gram gives ambassadors and otherseasoned employees an opportunityto teach, network and recruitthroughout a geographic regionusing the college or university as ahub. Under the arrangement, theDepartment pays the diplomat’ssalary, benefits and travel expenses.The university provides an office towork from. Mr. Garza also lecturesin San Antonio, his hometown, andat St. Mary’s University and theUniversity of Texas in San Antonio.

A department employee since1971, Mr. Garza recruits extensivelythroughout Texas, visiting manyheavily Hispanic cities such asHouston, Laredo, Brownsville andEdinburg. He uses his ownHispanic background and fluencyin Spanish to connect with poten-tial recruits.

“They see that I can go back andforth from English to Spanish andfrom Spanish to English when Ispeak—just like they do,” he said.“You can see the reaction and theirimmediate connection.”

Mr. Garza admits Hispanicscould be more aggressive in theirverbal skills. Many who pass theForeign Service exam do poorlyduring the interviews, he said.

“They’re passive by nature. That’swhere they tend to fall back.”

Other hurdles are citizenship andfamily ties, noted Harby Issa, ahuman resource specialist anddiplomat-in-residence recruiter, ashe planned a recruiting trip toChicago to visit the Society ofProfessional Hispanic Engineers.

“The number of Hispanicsapplying has increased,” he said.“You find qualified applicants, butmany are not citizens,” he said.“Many are also reluctant to leavehome.”

The word Hispanic, now a com-mon part of the lexicon, has aninteresting legacy. Coined by a fed-eral panel during the 1970s, it wasfirst officially used during the 1980census to better describe America’sSpanish-heritage population, whichdefies any racial or ethnic defini-tion. Hispanics are people ofMexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban andCentral or South American or otherSpanish culture or origin, accordingto the 2001 U.S. Census Report. Theterm, nevertheless, can spark con-troversy among these very popula-tions, who see their nationalitiesbeing absorbed into a homogenousgroup. Still, the word itself is olderthan America. The Romans calledSpain’s Iberian Peninsula Hispania.

The Department spent nearly $2million in salaries, marketing andadvertising recruiting Hispanics lastyear. Considering Hispanics makeup just over 12 percent of the U.S.population and only 57 percentolder than 25 have a high schooldiploma, the effort paid off well: In2003, almost 5 percent of newForeign Service officers and 9 per-cent of all new Foreign Service spe-cialists were Hispanic. ■

The author is a writer/editor forState Magazine.

22 STATE MAGAZINE

Plato, left, and Aristotle fromThe School of Athens by Raphael.

The Greek poet Homer gave us the word and concept for mentoring. In hisclassic work, the Odyssey, when Odysseus left to fight in the Trojan War, heentrusted his household to Mentor, who also taught and oversaw the Ithacaking’s son, Telemachus.

Father and son were eventually reunited and in time the word mentor becamesynonymous with trusted adviser, friend, teacher and sage.

History offers many examples of productive mentoring relationships: Socratesmentored Plato; Haydn mentored Beethoven and Freud mentored Jung.

At its most basic level, mentoring is a fundamental form of human develop-ment where one person invests time, energy and personal know-how to assistanother’s growth and development.

Mentoring is alive and well at the State Department, according to the follow-ing articles by those involved in shaping the Department’s future. —Editor

23JUNE 2004

Leadership begins with buildingtrust, according to Secretary Powell,and “we cannot hope to earn thetrust of this nation or the worldwithout building trust within ourown walls. Trust is generated whenyou look after the welfare of yourcolleagues.”

That’s what mentoringis all about. The StateDepartment’s futuredepends on supportingthis concept. “Wheneveryou see the opportunityto mentor,” advises theSecretary, “do so.”

Mentoring can providea positive introduction tothe State Department fornew employees, helpacclimate them to a newcareer and, for ForeignService colleagues, to anew lifestyle. Professionaldevelopment mentoringcontinues throughout acareer.

Bill Murad, a newForeign Service officer,said, “I have had manymentors during my shorttenure and three reallystand out. One encour-aged my interest in the ForeignService; one stimulated interest andeagerness to serve in my chosencareer track; and one was assignedas my formal mentor from A-100.”

The Bureau of Human Resourcesmanages the Department’s formalmentoring program. ForeignService generalists and specialistscan request mentors through theirorientation programs at FSI. TheCivil Service mentoring program

pairs mentors and protégésthroughout the year. Generalists areassigned a class mentor, usually anambassador stationed inWashington, D.C., after completingtheir initial training. This practicewill soon be a standard for enteringspecialists as well.

Every new Foreign Serviceemployee who seeks a mentor getsone. Bernadette Cole’s coordinatingoffice takes into account the pro-tégé’s personal situation and profes-sional goals. Mentors come from allranks, career tracks and specializa-tions. In FY 2003, 98 percent of thenew Foreign Service specialists and75 percent of the A-100 officersrequested and were assigned men-tors. Some mentors volunteer and

are assigned multiple protégés.Sometimes, the mentor isn’t a goodmatch. When that happens, a newmatch is arranged.

Ambassador Maura Harty, assis-tant secretary for Consular Affairs,said, “I think it’s important toremember that mentoring is almost

always a win-win scenario. I helpnewer colleagues by advising orsimply listening to them when theyneed to talk through a problem or achallenge. To be trusted in that wayis a privilege.”

If you’re interested in becoming amentor or building a professionaldevelopment program, you canchoose from a variety of sources.Get ideas from existing programs.For example, visit the new

Mentors Keep Colleagues on TrackBy Deborah Graze and Anna Borg

24 STATE MAGAZINE

Cheryl Bodek, a junior officer in Manila, briefs third-country consuls on American Citizens Services in the Philippines.

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To volunteer as a mentor for new Foreign Service personnel in Washington, contactBernadette Cole at (202) 647-4047or via e-mail at Colebs@state.gov.

To start a mentor and professional development program at your post, explore what otherposts have done and review some basic information on entry-level assignments, tenuring andevaluations. A packet is available under “What’s Hot” on the Department’s Intranet site athttp://intranet.state.gov/. Other useful sites include:

http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/cda/EL_Prof_Dev.htmlhttp://website.wha.state.gov/Leadership/Mentoring.htm The Leadership and Management School at FSI offers training in mentoring of new employ-

ees as part of the Deputy Chief of Mission seminar, the leadership and management seminarsand a new course on coaching and mentoring. Check out the FSI/LMS web site for details athttp://fsi.state.gov/fsi/lms/default.asp .

For more resources, visit the Department’s Website under the Center for AdministrativeInnovation at http://irmcstbcntsq.irm.state.gov/acai/.

For a broader range of materials, visit www.govleaders.org.

“Mentoring and ProfessionalDevelopment” link in the “What’sHot” section of the Department’sIntranet home page. TheLeadership and ManagementSchool web site offers a reading list,courses and a link for confidentialadvice. The Center forAdministrative Innovation, also onthe Department’s Intranet web site,is a good source, too.

Ambassador Nancy Powell, whowon the 2003 Arnold Raphel Awardfor the mentoring program inPakistan, said, “Mentoring for TeamPakistan comes with some chal-lenges brought on by the one-yearassignments and unaccompaniedtours, but is seen by the front officeas a vital part of every supervisor’sresponsibilities.”

Manila’s mentoring program forentry-level officers blossomed intoregular one-on-one coaching,allowing entry-level staff to take onmore responsibility. The most suc-cessful effort was an institutional-ized and transparent rotation sys-tem for 25 entry-level officers on

consular tours to work for about sixmonths in a section of their choice.As one wrote, “Manila’s JO rotationwas a fantastic opportunity to tryout my cone.” Another said, “Theconsular work here is demanding,

but I think the rotation system hasreally boosted morale.”

Kali Jones, a first-tour ForeignService officer in Ho Chi Minh City,said, “The front office believes thatjunior officers do important work.

Ambassador William J. “Bill” Hudson, center, has a “round table” discussion with junior offi-cers in Tunis.

They have always included us in thework that goes on here.

Don’t wait until you’re a deputychief of mission or chief of missionto mentor. Share your experienceand insights with interns, newcom-ers and colleagues in the sectionyou manage. Post managers canpromote mid-level mentoring bymentoring mid-level colleagues andencouraging them to mentor entry-level staff.

“Everyone can be a mentorregardless of rank, cone or spe-cialization. Mentoring is a won-derful way to be a leader anddevelop leadership skills,” accord-ing to Ambassador PrudenceBushnell, dean of the Leadershipand Management School.

Under the DiplomaticReadiness Initiative, mentoringgot a head start. After candidatespassed the Foreign Service oral

exam and before they entered theirinitial training, recruiting staffanswered their questions and wereavailable to discuss the hiringprocess and careers in the ForeignService. The mentoring helpedretain candidates who might other-wise have quit.

Christiana Foreman had a men-tor from a previous class. The per-son acted as her sponsor and intro-

duced her to FSI, where she is a stu-dent. Prior to beginning orienta-tion, each new A-100 class memberreceives a welcome letter from thesponsoring mentor class.

“I’ve heard wonderful thingsabout mentoring. I know from myown experience that it really helpedallay my fears and uncertaintiesabout embarking on this adventureof a lifetime,” Ms. Foreman said.

26 STATE MAGAZINE

Above: Bernadette Cole, who coordinates mentoring for the Foreign Service, discusses the program with a group of new specialists.Below: Ambassador Nancy Powell, fourth from left, and Deputy Chief of Mission Bill Monroe, left, mentor new employees Kimberly Jones,Rachel Doherty and Rusty Barber.

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Bill Murad, a new junior officer,said, “So far, everyone I have met ina senior role in the Foreign Servicehas been willing to mentor andhelp. This is how communicationshould work in the StateDepartment hierarchy and it’sproof that the people in the upperranks care deeply about how newemployees are faring.”

Successful mentoring and profes-sional development programs arein every region, from Quito toManila and in Washington, D.C.Senior Foreign Service and CivilService colleagues in their bureausare assisting some of the 35 first-tour junior officers currently serv-ing in Washington. HumanResources also sponsors a monthlyroundtable for junior officers.

Beth Payne, consular affairs offi-cer, said, “I was fortunate to haveinformal mentors throughout mycareer. I’ve always encouraged newjunior officers to find a project theycan accomplish in one year that willdemonstrate their writing and lead-ership skills. A mentor can help ajunior officer brainstorm aboutsuch a project. Projects also grantrelief for JOs in a visa mill and pro-vide opportunities to go out intothe community.”

One new chief of mission com-mented: “Through my two pro-tégés, I have had the opportunity toask probing questions and getinsightful answers about the moti-vations and attitudes of the newgeneration entering the ForeignService. As I prepare to run a mis-sion composed largely of just suchcolleagues, this informal soundingboard is proving invaluable.”

Ambassador Nancy Powellnoted, “I am constantly remindedhow much my mentors, especiallyAmbassador Arnie Raphel, meantto my development both as a

Foreign Service officer and a per-son. I hope that I can play the samerole for those now joining ourranks. It’s a tremendous responsi-bility to help shape those that fol-low, but also great fun.”

To be an effective mentor, youmust commit time and energy to

the relationship. It’s not enough justto invite your protégé to call anytime. Mentors need to initiate con-tact periodically. Nalini Rhea, anoffice management specialist in theBureau of Economic and BusinessAffairs and mentor to six new officemanagement specialists, suggeststhe following time line:• Orientation/training period: with

protégé, review post report,embassy makeup, help draft let-ters to post, go over shipment list;

• Three weeks after arrival at post:check in via e-mail;

• Six weeks: encourage review ofwork requirements;

• Six months: listen to the enthusi-asm and the confidence;

• EER season: offer help as a realitycheck with EERs;

• Holidays and vacations: sendgreetings, check on general wel-

fare and keep the lines of com-munication open.Most of all, keep in mind the role

of a mentor is to teach, listen andadvise. Give your protégé a sense ofthe big picture. Both mentor andprotégé must have realistic expecta-tions. Invest the needed time and

make the effort to communicateand stay in touch.

Marc Grossman, under secretaryfor Political Affairs, said: “I’ve bene-fited a lot from mentors throughoutmy career and I’ve tried to pay thisback with mentoring others. I don’tdo nearly enough. I hope everyonewill take the time to mentor andhelp others. It makes us all astronger, better team.”

Mentoring is the legacy the gen-eration that won the Cold Warpasses to the generation of diplo-mats fighting the global war on ter-rorism.

Ms. Graze and Ms. Borg are ForeignService officers working in theBureau of Human Resources on theDiplomatic Readiness Initiative andEntry-Level Career DevelopmentProgram, respectively.

27JUNE 2004

Don’t wait until you’re a deputy chief

of mission or chief of mission to mentor.

Share your experience and insights with

interns, newcomers and colleagues in the

section you manage. Post managers can

promote mid-level mentoring by mentor-

ing mid-level colleagues and encouraging

them to mentor entry-level staff.

“

”

28 STATE MAGAZINE

“Mentoring is something we canall do,” according to DirectorGeneral W. Robert Pearson, “andanyone who’s been a mentor orprotégé can vouch for how reward-ing the relationship is.”

Why devote time to mentoring?Those who come after us are theDepartment’s future and their pro-fessional development only makesthe Department stronger.

Good supervisors everywheremake time to mentor their employ-ees, sharing insights about organi-zational structure, function andvalues—what is rewarded and pun-ished—and helping employeesdevelop the skills for success. Many

employees have been fortunateenough to benefit from either aone-time boost or informal men-toring with its long-term relation-ship built on mutual trust, respectand sharing of ideas and experi-ence.

The Civil Service mentoring pro-gram is a structured approach thatmatches Civil Service and ForeignService volunteers with Civil

Service protégésfrom entry levelto GS 14. Pilotedin the Bureau ofConsular Affairsin 2002, the pro-gram’s 180 par-ticipants gradu-ated in May. Thisyear, nearly 300volunteer men-tors have justcompleted theirorientation atthe ForeignService Institute.

Mentors andprotégés meet upto four hours per

month and attend four groupforums. Protégés are required towrite an action plan for the year.Twice a year, supervisors review theprogram. Those outsideWashington attend the initial train-ing and return for one evaluation

session and conduct most of theirindividual sessions online or byphone.

In rapidly changing workplaces,mentors can pass on the skillsrequired to deal with change. Thisbecomes critical as the baby-boomers begin to retire or employ-ees change jobs, and even careers,several times in their lifetimes.Mentoring helps pair them with theright people, the right skills and theright work environment.

While structured mentoring pro-grams require more commitmentand oversight, there are benefits. Inaddition, in our high-tech culture,it gets people away from their desksand computers and instills socialskills such as teamwork and navi-gating the system—skills bestlearned through interaction.

Does it work? Here are whatsome protégés had to say:

“It helps you to focus on yourgoals and have someone encourageyou to achieve them.”

“My mentor asked me to conductinformational interviews. Thosecontacts are essential to my profes-sional growth and development.”

“I have developed specific skillsin international negotiation and mymentor has exposed me to an areaof the Department I find excitingand challenging. My horizons haveexpanded.”

Program MatchesCivil Service Employeeswith Civil and ForeignService Mentors

Mentor Janice Burke, center, engages protégés Monique Dorsey, left,Jacqueline Hill and Nathalie Stevens.

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“I’ve learned a lot more aboutmyself, my strengths, my weak-nesses and my aspirations.”

How do mentors feel about theprogram?

“I’m clarifying some of my ownexperiences and opinions as Iexpress them in a mentoring situa-tion.”

“I got positive feedback and sin-cere appreciation for even the

smallest suggestion. Actions,processes and insights I considerinstinctive and routine werereceived as novel and innovative.”

“I increased my listening andmanagement skills.”

“It helped me to better under-stand the challenges some peopleencounter and how willing someare to improve themselves.”

What do supervisors thinkabout the pro-gram?

“I observedincreased confi-dence in theprotégé’s abilityto plan and exe-cute work andwork as a teamplayer.”

“The protégébecame morefocused andanalyzed herp r o f e s s i o n a loptions.”

“The protégé has been takinginitiative in new areas, and I wouldrecommend the program to othersto encourage better performance.”

“I observed an increased respon-siveness and eagerness to under-stand and appreciate others’ per-spectives.”

“The Department of State sup-ports mentoring because mentor-ing helps the protégés—providingopportunities to build both com-petence and character,” observedUnder Secretary for ManagementGrant Green at the 2004 kickoff. “Italso helps the mentors developtheir leadership skills, includingcoaching and articulating theirown role in the organization.”

For more information on theCivil Service Mentoring Program,visit http://hrweb.hr.state.gov/csp/cs_mentoring.html. ■

The author coordinates the CivilService Mentoring Program in theBureau of Human Resources.

Above: Mentors Celine Neves, center, and Bob Franks mentor protégé Ellyn Hagy. Below: The author speaks at the mid-year forum.

30 STATE MAGAZINE

A Farewell to ArmsNew Directions in Arms Control By Stephen G. Rademaker

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The atomic age brought on the ColdWar and tension between the Soviet-ledWarsaw Pact members and Westernforces led by the United States.Containing the nuclear genie meant lotsof hard-nosed negotiations and treaties.Secretary of State John Foster Dullesreflected those grim times when he toldthe United Nations General Assembly“…there is no problem which compareswith this central, universal problem ofsaving the human race from extinction.”

With the Cold War and the SovietUnion gone, new ways to keep armsgrowth in check are emerging. Instead ofconfrontation, high-level summits are built on partner-ships, cooperation and mutual interests. With nuclearconfrontation between the United States and Russiaextremely remote, the Arms Control Bureau is aban-doning familiar Cold War tactics such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a step made possible with thenew, more cooperative partnership we’re establishingwith Russia.

In this new era, the U.S.-Russia relationship will be animportant, but not all-consuming, part of our armscontrol agenda. Arms control treaties can still have theirplace in our bilateral relationship. For example, by 2012the Moscow Treaty will reduce nuclear forces on bothsides by about two-thirds. But we are seeking to replacea treaty-based relationship with one more typical offriendly countries, one based on shared objectives,cooperation, openness and predictability. This newfoundation was embodied in the Joint Declaration onthe New Strategic Relationship, signed in May 2002 byPresidents Bush and Putin. It has allowed us to pursuecooperative projects in the area of missile defense—cooperation prohibited under the ABM Treaty—and tobegin making openness on missile defense and offensivenuclear weapons a normal part of our relationshiprather than something that needs to be negotiated. Ourgoal is to build a relationship like the one we have withfriendly nuclear powers such as Britain and France. Thiswill take time and effort.

New threats have emerged in the 21st century, in par-ticular, terrorism and the spread of weapons of massdestruction and their delivery systems. These are globalchallenges. We have made it a high priority to seek com-pliance with existing agreements such as the Biologicaland Chemical Weapons Conventions and to improveenforcement. The bureau now maintains offices in The

Hague, Geneva and Vienna to handle an array offorums, and we now have an ambassador to theChemical Weapons Convention. The bureau is workingto bring other arms control-related organizations, suchas the Conference on Disarmament and the UnitedNations First Committee, more in step with the securi-ty challenges we face.

Arms control has three goals: to make war or conflictless likely; to make war or conflict less destructive, if itdoes occur; and to reduce the costs of armaments. Thisyear, I worked with John Bolton, under secretary forArms Control and International Security, in our ongo-ing dialogues with China, India and Pakistan. Drawingon experience developed in the Organization forSecurity Cooperation in Europe, the bureau is workingwith regional security organizations and interestedstates to prevent conflict and promote regional cooper-ation and stability in Africa, Latin America, theCaribbean, Asia and the Pacific. The bureau’s previousEuropean focus has been replaced with interaction andcooperation with virtually every regional bureau in theDepartment.

While the bureau’s priorities and geographic focushave changed, the work force hasn’t. The bureau wascreated in 1999 when the Arms Control andDisarmament Agency merged with the Department.The agency was built on a strong foundation of CivilService personnel and military officers with technicaland scientific skills to support detailed arms controlnegotiations. As the bureau’s priorities change, we needto complement our traditional work force with person-nel who have more diverse diplomatic experience andgeographic knowledge. ■

The author is assistant secretary for Arms Control.

Above: Ambassador Donald Mahley, right, senior representative to Libya, with MatuqMuhammad Matuq, head of Libya’s nuclear and scientific training programs, sign documents.Opposite page: Destroyed chemical weapons in southern Libya.

NEW DIPLOMATIC SECURITY ISMORE ACTIVE AND INVOLVED

Paul Davies, Diplomatic Security special agent, keeps watchduring a protective detail.

By Darlene Kirk

Whether it’s nabbing criminals,hunting down terrorists or safeguard-ing American diplomats, the Bureauof Diplomatic Security continues toevolve in a changing world—particu-larly during the past four years—while improving the way it doesbusiness.

Its 1,420 special agents, along withthe bureau’s cadre of diplomaticcouriers, security engineers, techni-cians, civil servants, Foreign Serviceofficers and contract employees, aswell as Marines and Navy Seabees—

all 32,500 staff—work toward onegoal: providing a safe and secureenvironment to conduct foreign poli-cy. And the bureau doesn’t do it allalone. More than ever, DS shares itsresources with numerous local, stateand federal law enforcement agenciesto accomplish its mission.

Diplomatic Security’s major role isinvestigating visa and passport fraud.Last year the bureau’s investigationssurged by 144 percent and arrestswere up by 81 percent from 2002. Inthe past six months, DS agents made262 passport and 29 visa fraud arrestswhile working with the Justice

Department to tough-en sentencing. That’sbecause visa and pass-port fraud is usuallypart of a larger crime,such as trafficking inwomen, children andnarcotics; terrorism;child molestation andparental kidnapping.

Working with theU.S. Marshals, DSarrested more than100 fugitives overseasand returned them toface justice. Thosereturned included apedophile on the lamfor 13 years, a formerstate senator who stolethousands of dollarsand two thugs wantedfor drug trafficking,sexual assaults andmurder.

The bureau is expediting securityclearances. New measures includeelectronic processing and grantingreciprocal clearances to employeesalready holding clearances fromother agencies. Employees can nowmonitor their clearance applicationsonline and get guidance onobtaining new and renewed clear-ances at www.state.gov/m/ds andhttp://deweb state.gov/pss.

Overseas, the bureau’s regionalsecurity officers advise the ambassa-dor on security and, along with theMarine Security Guards and otherlocal security forces, protect employ-ees. DS engineers and technicianssupport the regional security officerswith information management andinfrastructure. In Afghanistan, theyprovided reliable electricity, securitycameras and a 12-foot protective bar-rier at the 130-acre presidentialpalace when agents occupied thecompound. The bureau also sharessecurity information with more than2,300 American companies andorganizations doing business abroad.

Throughout the Department thebureau’s office of investigations andcounterintelligence protects StateDepartment communications frombeing tapped by foreign intelligenceorganizations.

Although Secretary Colin Powell’sprotective detail is perhaps thebureau’s most visible function, DSagents also protected 124 dignitarieslast year. Among them were the DalaiLama, Yasser Arafat and U.N.Secretary Gen. Kofi Annan. DS con-

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tinues to protect AfghanPresident Hamid Karzai,but it’s training morethan 150 Afghans to dothe job.

Through its Office ofForeign Missions, DSprotects Americans fromforeign diplomats livingin the United States whoabuse their diplomaticimmunity. It also negotiated with theTransportation Safety Admini-stration to secure special airport-screening courtesies for high-levelforeign visitors.

Last year, the bureau’s diplomaticcouriers delivered more than 3.5 mil-lion pounds of classified material and2 million pounds of controlled mate-rial on 3,600 trips. Couriers use mili-tary and commercial flights to delivertheir pouches to some of the mostremote and hostile areas of the world.One trip can involve as many as 20stops in two weeks.

DS is aggressively working to pro-tect the Department against terroristattacks. Since the beginning ofSecretary Powell’s tenure, DS andOverseas Buildings Operations haveimproved security at overseas mis-sions, schools and residences. DS also

offers rewards for information lead-ing to the capture of terrorists or pre-vention of international terrorismagainst American citizens or proper-ty. The Rewards for Justice programpaid out an unprecedented $30 mil-lion for information leading to Udayand Qusay Hussein. It also helped innabbing international terrorist RamziYousef, convicted in the 1993 bomb-ing of the World Trade Center.Secretary Powell authorized a rewardof up to $25 million for informationleading to the capture of Osama binLaden and other key al Qaeda leaders.

The bureau’s office of antiterror-ism assistance provides counter-terrorism training for foreign civilianlaw enforcers. Courses include inci-dent response; executive develop-ment; nuclear, chemical and biologi-cal weapons; and post-blast investiga-

tions. Among the 18,824officials from 71 coun-tries trained duringSecretary Powell’s tenureare the Indonesian emer-gency workers andcrime-scene investigatorswho responded to the2003 Marriott bombingin Jakarta and theColombian anti-

kidnapping police units who this yearrescued two American hostages.

At home, DS protects more than100 facilities, including the Harry STruman Building and Departmentannexes throughout the country. Itprovides chemical and biologicaltraining and maintains a canine unitto detect explosives and 750 uni-formed officers who patrol and con-duct investigations.

The bureau is currently completingsecurity measures for the U.S.Embassy in Baghdad and is trainingstaff assigned to Iraq on living safelyin high-threat environments. Part ofthe curriculum includes evasive driv-ing and firearms training. ■

The author is a public affairs officerassigned to the Bureau of DiplomaticSecurity.

While terrorism, drug trafficking and passport fraud are keeping Diplomatic Security agents andtheir supporting specialists busier than ever, the future is far from certain.

Hiring gaps throughout the past several decades have created an unbalanced bureau dominatedby a three-generation work force often at odds in its perceptions and expectations of theDepartment’s security force.

At a three-day conference in Washington, D.C., Francis Taylor, assistant secretary for DiplomaticSecurity, told more than 350 senior bureau managers it’s time to forge a common vision and not for-get that DS staff are part of the Foreign Service and subject to random moves as Department needsdictate. Some agents, he said, perceive their positions as specialists and balk when reassigned tonew jobs and locations.

The bureau spends more than $1 billion each year on its 32,500 employees and contractors toensure the safety of Department employees throughout the world.—Aria Lu

Security Culture Must Change

Foreign police officers receive instruction at the bureau’s traning center inAlbuquerque, N.M.

34 STATE MAGAZINE

Making MedicalClearances Easier

FREEPAIN

FREEPAIN

By Anne Saloom

35JUNE 2004

M E D I C A L R E P O R T

The Office of Medical Services, which processes 25,000clearances yearly, has some tips to make issuing your med-ical clearance easier.

All new Foreign Service applicants and eligible familymembers must complete a pre-employment physical exam-ination. The Office of Medical Services’ exam clinic at SA-1can conduct these exams. An employee may choose a pri-vate physician or, if already overseas, a post health unit.Applicants should contact their parent agency’s humanresources staff about scheduling and funding a pre-employ-ment clearance exam.

Employees assigned to Iraq on Department-funded“invitational” orders or traveling to Afghanistan for morethan 60 days must have either a physical examination ormedical clearance update. Those traveling to Iraq onCoalition Provisional Authority orders, or any otheragency’s orders, are required to have either a medical clear-ance exam or a medical clearance update for temporaryduty assignments of 14 or more consecutive days. Mostemployees assigned to Iraq must get to post quickly andneed a speedy turnaround of their medical clearance. Thisis not a problem. Call the examination clinic at (202) 663-1779 and schedule an appointment. Again, employees mayalso go to their own health care provider or an overseashealth unit.

Begin the medical clearance update process early—aboutsix months before home leave. This departs from previousadvice, which required exams to be scheduled no earlierthan 90 days before an employee’s departure date.

Discuss your current medical clearance with your healthunit staff or, if you’re posted in the United States or at a mis-sion with no health unit, contact the medical clearances sec-tion, your regional medical officer or a Foreign Servicehealth practitioner.

Decide whether you want a full physical exam or simplythe medical clearance update. Again, overseas health units,the Medical Services’ exam clinic or your own health careprovider may complete your physical exam.

When Medical Services changed the clearance process tofocus on health promotion, the office developed theMedical Clearance Update Form or MCU DS-3057. Thisform gives employees and eligible family members a chanceto have their health status reviewed at the same time theirmedical clearance is determined. It permits diagnosticscreening tests such as pap smears, mammograms, PSAs orcolonoscopies, and any tests normally required as part of afull physical examination.

The medical clearance update process is voluntary. It maybe used for those with a worldwide-available Class 1 or lim-ited Class 2 medical clearance. Anyone who has a limited

(non-Class 1) medical clearance must document currentand chronic health problems, including treatment plan ofcare and recommended follow-up. The MCU cannot beused for pre-employment or separation clearances.

Complete and sign the two-page DS-3057. Document allhealth mainte-nance tests—pap smearresults, specialtyconsultations,test results andcomments onexercise and diet.

Health unitpro-viders atpost can reviewthe MCU withyou and advise ifyou need addi-tional diagnostictests before you can be cleared. Medical Services recom-mends that all health promotion and maintenance screen-ing appropriate to the employee’s age be performed.Medical Services pays for these tests when they are com-pleted as part of the medical clearance update. If thesehealth maintenance tests are not completed, the employeeor family member may still receive a medical clearance.

The clearances section is now located in State Annex 15Aat 1800 North Kent St., Arlington, Va. (the second stop onthe Department’s Rosslyn shuttle). The new phone numberis (703) 875-5411 and the fax number is (703) 875-5414.The OpenNet e-mail address is Medical ClearancesWashington.

Where there is no health unit, the completed MCUshould be faxed to (703) 875-4850, Medical RecordsSection, or mailed to Medical Records, Office of MedicalServices, 2401 E St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20522. Pleasedo not send duplicate copies.

Medical clearances are valid for two years or the tour ofduty, whichever is longer. Clearances for assignments toIraq or Afghanistan are exceptions. Direct transfers do notrequire medical clearance unless the person has a limitedClass 2 medical clearance. In such cases, post approval,based on an updated MCU (including treatment plan ofcare) is necessary. As always, no medical clearance is neededfor domestic tours.

If you need more help, contact Medical Clearances. ■

The author is a Foreign Service health practitioner and chiefof Medical Clearances.

The Medical Clearances staff assemble in their newRosslyn quarters.

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Most Saturdays and Sundays, JonMartinson, the general services offi-cer at the U.S. Embassy in Lomé,Togo, West Africa, tests his diplomat-ic skills as a referee on the dusty,grassless football (soccer to U.S. fans)fields in and around the capital.

A U.S. Soccer Federation-certifiedreferee, Jon was eager to referee whenhe arrived at post in August 2002. Achance conversation with JoelLawson-Body, an embassy motorpool driver, paired him with the pres-ident of the Federation of TogoleseFootball. With a copy of theInternational Football Federation’sFrench language rulebook in hand,

Jon agreed to attend weekly refereetraining sessions. In doing so, heexpanded his contacts with Togoleseofficials and significantly improvedhis French football terminology.

During the fall of 2002, the retiredAir Force officer began refereeingDivision 2 and 3 Togolese FootballLeague games and numerous “friend-lies” for club teams. Fortunately, thefederation’s rules are applied world-

wide, so there was no difficulty inapplying them. Mandatory hand sig-nals and passable French overcameany issue when handing out “yellow”and “red” cards for fouls and seriouspenalties. And running the 8-10 kilo-meters per match in the African heathelped keep Jon in shape.

During the past 20 months, he hasrefereed more than 150 games inTogo. That’s because Togolese refer-

Jon Martinson presents uniforms to David Kossivi Reinhardt, president of the TogoleseFootball Federation. A referee association in Chantilly, Va., donated the uniforms.

the ShotsHe Calls

Diplomatically

36 STATE MAGAZINE

PEOPLE LIKE YOU

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ees have difficulty obtaining properequipment and uniforms. Jonresponded by contacting his refereeassociation in Chantilly, Va., for help.Alan Liotta, the association’s presi-dent, liked the idea and two youngmember referees, Alex Cunninghamand Christopher Liotta, collecteduniforms and money for the Togoleseassociation.

Thanks to their efforts, in March

2004, Jon donated more than twodozen sets of uniforms and $300 tothe Togolese Referee Association inthe name of the Chantilly YouthAssociation Referees.

This fall, the military officer-turned-diplomat moves to London,where he plans to continue his refer-eeing and where the language barriershould be less daunting. ■

37JUNE 2004

Jon Martinson, center, referee-general services officer, stands between linesmen Justin Azeza,left, and Kouami Adraki before a soccer game in Lomé.

38 STATE MAGAZINE

By Rob Hallen

In 1996, while I was stationed in New Delhi, col-leagues asked me where I planned to retire. “Tombstone,Ariz.,” elicited strange looks and such comments as “Ithought that was only a TV or movie town, not a realplace.”

Well, it is definitely a real place. Silver was discoveredhere in the 1870s and for a while it was the largest townwest of the Mississippi. The deeper the mines went,however, the more underground water was encountereduntil the mines were flooded and eventually closed.Most of the population moved away, but “the town tootough to die” survived. Until 1929, it was the seat ofCochise County.

Today, Tombstone is a thriving town for tourists look-ing for Western lore, especially the legendary gunfight at

the OK Corral. It also attracts retirees and visitors fromthe colder climates up north. Seems like a new homeappears every day. Tombstone is on the high desert, at4,650 ft. above sea level, and the climate is much milderthan in Tucson or Phoenix. The population is about3,000 and the next town is 25 miles away. With covered-board sidewalks and false-fronted buildings, the town

looks pretty much as it didmore than 100 years ago.

Why did I chooseTombstone for my retirementhome? Well, I first came tothis area in 1958 when theArmy stationed me at FortHuachuca, 25 miles away.After my discharge, Ireturned to my home inSouthern California. Tenyears later I decided theremust be a healthier, saferplace to live so I moved tosoutheastern Arizona. It hasbeen my home ever since,even during the 18 years Ispent in the Foreign Service.

My wife and I live on a five-acre hilltop three miles fromtown. We have a 360-degreeview of the mountains some30 miles away. When I wasasked what my other choices

as a retirement location were, I answered, “I don’t haveany other choices. I have traveled in 48 states and 106countries and there is no other place I would rather be.”

You can reach the author at rodhigh@mind-spring.com. ■

Editor’s note: Our Town is an occasional feature aboutretirees and their choice of retirement spots. If you’dlike to contribute, please write or e-mailstatemagazine@state.gov.

Welcome to Tombstone

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Lawrence F. Bowlding Jr., 43, aCivil Service employee, diedfrom a severe heart attack onNov. 8, 2003, at Howard CountyGeneral Hospital in Columbia,Md. He joined the Departmentas a 16-year-old part-time stu-dent employee in the mailroomof the Bureau of Oceans andInternational Environmental

Scientific Affairs. He became a full-time employee in1979 and was an intelligence operations specialist in theBureau of Intelligence and Research at the time of hisdeath. Mr. Bowlding and his wife Antoinette werelicensed as ministers in the Beyond the Veil WorshipCenter in 2001. He was appointed to the church’s pas-toral staff two years later and served as assistant pastorand minister to men.

Leroy F. “Bud” Day, 88, a retiredForeign Service officer, diedMarch 15 in Sarasota, Fla., after along illness. After serving in theU.S. Army during World War II,Mr. Day joined the Departmentin 1947 and was posted to Bonn,Accra, Paris and Lagos, where heheaded the administrative sec-tion. He retired in 1972 to Mt.

Airy, Md. His son Terrance M. Day is a retired ForeignService officer.

Angelina “Angie” Garcia, 63, aretired Civil Service employeeand former director of the U.S.Information Agency’s office ofpersonnel, died March 14 ofmetastatic breast cancer inMelbourne, Fla. She entered gov-ernment service as a GS-4 clerk-stenographer in USIA’s motionpicture division and quickly rose

to higher-level administrative positions. In 1977, shewas appointed personnel director of the agency, a posi-tion she held until her retirement in 1986.

Donald Wesley Goff, 66, a retiredForeign Service officer, diedMarch 19 at home in PanamaCity, Fla. He had 39 years ofcombined federal service, 21years in the U.S. Air Force andanother 18 with the Depart-ment. Mr. Goff ’s Foreign Serviceassignments included Canada,the United Kingdom, Turkey,

Germany, Panama, Zaire and South Africa. After retir-ing from the Foreign Service in 1994, he moved to hisbirthplace and worked in the Florida Department ofCorrections for another six years.

Eva C. Manderino, 85, a retiredForeign Service employee, diedApril 6 of ovarian cancer at thehome of her niece in Boston. Shejoined the U.S. InformationAgency in 1954 as an administra-tive secretary and served in KualaLumpur, Leopoldville (nowKinshasa), Brussels, Colombo,Nicosia and Seoul. She earned a

special commendation for “heroic courage and patriot-ism” during the 1960 rioting in the Belgian Congo. As aregional post management officer in Beirut, she traveledthroughout the Middle East for USIA. She was executiveofficer at her last post in Bogotá in 1975.

Warren W. “Bill” McCurdy, 67, aretired Foreign Service officer,died March 8 in Escondido,Calif., of complications related toAlzheimer’s disease. He joinedthe U.S. Information Agency in1966 and worked as a writer-editor for embassy-sponsoredmagazines in Mexico City,Vienna, New Delhi and Tunis.

He retired in 1991. During his long battle with the dis-ease, Mr. McCurdy participated in Alzheimer’s researchand was the subject of a chapter in Lisa Snyder’s book,Speaking Our Minds: Personal Reflections fromIndividuals with Alzheimer’s.

O B I T U A R I E S

40 STATE MAGAZINE

O B I T U A R I E S

Bernice Marie Quander Miles, 86,a retired Civil Service employee,died March 8 in Washington,D.C. A Bureau of ConsularAffairs employee, Mrs. Milesresponded to passport inquiriesfrom other government agencies,congressional offices, travelagencies, private citizens andembassies and consulates in

Washington, D.C. She retired in 1976 after some 34years with the federal government. A proud member ofthe historic Quander family, one of the country’s oldestdocumented African-American families, Mrs. Milescould trace her family’s arrival in Charles County, Md.,to 1684.

Patrick D. O’Boyle, 54, a retiredDiplomatic Security specialagent, died Jan. 7 of heart failureat his home in Michigan City,Ind. Before joining theDepartment, Mr. O’Boyle servedas an officer in the Marine Corpsfrom 1972 to 1988. His servicewith Diplomatic Securityincluded assignments to

Yugoslavia, Germany, Kuwait, Lebanon, Haiti, Panama,Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Thailand andWashington, D.C.

PERSONNEL ACTIONS

IN THE EVENT OF DEATHQuestions concerning deaths in service should be

directed to the Employee Services Center, theDepartment’s contact office for all deaths in service:Harry S Truman Building, Room 1252, Departmentof State, Washington, DC 20520-1252; (202) 647-3432; fax: (202) 647-1429; e-mail: EmployeeServicesCenter@state.gov.

Questions concerning the deaths of retired ForeignService employees should be directed to the Office ofRetirement at (202) 261-8960, Retirement@state.gov.

Questions concerning the deaths of retired CivilService employees should be directed to the Office ofPersonnel Management at (202) 606-0500, orthrough their web site at http://www.opm.gov.

Aleshire, Marilyn E.Burruss, Julia MaeCarlin, Robert L.Dahl, Alan F.Daly, Patrick JosephDobson, Richard B.Duff, Kenneth T.

Frank, Bruce L.Goss, Charles F.Hatchett, Adrienne B.Hopkins, Gwendolyn A.Moore, MargueriteMount, Gay WilliamNasri, Fares Z.

Nicholson, Sandra L.Paz, Maria TeresaThomas, GeraldineTingle, Lydia W.Weiss, Anne E.

Arriaga, Robert D.Burkhart, Robert L.

Montgomery, William DaleWest, Audrey M.

FOREIGN SERVICE RETIREMENTS CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENTS

Department of State, USABureau of Human ResourcesWashington, DC 20520

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