The Foreign Service Journal, June 2017

52 JUNE 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS AFSA Book Notes: The Dust of Kandahar On April 6, AFSA continued its popular Book Notes series with a talk by Ambassador Jonathan Addleton about his book, The Dust of Kandahar: A Diplomat Among Warriors in Afghanistan (Naval Insti- tute Press, 2016). The book is a personal account of Amb. Addleton’s year of service as the senior civilian representative at the U.S. mission in southern Afghanistan. A career Foreign Service officer with USAID since 1984, he retired in January 2017. Amb. Addleton wrote The Dust of Kandahar in the form of a journal, to better allow readers to immerse themselves in the day-to-day experience of a tough assign- ment. An article he wrote for the October 2015 Foreign Service Journal became the book’s introduction. In writing the book, Amb. Addleton said, he sought to share the realities of the Foreign Service and show the civilian aspects of the war that he felt had been missing from previous coverage of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan. The book underlines the international nature of U.S. work in Afghanistan, as American military person- nel and diplomats worked alongside large numbers of Australian, Canadian and Romanian troops stationed in Kandahar. Together with local religious leaders and politi- cians, they worked to ensure transparent provincial elec- tions and combat the spread of polio (which remains common in that part of the world), among other chal- lenging tasks. Amb. Addleton spoke movingly of the many “ramp ceremonies” he attended as the senior civilian represen- tative for the Department of State in Kandahar, gathering at the airfield to load the cof- fins of fallen military person- nel onto transport aircraft back to the United States. The most poignant memory of his year in Kan- dahar was the tragic death of Foreign Service Officer Anne Smedinghoff, who was killed by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in Zabul (alongside three U.S. soldiers and a translator for the U.S. mission in Kanda- har). Amb. Addleton was with Ms. Smedinghoff when she was killed. Although he was not physically injured, the experience of the explosion and its aftermath profoundly changed him, he explained. During the discussion, Amb. Addleton touched on a number of other topics, including how to recognize and handle post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the difficulty of attempting “normal” consulate activities in an active war zone. At the beginning of his talk, Amb. Addleton had asked those present to raise their hands if they had served a tour in Afghanistan; approximately one-third of the audience did so. Many nodded in agreement as he ended his talk: “Afghanistan never leaves you, and that’s certainly the case for me.” A video of the event is available on the AFSA web- site, www.afsa.org/video. n —Gemma Dvorak, Associate Editor Ambassador (ret.) Jonathan Addleton speaks about his book, The Dust of Kandahar , at the AFSA Book Notes event on April 6. AFSA/GEMMADVORAK Friends and Family Honor Anne Smedinghoff’s Memory On April 6, friends and former colleagues of the late Foreign Service Officer Anne Smed- inghoff gathered at the State Department’s Harry S Tru- man building, to celebrate her life. Anne’s parents and sister Regina were also present. AFSA State Vice President Angie Bryan attended on the association’s behalf. Anne was a public diplo- macy officer working in the public affairs section of U.S. Embassy Kabul, where she helped to support Afghan women and children through sports, music and education and worked to build posi- tive relationships between Afghans and Americans. On April 6, 2013, Anne was one of five Americans killed in a suicide bomb attack in Qalat, Zabul Province. Her name is inscribed on the AFSAmemorial wall, next to other members of the Foreign Service who have lost their lives while serving the United States abroad. Director General of the Foreign Service Arnold Chacón read a statement