The Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2018

22 JULY-AUGUST 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL Editor’s Note: In honor and commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Aug. 7, 1998, East Africa embassy bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, we asked American, Kenyan and Tanzanian survivors to reflect on that seminal event and its after- math, and to share thoughts on carrying on after tragedy. With guidance from Ambassadors (ret.) Prudence Bushnell and John Lange, we posed a set of questions to as many embassy staff and family member survivors as could be found through their informal networks: • When the attack occurred, I was (where, when, what hap- pened); • The Aug. 7 bombings most affected me (my family and col- leagues) in the following ways; • This is what helped as I created a new normal for my life; • Givenwhat I have learned, I would like to pass on the following advice for those whomay become survivors and helpers in the future. Some chose to fill in those blanks; others chose a different format. What follows is a compilation of the responses. (Light editing and some trimming of text was done as needed.) Each author’s name is followed by the position he or she held at the time of the bombing. This FSJ collection is just one part of a collaboration between AFSA, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and the U.S. Diplomacy Center to collect reflections, photos and artifacts for the 20th anniversary of the East Africa bombings. ADST will continue to collect reflections, so we encourage those who either were not contacted or did not have a chance to respond, to submit something for the permanent Oral History Collection. Send 500 to 1,000 words in response to the questions above to oralhistory@adst.org , or call (703) 302-6290 for more information. The USDC continues to collect artifacts for its permanent collection. To donate an item, please email a description to Associate Curator Kathryn Speckart at speckartkg@state.gov, or call (202) 472-8208. On Aug. 6, USDC will host an event open to the public mark- ing the anniversary. A panel of Tanzanian, Kenyan and American survivors sharing their stories, discussion and an exhibit will be fea- tured. All attendees will receive a copy of this Journal collection. On Aug. 7, survivors will gather at the memorial marker in Arlington National Cemetery. Thanks to all those who shared their experiences. We know that for some it is still incredibly painful to do so, while for others it is cathartic, and for many it lies somewhere in between. –Shawn Dorman REFLECTIONS on the U.S. Embassy Bombings in Kenya and Tanzania 20 Years Later ON THE 1998 EAST AFRICA EMBASSY BOMBINGS FOCUS