The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2014

54 JULY-AUGUST 2014 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS has come a long way—from, for example, not having a single female chief of mission to more than 40 today. He recalled that his father, FSO Richard Kerry, had worked in the 1950s for Clifton Whar- ton—who, at the time, was the only African-American FSO. The Secretary declared that the diversity of the United States is what makes our nation strong, and it is increasingly reflected in the Foreign Service. Sec. Kerry also empha- sized that the Foreign Service is not only important in maintaining diplomatic rela- tions with other countries, Gala continued from page 45 PHOTOS2 -10BYJOAQUINSOSA/AFSA but in promoting American ideals admired around the world. “We are working—all of us together—to try to create order where there is none, to bring stability out of chaos, to fix what is broken and to make this complicated world just a little bit less compli- cated and a lot more free. And that’s really worth the effort. Thank you all for being part of it,” said Kerry. Sen. Lugar, a former mem- ber and chairman of the Sen- ate Foreign Relations Commit- tee and the winner of AFSA’s 2005 Lifetime Contributions to American Diplomacy Award, conveyed his respect for AFSA and deep regard for the Foreign Service. Offering a lively account of his personal experience working with members of the Foreign Service in Ukraine in 2004, Sen. Lugar praised the “exemplary” performance of Ambassador John Herbst during the historic elections held at that time. Rep. Van Hollen, whose father spent 25 years in the Foreign Service, shared his admiration for American diplomats. “Growing up in the Foreign Service family gives you great appreciation for the energy, the talent, the creativity and the dedication that all of our Foreign Service members and their families bring to the job,” he said, and underscored the impor- tance of ensuring adequate resources for diplomacy. “It’s smarter to focus on peace than fighting wars around the world,”Van Hollen stated. His support for Ameri- can diplomats’ ability to get out of embassy compounds and engage foreign publics in a safe manner drew applause. Van Hollen also expressed gratitude for the work of Sec. Kerry and former Sec. Powell. But he noted that their diplomatic accomplish- ments would not have been DEPARTMENTOFSTATE 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 5