The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

8 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 cluding Amb. Ryan. In the immediate aftermath of the bombings, Amb. Ryan, then assistant secretary for consular affairs, flew to Nairobi, put on a hard hat and climbed through the rubble, asking for the name and background of each victim, American and Kenyan alike. She car- ried these moments with her to the day of her passing — whether working nonstop in the aftermath to improve the security of our embassies world- wide; demanding a more compassion- ate outreach to the department’s most valuable assets, its employees; or testi- fying to Congress on the need for more information sharing within our own government. I was the financial management center director for Embassy Nairobi at the time of the bombings, and I lost nine of my staff on that dreadful day. Mary Ryan did not know me before that ordeal, but she put her arm around me, literally and figuratively, to help me cope with this life-changing tragedy. She showed similar concern for my colleagues, including Foreign Service National employees. And she worked tirelessly to prevent another at- tack. So when 9/11 occurred, she was enraged. WhenMary Ryan passed away four years ago, I wanted to do what I could to ensure she was respected and re- membered as the great public servant that she was, despite the cloud that seemed to be hanging over her head. My chance came while I was on an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship with Sena- tor Olympia Snowe, R-Maine. There I collaborated with an FSO colleague who was on an APSA fellowship with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., to help draft a “Statements for the Record” (July 12, 2006, and Sept. 5, 2006) on behalf of Sens. Snowe and Kennedy to honor Amb. Ryan. Both for the Foreign Service his- torical record, as well as our nation’s Congressional Record , I salute Amb. Mary Ryan — the matriarch of the Foreign Service. Michelle L. Stefanick FSO Foreign Policy Adviser, Marine Forces Europe and Africa Stuttgart, Germany Cheering the Chagos Protected Area This past April, the British govern- ment designated the Chagos Islands as the world’s largest “no-take” marine re- serve. It is regrettable that this vision- ary act was recently characterized as a threat in Gerald Loftus’s Speaking Out column, “Diego Garcia: Freedom’s Footprint, or Enduring Injustice?” (June). The Chagossians’ forced removal from the islands in the 1960s is sepa- rate from the need to conserve these waters, which harbor almost half the healthy coral reefs of the Indian Ocean. Should the Chagossians be al- lowed to return, the new 210,000- square mile marine reserve would benefit them by ensuring that the fish populations, and indeed the entire ecosystem, remain productive. That may be part of the reason the largest Chagossian organization in the United Kingdom supported the decision to create the marine reserve. Healthy numbers of fish in the Chagos will also benefit the many countries along the rim of the western Indian Ocean. Abundant populations of fish produce large numbers of eggs and juvenile fish, which will spread throughout the region. In fact, other than a few foreign fishing fleets that will no longer be allowed to fish off the Chagos Islands, it is hard to envision why anyone would oppose this marine reserve. It is notable that more than 90 percent of the 275,000 comments to the British government — from sci- entific societies, conservation groups and individuals — favored its creation. Today, nearly half the world’s coral reefs are diseased and dying, fisheries across the globe are in perilous condi- tion, and only a tiny fraction of the planet’s marine environment is pro- tected from exploitation. The recent action by the U.S. government to des- ignate and protect the Papahanaumo- kuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii and other Pacific islands is one bright spot in a bleak seascape. Another is the decision by the United Kingdom to establish the Cha- gos Protected Area — one of the largest single marine conservation ac- tions by any government. That move should be applauded, not criticized. Jay Nelson Director, Global Ocean Legacy Pew Environment Group Juneau, Alaska An Unjust Action Thank you, Gerald Loftus, for your June Speaking Out column about the stark tragedy that befell the natives of Diego Garcia, who were uprooted and exiled to Mauritius in order to meet American security requirements. For the handful of us who estab- lished Embassy Port Louis in 1967, that decision meant living with and supporting an action that was both un- just and unnecessary. ■ Bill Hussey FSO, retired Laguna Woods, Calif. L E T T E R S