The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

72 OCTOBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Memorial Plaque Continued from p. 63 names of early American dip- lomats and consular officers dating back to 1794 whose deaths in the line of duty were unknown when AFSA unveiled the original plaque in 1933 (see “Honoring Early Diplomats and Consular Officers” in the March 2020 Foreign Service Journal , p. 53.) Third, the project will replace the four side plaques that were installed in 1985 beside the two large older plaques. Those side plaques honor colleagues killed over- seas in recent decades but also intersperse the names of several dozen colleagues dat- ing back to 1836 who were recognized only in recent years. The result is a jumble of dates of death. Visitors often ask why the names appear to be in random, not chronologi- cal order. Re-inscribing the side plaques will allow the integration of the histori- cal names with the modern names to provide a chrono- logically coherent, dignified commemoration of our fallen colleagues. Finally, while inscribing or re-inscribing the 162 names, the project will add the cause of death. Between 1933 and 1965, AFSA included the cause of death with each name to on the original large plaque. It is unknown why AFSA stopped that practice. It could have been due to sensitivities about the large number of State and USAID officers dying in the Vietnam War. However, for visitors to the plaque, seeing the cause of death tells more about the colleague’s sacrifice than just reading the place n Social Security Tax Deferral Many AFSAmembers have contacted us about the Social Security tax deferral described in a Sept. 3 Department Notice. We recognize that this is not welcome news for many, who would much rather not have their biweekly pay reduced in the first three months of next year in order to make up for the taxes not paid. AFSA has expressed opposition to the department and made the case that members should be allowed to opt out of the deferral. However, instructions from the Office of Management and Budget have stated that the deferral is mandatory and that there will be no opportunity to opt out. AFSA will continue to advocate on the Hill for options and alternatives regarding this executive order, including the ability to opt out of the tax deferment. n