The Foreign Service Journal, October 2004

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 7 Praise for MOH Coverage Bob Guldin’s article in the June issue on Members of Household was excellent: accurate, thoroughly researched, articulate and well writ- ten. I was president of Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies for 1999 and 2000, and can attest that he has done a great job of laying out the history and the issues await- ing resolution through inclusion of MOH in the definition of Eligible Family Member. My partner and I are currently confronting the indignities, costs and risks of his accompanying me to a foreign post after two domestic assignments. The article encour- aged me to think our issues are at least seeing the light of day. Bryan Dalton FSO Embassy Bucharest An Expensive Proposition It is with great interest that I read the MOH article in the June Journal . I made a lot of sacrifices to join the Department of State back in September 2002, including renounc- ing my Canadian citizenship. Though I had worked for the Department of Justice for six years in the 1990s and dual citizenship was never an issue, I was told by Diplomatic Security that I could not get a clearance without renouncing my Canadian citizen- ship. My entire family, except for my American partner of nearly 10 years, still lives in Montreal and its vicinity. They were devastated that I had to do this. In March 2003, just weeks before the last Persian Gulf War, I was assigned to Yemen as the financial management officer. For security reasons, my partner and I decided that it would be better if he stayed behind in D.C. for the duration of this tour. Life apart has been diffi- cult over the past 15 months, espe- cially after nearly 10 years without any separation. Over the past several months, we revisited the issue and decided that Richard will come to post in September to join me for the remainder of my tour. He would have come sooner had there been employment opportunities. For example, I was told that an MOH could not be a community liaison officer even though the position had been vacant for over a year. As I write this e-mail, there is no guaran- tee that he will be able to secure employment at the embassy. This is proving to be an expensive proposition. Richard must get a bat- tery of shots at his own expense and the government will not pay for his airfare to Sanaa. The issue of whether he will be able to use the health unit is still unresolved, which is critical in Yemen where medical care is of poor quality. For security reasons, we cannot travel by car outside of Sanaa with- out a diplomatic note and a military escort. State just recently autho- rized children under 3 to return to this service-need differential post. We are very concerned should the need arise for evacuation. Sanaa has been under authorized departure several times in the past few years and we are still under a travel warn- ing. In times of sacrifice and ever- increasing danger, it is hard to understand why the MOH policy is not more inclusive. As one of your contributors stated, if it doesn’t cost the department, it probably is okay. As a financial management officer, I can relate too well to this short- sighted philosophy. Christian Charette Financial Management Officer Embassy Sanaa Caregiver as MOH I was dismayed to see, in the arti- cle on Members of Household, my concerns brushed aside with a snide three-line parenthetical aside: “Even though a live-in nanny — especially one who has accompanied an employee from post to post — may seem like a member of the family, such helpers don’t fall within the MOH category.” My spouse and I are a tandem couple, and having a trusted caregiver for our child is not a luxury or even a convenience. It is essential to our ability to fulfill our duties as Foreign Service officers. On more than one occasion, both of us have needed to travel for L ETTERS