The Foreign Service Journal, September 2006

68 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / S E P T EMB E R 2 0 0 6 A F S A N E W S R etirees are the domestic field reps for the Foreign Service and forAFSA. Youare out there incities and towns across America, and the Foreign Service needs you to lend your voice in support of the Service, for your own retiree benefits and for sensible policies for active-duty members. Far too few lawmakers have the ForeignService on their radar or see it as having any connection to their own constituents. In fact, there remain thosewho are convinced that the Service is still comprised of the sons and daughters of the rich East Coast elite. With your help, we can change this. We live in all 50 states (and the District, of course). AFSAcalls on you to reachout to legislators inyourhome state. Visit the local offices of your representatives and senators inyour hometown. Let themknowyou’re there, and that you, and your family and friends, vote. Once a year, the day before Foreign AffairsDayat theStateDepartment,AFSAhosts “Dayon theHill,” escortingForeignService retirees toCapitolHill tomeetwith their members of Congress. This event helps put a human face on the Foreign Service, but it is only one piece of what has to be a larger effort, an ongoing, year-round, long-term campaign. Congress can be your ballgame. You are the human face of the ForeignService. Youare the generations that staffedVietnam, saw the emergence of independent nations inAfrica, SouthAsia and the Far East and experienced thewinds of emergent nation- alism, regardless of which embassy section you called home. Just as our diplomatic missions nurtured relationships with foreign officials during your active-duty years, durable relation- shipswithmembers of Congress need careful nurturing. If AFSA members establish relationships with legislators locally, around the country, we could see an overall growth in awareness of the ForeignService and the issues of importance toboth retirees and active-duty members. Then when key issues come up, you will bewell-positioned to let your legislators knowwhat’s best for the Foreign Service. During our retirement years, what happens on Capitol Hill can takeonevenmoremeaning thanduringour active-dutyyears. Sowehave to remainengaged, not just for the goodof theForeign Service, but for our own personal benefit, as well. AFSA already workswithother large retiree organizations, such as theNational Active andRetired Federal Employees Association, in seeking to change the laws regarding the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provisions (which affect your Social Security benefits). At the same time,AFSAis alsoabou- tique Foreign Service-oriented organi- zation. It was AFSA that, workingwith themilitary groups, persuadedCongress to liberalize the treatment of the capital gains taxcalculatedonthe saleof aprincipal residence. Remember, it was those approaching retirement who first alerted us to the need for change, because they were the ones who realized that the one-time tax exclusionon rolled-over capital gains hadbeen inadvertently eliminated in the 1997 tax law changes. It took fiveyears toget the taxcode changes throughCongress, soAFSAmade sure the provision was retroactive to 1997 instead of just the three years usually pro- vided for the filingof amended taxes. Itwas also through AFSA’s efforts that the “vir- tual locality pay” concept was legislatively authorized inthe computationof retirement fromanoverseas post, and that diplomatic securitypersonnel are now covered under the Law Enforcement Officer Retirement System. Your help is needed, not only for the retirement issues that affect you directly, but also because of what you can do to help the Foreign Service overall. Yourmember of Congress not only needs tohear your opinions on the legislationof the day, but also your delight in being chosen to represent the American people overseas. Telling your short story to a congressional office will give the ForeignService the face it needswhen legislation is pend- ing. We need your help in educating Americans about the real- life Foreign Service, about the employeeswillingly serving indif- ficult anddangerous places. Toooften, themedia and entertain- ment industries depict the Foreign Service negatively and inac- curately, promoting a popular image that is far from reality. So we need to educate our fellow citizens and our members of Congress on today’s ForeignService reality. There is a lot ofwork to be done both in Washington, and in “the field” around the U.S., and there is an important role for you if you are willing to pick up the gauntlet. Askus for resources, or volunteer for a local speaking engage- ment. AFSACommunicationsDirectorTomSwitzer canarrange local outreach events for you, andwe canprovide youwithback- groundpapers tohelp indiscussingour issues (Phone: (800) 338- 4045, ext. 501, or e-mail: switzer@afsa.org ). AFSA can help you establish local ForeignService retiree associations. Togetherwith AFSA, you can help give the Service a voice that will be heard around the country and on Capitol Hill. V.P. VOICE: RETIREE BY DAVID REUTHER Foreign Service Domestic Field Reps It’s not just for the good of the Foreign Service, it’s for your own benefit as well.