The Foreign Service Journal, October 2005

me at Edwms8@aol.com.) W e have four meetings a year — three speak- er-luncheons and a summer social gathering. You also mentioned the online journal American Diplomacy (http:// americandiplomacy.org). T his is a separate organization from the CFFS, though our memberships overlap. American Diplomacy Publishers Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3). We encour- age AFSA members to get acquaint- ed with us. J. Edgar Williams FSO, retired Carrboro, N.C. Reaching Out I am from Berlin, Germany. Some time ago I received some older issues of the Foreign Service Journal from a friend when he left Berlin for his next post. Only recently did I have the chance to read the first of these magazines. Having been born and raised in West Berlin, reading the May 2002 issue (focusing on FS families) brought back many sweet memories of all the American servicemen and FSOs and their families that my family and I have become friends with throughout the past decades. It also made me more aware of some of the difficulties and hard- ships they have to go through, for- eign to those of us who stay in our own country. Most of these Americans I met at church. Through their exemplary lives and friendships, they left a remarkable impression and many fond memories here with me and others as a legacy. In their own spe- cial way, these people have become ambassadors for their country. Getting to know them and spend- ing time with them not only helped me to learn about and appreciate the USA and its culture and consti- O C T O B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 11 L E T T E R S u