The Foreign Service Journal, April 2019

52 APRIL 2019 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA Greets Newest Foreign Service Specialists On Feb. 7, AFSA welcomed the members of the 151th Specialist Class to its head- quarters building in Wash- ington, D.C. Twenty-three class mem- bers have joined Diplomatic Security, while another 15 are office management spe- cialists. The remaining class members are split among various other specialist tracks. Table hosts included former Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Greg Starr, retired Senior Foreign Service Specialist and Special Agent Steve Kruchko, Ambassador (ret.) Jay Anania and AFSA Foreign Commercial Service Vice President Dan Crocker. Hosts talked to the newest Foreign Service members about the functions of AFSA in its dual role as a profes- sional association and labor union. More than 80 percent of this class joined AFSA. Welcome to the Foreign Service! n AFSA FCS Vice President Dan Crocker chatting with class members. Diplomatic Security Special Agent (ret.) Steve Kruchko talking with new DS agents. FS Day: Letters to the Editor Are Back As in previous years, AFSA is encouraging retired members to place a letter to the editor in their local paper during the week of April 29, which includes Foreign Service Day. You’ll find the basic template below—we’ll also send it to retirees by email—and we hope those willing will edit the letter to fit their personal circumstances and local community. As always, let us know if a placement was successful by emailing us at press@afsa.org. u To the Editor: As someone who retired from [agency] after [xx] years of ser- vice, and as a resident of [city/town], I am proud to have been a member of the U.S. Foreign Service. However, I’m sometimes surprised at how little is generally known about America’s diplomats. We serve at 270 posts around the world, often in hard and sometimes dangerous places, working to protect America’s people, interests and values. In 1996, the United States Senate designated the first Friday in May as “American Foreign Service Day.” It is on this day that members of the Foreign Service around the world and here at home come together to recognize and celebrate the thousands of people who commit their lives to serving the U.S. abroad and the impact their work has on us all. This year, that day is May 4. This week is therefore an ideal time for any- one interested in what diplomats do and why it’s important to learn more about the 16,000-member strong United States Foreign Service. I consider myself lucky that my colleagues are hard at work around the world, constantly seeking to promote U.S. policies, level the playing field for U.S. businesses, open markets for U.S. agriculture, and achieve wins for America. With all the threats to U.S. security and prosperity out there, I hope my fellow citizens appreciate the U.S. Foreign Service and agree that, in order to maintain American global leadership, we must field a top-notch diplomatic team, or risk forfeiting the game to our adversaries. Name City AFSA/DONNAGORMAN AFSA/DONNAGORMAN