The Foreign Service Journal, February 2013

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2013 9 their best shots with friends and col- leagues via your new Local Lens depart- ment. Stephen H. Grant FSO, retired Arlington, Va . No Thanks, Ike The Foreign Service Journal just keeps getting better and better. The November issue’s superb and fitting memorial to Ambassador Chris Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods was the most moving I’ve seen any- where. It reminded me of the many officers we’ve lost under tragic circumstances, includ- ing Steve Miller frommy own A-100 class. In the extensive “InTheir Own Write” section of the same issue, the write-ups of the books were effective summaries of their contents. But the standout was Dennis Jett’s engaging Speaking Out column (“Psst! Hey, Buddy, Wanna Buy an Ambassa- dorship?”), which called to mind some family history. Back in 1952, my father was offered the embassy in Brussels if he contributed $5,000 (big money then) to the Eisen- hower campaign. Dad said he thought Ike wouldn’t need his help. And besides, we’d never had problems with Belgium, so he didn’t want to jeopardize that envi- able record by being made ambassador! Congratulations to the FSJ staff and AFSA for producing such an important, useful and hard-to-put-down publication each month. Louis V. Riggio FSO, retired Hollywood, Fla . Please Report on Benghazi My December issue arrived while I was listening to comments on the Picker- ing-Mullen Accountability Review Board report and State Department testimony regarding the tragic events in Benghazi this past September. You could do AFSA’s membership a service by present- ing an analysis of the report and its implica- tions by people who know and understand the problems the ARB report identifies, and by including the perspec- tives of Foreign Service members who actually work overseas. While your new format is impressive, the real value of the Journal comes from the quality and relevance of the contents. I hope you will ensure that these continue to improve. JimThyden FSO, retired Edmonds, Wash . A Bad Decision I join current and former FSOs in mourning the untimely death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and his three colleagues. Still, I must ask a question: What in the world was Amb. Stevens doing in Benghazi, of all places, on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks? After all the security warnings and requests for more security from the ambassador and his regional security officer, why would he go there to dedicate some sort of electronic cultural center on that particular date? That decision just doesn’t make sense to me. With all due respect to the memory of Amb. Stevens, who by all accounts was