The Foreign Service Journal, January 2008

S P E C I A L S E C T I O N F OREIGN S ERVICE M EMBERS S PEAK O UT ON D IRECTED A SSIGNMENTS / 15 F O C U S O N P T S D & t h e F o r e i g n S e r v i c e E DITOR ’ S I NTRODUCTION / 26 How big a problem is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the Foreign Service? By Steven Alan Honley P OST -T RAUMATIC S TRESS D ISORDER : A G UIDE / 28 Understanding what is happening when you or someone you know reacts to a traumatic event will help you be less fearful and better able to cope. By Raymond M. De Castro, M.D. R ECOVERY : W HEN S URVIVING I SN ’ T E NOUGH / 35 My PTSD came about due to a posting in Iraq, yet State left me to fend for myself when it came to seeking treatment. By Rachel Schneller N OT O NLY FOR C OMBAT V ETERANS / 42 PTSD is not a new phenomenon within the Foreign Service. Nor do its effects ever entirely dissipate. By Kristin K. Loken E NCOURAGING E MPLOYEES TO S EEK H ELP / 46 State officially assures employees that undergoing mental health treatment will not affect their clearances. But is that really true? By Anonymous F E A T U R E S E CHOES OF THE P AST / 50 More than 30 years after the Vietnam War, Americans once again are tilting at windmills to confirm our preconceptions about democracy and freedom. By Dell F. Pendergrast “P AINTING THE S KY ”: A S CHOOL G ROWS IN A CEH / 53 In the wake of the 2004 tsunami, a U.S. NGO collaborates with Indonesians to build a school that promises to have a lasting effect. By Margaret Sullivan C ONTENTS January 2008 Volume 85, No. 1 Cover and inside illustration by Ian Dodds P RESIDENT ’ S V IEWS / 5 Bench Strength By John K. Naland L ETTERS / 7 C YBERNOTES / 11 M ARKETPLACE / 12 B OOKS / 73 I N M EMORY / 75 I NDEX TO A DVERTISERS / 83 R EFLECTIONS / 84 A Cross-Cultural Friendship By Rachel Midura J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 3 J O U R N A L OREIGN ERVICE S F