The Foreign Service Journal, March 2010

8 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A R C H 2 0 1 0 dience always seemed interested in my experiences at posts where I had served. More importantly, however, on many occasions the people I met in the Pacific Northwest would remark that they were pleased to discover that one of their own was a member of the For- eign Service. They had always heard that only the sons and daughters of the East Coast elite were in the Service. In recent years, the managers of State’s public affairs program appear to have developed the attitude that it’s okay for the Foreign Service to present America’s policies to the world, but its members should be kept away from the American public. That may be why there is no budget to do public affairs the old-fashioned way. David Reuther FSO, retired Fairfax, Va. Remembering John Leavitt I would like to inform readers of the death of John H. Leavitt, a colleague and friend to many of us in the Foreign Service community. John died onDec. 31 inNewHamp- shire at the age of 91. We knew him mainly from his 15 years of service at U.S. embassies in Tehran, Athens, An- kara and Tel Aviv during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Whether at a country team meeting, on the tennis court, at a diplomatic reception or at the bridge table, John was a formidable partner and opponent. He was also an excellent friend. My wife, Anne, and I met John more than 40 years ago while serving in Ankara. There was a great difference in our respective ages: John had been a Royal Air Force bomber pilot — his targets included the battleship Tirpitz and the Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden — while I was still in diapers. There was an even greater difference in our ranks: John was head of a very large and active CIA station, while I was a green third secretary on my first assignment with State. Somehow those differences did not matter. John and his wife imme- diately befriended us and included us in their family’s many adventures. We re- mained close friends until his death. At John’s request, mourners ended his funeral service with a lively rendi- tion of the British World War II song, “Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye.” That was a classy exit for a very classy public servant, and a won- derful person. James A.Williams FE-MC, retired Arlington, Va. USAID Needs Language Training, Too Thank you for the December Pres- ident’s Views column addressing For- eign Service readiness, especially the language shortfall. I am a new FSO with USAID and have noticed that many USAID posi- tions are not language-designated. I agree with AFSAPresident Susan John- son that language proficiency is critical to the success of every Foreign Service member, since we all share some level of diplomatic duty and representation. For example, I am a technical officer who can expect to interact with govern- ment officials and folks in civil society. I encourage AFSA to support the creation of more language-designated positions for USAID (accompanied by language training at FSI), in addition to what the association is already support- ing for the State Department. Palak Shah FSO, USAID Foreign Service Institute Arlington, Va. ■ L E T T E R S The Foreign Service Journal welcomes brief, focused letters from readers. (In general, 200 to 400 words is a good target.) All submissions are subject to editing, and reflect the opinions of the writers, not necessarily the views of the Journal , the Ed- itorial Board or AFSA. Please send your letters to: journal@afsa.org . Dear Readers: In order to produce a high- quality product, the FSJ depends on the revenue it earns from advertising. You can help with this. Please let us know the names of companies that have provided good service to you — a hotel, insurance company, auto dealership, or other concern. A referral from our readers is the best entrée! Ed Miltenberger Advertising & Circulation Manager Tel: (202) 944-5507 E-mail: miltenberger@afsa.org You Are Our Eyes & Ears!