The Foreign Service Journal, March 2019

the hijackers had killed one U.S. serviceman, beat up some travelers, attempted to identify Jews on the plane and released a few passengers, all females. In Beirut, they still held 40 male passengers and the crew. FromDay One, we were working daily 12- to 14-hour shifts in the State Department’s Task Force area, attempting to track the movements of the plane and the status of the passengers, while working with the Special Operations Command of the Defense Department to find ways to bring the hijacking to an end. The work was stressful and the condi- tions chaotic. Each day we were more exhausted. Vice President George H.W. Bush had previously scheduled an official visit to seven European capitals for the last week of June. Terrorismwas not on the agenda, but this endless hijacking suddenly added a new dimension to his trip. Whether desired or not, counterterrorismwould be a topic at each stop. A few days before the June 23 departure date, the vice president’s office had asked the State Department for a terrorism expert to join the delegation. Since my boss, Robert Oakley, was the head of the task force, he couldn’t leave. He designated me, as his deputy, to THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MARCH 2019 49 GEORGE H.W. BUSH Diplomats Remember APPRECIATION A Man of Character By Parker W. Borg I was late—as I still often am. I needed to catch a plane at Andrews Air Force Base at 6:30 a.m., but wasn’t quite sure how to get to the terminal. Anna couldn’t believe I could get both the timing and the directions so confused. In my defense, I had been working hard the past few days, and the trip was a last- minute add-on to my schedule. Still, no excuse. I made it planeside about 10 minutes late. The aircraft was still on the ground, but took off as soon as I boarded. According to the protocol for such flights, the plane leaves when the head of the delegation arrives and has been seated, not when a minor staff member (me) shows up. After all, this was Air Force II (Air Force I being the president’s plane). It was June 1985. I was then working on counterterrorism at the State Department. On June 14, Palestinian hijackers had seized an American aircraft (TWA Flight 847) on its leg between Athens and Rome. The incident continued for the next 17 days as the hijackers shuttled the plane among Mediterranean capitals to avoid capture before landing it in Beirut. Over those days As the January-February issue went to press, President George H.W. Bush passed away. Throughout his life—as a member of Congress, ambassador to the United Nations and U.S. rep- resentative to the People’s Republic of China, and as CIA director, vice president and president, and well into his 90s—he crossed paths with and left an impression on so many in the diplomatic community. Here is a sampling of Foreign Service recollec- tions, including our own. –The Editors