The Foreign Service Journal, November 2003

Robert “Bob” Knight Strachan , 80, retired USAID officer, died of cancer on Aug. 13. Born in Worcester, Mass., the son of the late Dora Harps Strachan and Samuel Strachan, he grew up in Cambridge, Mass. He served in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1943 to 1945, and was a veteran of 36 B-17 missions. On his last mission the plane was shot down over Germany and he was held as a POW in a concentration camp from 1944 to 1945. Mr. Strachan’s decorations and citations included the EMAE Ribbon with three stars, Air Medal with four OLC, the Distinguished Flying Cross, two 0/S Service Bars and a Purple Heart. A distinguished career with the U.S. Foreign Service began in 1951 at the Department of State in Washington, D.C., and included postings in Tabriz, Vienna, Saigon, Belgrade and Helsinki. He then trans- ferred to USAID and served in Bamako, Kampala, Monrovia (twice), Saigon (again), Kathmandu, Amman and Washington. Mr. Strachan retired to Sarasota, Fla., in 1978. However, as he had the Foreign Service bug of moving every few years, he moved to Arlington, Va., for a couple of years, then returned to Florida — only to return again to Arlington. In all, he moved back and forth at least three times. His final move, in December 2002, was to Ft. Myers, Fla., to be close to his family. Mr. Strachan is survived by his sister-in-law, Virginia Strachan of Ft. Myers; two nephews, William “Bill” Strachan and Robert H. Strachan, both of Ft. Myers; a niece, Joan V. Roberts of Cape Coral, Fla.; two grandnieces, Jennifer (Strachan) Sink of Statesville, N.C., and Karen (Strachan) Lynn of Clarksville, Tenn.; two great grandnieces and a great grandnephew. He was prede- ceased by his brother Richard Strachan. The family requests dona- tions be made to Hope Hospice, 9470 Health Park Circle, Ft. Myers FL 33908. ■ 54 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 3 I N M E M O R Y Need to Sound the Alarm About Something? Why not write a “Speaking Out” column for the Foreign Service Journal ? “Speaking Out” is your forum to advocate policy, regula- tory or statutory changes to the Foreign Service. These can be based on per- sonal experience with an injustice or convey your hard-won insights into a for- eign affairs-related issue. Writers are encouraged to take strong stands, but all factual claims must be supported and documented. Submissions should be approximately 1,500 words in length and should be sent via e-mail to journal@afsa.org. Please note that all submissions to the Journal must be approved by the Editorial Board and are subject to editing for style, length and format.