The Foreign Service Journal, April 2017

46 APRIL 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL The interviews also shed light on the day-to-day work of embassy employees that rarely makes the news—how consular officers assessed the revolution’s impact onmigration patterns through interactions at their visa windows; the unique challenges for regional security officers (RSOs) protecting U.S. officials, including congressional delegations, while they visited protests; or the emotional story of one Locally Employed staffmember, mobi- lized into the Ukrainianmilitary to help fend off Russian aggres- sion, who received assistance fromhis fellow local staff colleagues so he could be properly outfitted when he deployed to the front. We recorded each interviewwith audio and video equipment and produced transcripts that participants could review. What resulted was hours of useful material that provide an unusually detailed look at diplomacy and the diplomat’s life, as seen through the eyes of diplomats themselves. Continuing the Story, and Stories I amnowworking with ADST to find the right venue for these materials, including choosing excerpts that could be released or exhibited to educate the American public about the historic work the Foreign Service, and the U.S. government more broadly, per- formoverseas. While my initial motivations for the project were based on interest in preserving history and educating the public, I came to learn that the simple act of sitting down and talking about one’s experiences can have unexpected benefits. Many participants told me it felt refreshing to get out of their day-to-day grind and have a chance to reflect, even if for only an hour, on their experiences at post—to gather their thoughts and develop a comprehensive view of their assignment. For others, just participating in the project was cathartic after such a stressful year. Given howmany of my colleagues benefited from their par- ticipation in the project, perhaps as an organization we should consider adopting oral history as a formof exit interview at more posts—particularly ones that have faced a crisis—as a way to bring assignments to a close in a manner that affirms the experiences and contributions of all our employees overseas. n The interviews also shed light on the day-to-day work of embassy employees that rarely makes the news.