The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2017

10 JULY-AUGUST 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LETTERS Reading the FSJ Congratulations on making the entire archive of FSJ issues available online. This will make a valuable asset easily accessible for academicians and for any- one interested in exploring the history of our profession and our country. I sincerely hope, however, that you will not follow the example of State Magazine and replace the print edition of the FSJ with an online one. I used to read State Magazine avidly every month, always wanting to know, even in retirement, what my colleagues were doing to advance our interests at home and abroad. Alas, I have not read a single issue since the magazine aban- doned its print edition. The monthly email link goes unopened. The cold light of my computer is no equal to my comfortable reading chair in our sun room, where I hold each month’s FSJ in my lap, leaning back, not forward, turning the pages as I read in the soft light coming through our windows. Please stick with print. The Journal is a wonderful magazine. My wife and I look forward to reading it every month. Charles O. Cecil Ambassador, retired Alexandria, Virginia Global Health Includes Mental Health I want to thank The Foreign Service Journal for focusing the May 2017 issue on global health diplomacy. Having previously worked at USAID, I read the magazine diligently and was pleased to see global health featured. I wish, however, that the Journal had noted that May is mental health month. It was a missed opportunity to highlight the fact that mental health issues asso- ciated with famine, refugees, natural disasters and communicable diseases are often overlooked. I hope the Journal will consider publish- ing a follow-up article on the need to include mental health in our discussions on global health diplomacy. Mental health truly knows no boundaries. Susan Gurley Executive Director, Anxiety and Depression Association of America Silver Spring, Maryland A Strong Image The comments by Thomas Hutson in his letter in the May FSJ regarding the cover of the March issue, which focused on diplomatic security, took me aback— more than just a bit. The “On the Cover” explanation on page 6 of the March FSJ describes the roles of the individuals in the photo, raising questions for me about Mr. Hutson’s characterization of the image as demonstrating “the folly of our cas- trated foreign policy mechanisms.” The outskirts of Kabul constitute dangerous territory. In the photo are an armed contractor supporting the DS contingent at post, a USAID specialist, the USAID mission director for Afghani- stan and the embassy’s deputy chief of mission. The two women stepping off the helicopter are not identified, but might well be State officers accompany- ing the group. An eighth person stands behind the security contractor. Mr. Hutson’s critical, gratuitous and disrespectful comment on the “diplo- mats” and “development specialists” (his quotation marks) are beneath the standards of the Journal , especially at a time when AFSA is making the case in defense of all members of the U.S. foreign policy community, especially FSOs from State, USAID and associated organi- zations—including contractors. To answer Mr. Hutson’s question—“I wonder whether this image [the cover photo] bothers anyone else?”—I offer a resounding “No!” A multiagency mission includ- ing six men (one with a loaded assault rifle), three women and a third-country helicopter and crew in a rugged landing zone reinforces my pride in what we are trying to accomplish in a very harsh environment. This is a key reality of the Foreign Service mission in 2017. A more positive approach to the photo might highlight the factors above to sup- port the best in us as a nation seeking to operate in areas where our presence might be controversial, but where our principles require the kind of commit- ment that I would call exceptional. David Rabadan FSO, retired Annandale, Virginia No Place for Derision I was shocked that the FSJ chose to publish the letter fromThomas Hutson, “The Wrong Image,” in its May issue. Did the editorial team not consider his mocking reference to female FSOs as “fluttering female officers” or his implica- tion that the lives of female officers in Afghanistan are not worthy of protection? With sadness I reflect on Anne Smedinghoff, who sacrificed her life engaging in the courageous work of public diplomacy in Afghanistan. For- eign Service women and men continue to put their lives at risk in support of the U.S. mission to Afghanistan, and their efforts should not be disparaged. I am consoled by the fact that Mr.