Posted on 10/31/2007 1:36:36 PM PDT by johnny7
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several hundred U.S. diplomats vented anger and frustration Wednesday about the State Department's decision to force foreign service officers to take jobs in Iraq, with some likening it to a "potential death sentence."
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.google.com ...
same here, I'll even carry weapons and pass the ammo, too. :D
That one phrase speaks so much to what is wrong with the petty independent kingdom known as the US State Department.
During the 2004 presidential campaign a group known as Democrats Abroad campaigned heavily for Kerry. I was convinced that most of the members of that group were state dept employees and members of various ngos. Of course, no ‘news’ agency ever investigated that group because they were probably participants if they lived abroad.
For example, the Tehran Times ran regular articles and letters to the editor in praise of Kerry. How many private industry Americans live and work in Iran?
Yesterday the 405 in the Sepulveda Pass was closed because a crane jack-knifed and burned. The guy died. 8 lanes of traffic shut down. They spent all day cutting it up with high pressure oxy-acet torches. It looked like a cheap crane to start with. To do a job correctly, you hire a 180 ton crane from Ventura that needs an escort. 16 Big tires and 2 guys driving that. It is bigger than 4 tanks. Come back to tell us what you saw. You may want to stay there rather than here.
It is not fair to damn everyone when it is a relatively small minority that is unwilling to serve voluntarily.
IIRC they only select about 1% of applicants for entry into the foreign service, so in the past people have been lined up a long way for the opportunity to pursue this career......... maybe this is a great time for some housecleaning in the State Dept. and we can find people who really want to serve their country ..... more than they care about sipping Sauvignon Blanc at EU cocktail parties.
This could be a great career opening for current and ex-military people who want a new challenge, want to switch gears to a different form of service to their country, etc. We can start by booting a few hundred Ivy Leaguers from their cushy careers and replacing them with military types who know something about patriotism, work, hardship, and fortitude!!
Reminds that when George Shultz took over as Secretary of State he’d call in this ambassador and that consul and ask them to point to “their country” on the map and they’d invariably point to France or Venezuela or China or whatever country they were assigned to. Then Schultz would stop them, slap a palm on the US of A, and say “No - THIS is your country.”
Just how many American diplomats have been killed there since 2003?
A class mate of mine was in Iran when it fell. He was a guest of the new regime until Nixon took office.
You must mean Reagan not Nixon.
Actually, State [DS] wanted to keep Blackwater. DOD is the one who wanted them gone because they viewed them as cowboys outside their authority.
On the other hand, sending a few of the whiners to Iraq could cause a ton of problems too...just ask Rob Noback or the Scooter...you need the right kind of foreign service worker for that post...
From an updated article by the same writer who made some corrections. The man’s name at State is Croddy.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1919211/posts
Many expressed serious concern about the ethics of sending diplomats against their will to serve in a war zone, where the embassy staff is largely confined to the protected “Green Zone,” and safety outside the area is uncertain while a review of the department’s use of private security contractors to protect its staff is under way.
“Incoming is coming in every day, rockets are hitting the Green Zone,” said Jack Croddy, a senior foreign service officer who once worked as a political adviser with NATO forces.
He and others confronted Foreign Service Director General Harry Thomas, who approved the move to “directed assignments” late last Friday to make up for a lack of volunteers willing to go to Iraq.
“It’s one thing if someone believes in what’s going on over there and volunteers, but it’s another thing to send someone over there on a forced assignment,” Croddy said. “I’m sorry, but basically that’s a potential death sentence and you know it. Who will raise our children if we are dead or seriously wounded?”
His remarks were met with loud and sustained applause from the approximately 300 diplomats at the meeting.
ping
As an active duty Foreign Service officer, I do believe in the “worldwide availability” nature of our profession. Most FSOs respect that requirement also. So far, to date, over a thousand FSOs have volunteered for duty in Iraq. This year marks the first time that any positions in Iraq have remained unfilled as the annual assignments season gets into high gear. The Department is indicating it may “direct” (order) non-volunteers into those positions if no more volunteers come forward. I think this is justifiable and should come as no surprise to anyone in the FS. The jobs are there; it’s important work; and the State Department needs to fulfill its commitments in Iraq as the US military has been fulfilling theirs.
I think my fellow Freepers should take the criticism levied at Director General Barnes yesterday with a grain of salt. The FS is accustomed to internal discussion and debate, and its true that it’s been a very long time since assignments were directed into an active combat zone. But I have no doubt that all (or almost all) FSOs that may end up being directed to Iraq will indeed go there. Sure, there’s a lot of criticism of Bush and Rice at the State Department, as there is throughout the foreign policy establishment in Washington (and that includes plenty of Republicans, folks). But the overwhelming majority of US professional diplomats are highly patriotic and mission-oriented, and they do view it as our duty to fill these posts in Iraq.
That’s the straight truth from inside the Foreign Service.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.