The Foreign Service Journal, October 2018

54 OCTOBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL STAY INFORMED. STAY CONNECTED. Life After the Foreign Service: Jim Bullington Jim Bullington might be one of the busiest Foreign Service retirees out there. While organizing a recent event for retirees in the Williamsburg, Va., area—an event featur- ing keynote speaker AFSA President Ambassador Bar- bara Stephenson (see photo below)—he found time to sit down to talk to AFSA News for a profile on life after the Foreign Service. Ambassador Bullington entered the Foreign Service in 1962. His first overseas assignments were to Vietnam (vice consul in Hue from 1965 to 1966, staff aide to Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge in Saigon from 1966 to 1967 and assistant province senior adviser in Quang Tri from 1967 to 1968). He subsequently served in Mandalay, Rangoon, N’Djamena, Cotonou and many other posts before becoming ambassador to Burundi in 1983. He retired in 1989, at the age of 48, “because I was not promoted fromMC to CM—at that time, officers had only three years to cross this major career hurdle or be forcibly retired.” After retirement Amb. Bul- lington held down numerous other jobs, including as Peace Corps director in Niger. As a re-employed annuitant in the newly formed Bureau of Con- flict and Stabilization Opera- tions, he was sent to Dakar to work to end a 30-year secessionist insurgency in the southern part of the country, known as the Casamance. He and his wife, Tuy-Cam, have published three books between them. His most recent, Global Adventures on Less-Traveled Roads: A Foreign Service Memoir, was the topic of an AFSA Book Talk in October 2017. (View his talk at www.afsa.org/video.) Since 2014, when he and Tuy-Cam returned toWil- liamsburg from Dakar, Amb. Bullington has kept busy with outreach activities for the For- eign Service community. “In the past four years,” he says, “I’ve made 36 presentations to military and government organizations, civic clubs, fra- ternal associations, university classes and church groups, mostly in theWilliamsburg region but also inWashington, D.C.” He has also organized gatherings of Williamsburg- area Foreign Service retirees at Patriots Colony, a continu- ing care retirement com- munity populated by retired military officers and officer- level federal civilian retirees, primarily from foreign affairs and national security agen- cies. Amb. Bullington and his wife moved there five years ago. Staying Involved Amb. Bullington likes to encourage fellow FS retirees to stay engaged in world affairs. He says that Rotary and similar civic organiza- tions are always looking for speakers, as are retirement communities and church fel- lowship groups. In addition, he notes, most universities offer continuing education pro- grams that need instructors— and some are receptive to guest speakers in academic classes. Political campaigns and party organizations also welcome volunteers. Beyond that, Amb. Bulling- ton recommends: • If you are near a military installation, look for opportu- nities to participate in training programs and exercises. • Write your memoir. Even if you don’t publish it as a book, it can provide material for articles and talks, as well as an interesting account for children and grandchildren. • Join local World Affairs Councils, Sister Cities groups and similar organizations. • If something newsworthy happens in a country where you served, consider writ- ing a background article or commentary for your local newspaper. For more on how AFSA can help with your outreach efforts, contact Retiree Out- reach Coordinator Christine Miele at miele@afsa.org. n AFSA President in Williamsburg On Aug. 2, AFSA President Ambassador Barbara Stephenson traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia, to speak to two dozen members of the Williamsburg Foreign Service Retirees group. While there, she was also the keynote speaker for the opening of the Presidents Pavilion, an independent living facility at the Patriots Colony retirement community. Approximately 300 Foreign Service, military and federal civilian retirees turned out to hear her speak about the role of the U.S. Foreign Service in collaborating with the military to project both soft and hard power across the globe. Pictured are Amb. Stephenson, her husband Matthew Furbush (left) and Amb. (ret.) Jim Bullington. COURTESYOFPATRIOTSCOLONY