The Foreign Service Journal, May 2009

M A Y 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 Congrats for Failure? As I read the March FSJ here in Kabul, I was disappointed when I got to the AFSA Annual Report, particu- larly the Year in Review. Granted, I have only been a paying member of AFSA for four years, but since when does any union pat itself on the back for not getting a job done? After reading the article on the overseas pay gap detailing the failed at- tempt to secure equality for those serv- ing overseas, I again ask why I pay membership dues to an organization that continues to fail at one of the most important morale issues facing the Foreign Service. Sure, AFSA made strides toward bridging the gap by gaining support in the House and Senate, but at the end of the day, the gap is still there. If a union is going to congratulate itself for its per- formance, shouldn’t it have accom- plished the task? After all, results are what we pay for, right? Steven D’Angelo Special Agent, Assistant Regional Security Officer Embassy Kabul On-the-Job Training for FS Doctors? Thanks to AFSA President John Naland for speaking out regarding the Office of Medical Services’ practices in his March President’s Views column, “To Your Health.” I would like to com- ment on MED’s practice of recruiting and assigning physicians who are not trained in tropical medicine to the most unhealthful posts in the world, on the assumption that there they will learn everything they need to know to oper- ate effectively as an FS physician. I am dismayed at the lack of ethics on the part of doctors who knowingly accept such positions, thereby putting Foreign Service families in danger of se- rious illness, or even lifelong disability. Such practices may provide MED with a cadre of ‘trained’ tropical medi- cine physicians, but often at irreparable cost to those Foreign Service person- nel and their families with the misfor- tune to serve at posts where such training takes place! Terese W. White-Henry USAID FSO, retired Carmel, Calif. Praise for the Global Nomad I want to thank Mikkela Thompson for her beautiful and thoughtful re- membrance and appreciation of our mutual friend, Norma McCaig (“Pas- sage of a Global Nomad,” February FSJ ). Mikkela speaks from her own perspective as a global nomad as she honors Norma. Norma McCaig’s unfailing devotion to bringing to light what psychologists, anthropologists, interculturists and oth- ers in the fieldmissed for so long— the unique dynamics that form the refer- ence frame for Foreign Service kids. She helped us in so many ways in our efforts to understand, support and ed- ucate parents. And she helped so many wonderful young people understand and appreciate the intriguing, disori- enting and challenging world into which their parents introduced them. Ray S. Leki Director, Transition Center Foreign Service Institute Passage to Proceedings As a former active-duty military of- ficer and current FSO who grew up in the shadow of SOUTHCOM overseas in Panama, I found Ambassador David Passage’s February Speaking Out col- umn, “AFRICOM & SOUTHCOM: Reliquaria from an Earlier Era,” excel- lent and thought-provoking. I urge Amb. Passage to forward his article to Proceedings magazine, an independent forum on national defense topics. Wilbur A. Velarde FSO Consulate General Ciudad Juarez Lt. Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve What About USAID? I thank Captain Sean Walsh for his article in the February Journal on “Im- proving the PRT-Military Professional Relationship.” His practical advice to Foreign Service officers serving on Pro- vincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq and Afghanistan will no doubt be help- ful to those serving in such countries. L ETTERS