The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

68 NOVEMBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Equal Support and Equal Recognition STATE VP VOICE | BY DANIEL HIRSCH AFSA NEWS Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP. The deadly attacks in Libya have focused attention on the fact that the Foreign Service is not the cakewalk it is occasionally lampooned as being. It is difficult, taxing and increasingly dangerous work. Foreign Service mem- bers work side by side with military colleagues in remote outposts in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are our eyes, ears and spokespersons in places like Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Algeria. They are the face of America to nearly every nation on earth. And in most situations, they, not the military, are the primary target of acts of aggression against the United States. Nearly a year after the last members of the military left Iraq, FS members remain. As we rebuild Iraq and Afghani- stan, FS members are the ones who travel from village to village, town to town, to lead and guide that work. Our colleagues have dedicated their lives to the service of our country. And incidentally, many have done so after completing many more years of service than the usual four-year stint most military service members serve. In the past 30 years, 88 Foreign Service members have died in that service. As a percentage of total numbers serving, a higher percentage of Foreign Service members died in the line of duty than military members over the same period. As is the case for our colleagues who serve in the military, we deserve a safe environment in which to work. What the military calls “force protection” serves a purpose. Protecting the lives of those who serve enhances the efficiency of the mis- sion. It enables the recruit- ment of the best employees. And it enables them, once recruited, to do their jobs. A similar business case can be made for respecting the special circumstances under which we live and oper- ate in doing those jobs. The Service Members Civil Relief Act was designed to enable service members to serve without having to divide their attention between the battle- field and the home front. It allows extensions and waivers of some civil respon- sibilities, while ensuring that, no matter where service members might serve, they are recognized as residents of the United States. The act applies to the mili- tary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra- tion and the Public Health Service (the latter two having military origins), but not to the only other commis- sioned service—the Foreign Service. As a result, AFSA has to regularly intervene in cases involving FS members unable to get a mortgage or refinance a home, nor get in-state tuition in the states to which they regularly pay state taxes, because they are allegedly “not resident” in the United States. Recognizing that FS members serving overseas nonetheless maintain home roots in a U.S. state, and allowing them to serve in as much safety as our country can provide, should not be a partisan issue, nor viewed as less important than provid- ing that same support to the military. The deaths in Benghazi led Capitol Hill to pass two “sense of Congress” resolutions recognizing the contributions and sacrifices we make. But actions speak louder than words. Congress speaks through funding, and it is time for them to bring our embas- sies overseas in line with the security standards estab- lished by the Inman Commis- sion in 1985. We should not have to wait, year after year, for armored cars, or housing compound walls that can’t be driven through, or basic security for the schools our children attend. Particu- larly in times of budgetary restraint, Congress should consider that it is cheaper to prevent attacks than to rebuild after they occur. Congress also speaks through laws. AFSA should not have to be the sole advocate for FS members unable to finance a house in the U.S., or threatened with jail for missing jury duty, or unable to get in-state tuition for their children, because they are overseas, on orders, in service of the American people. Why not include the Foreign Service in the Service Members Civil Relief Act, or create something similar, to recognize our ties to the country we serve? All who serve the Ameri- can people overseas, whether in uniform or in civilian clothes, deserve equal sup- port and equal recognition. We are all doing what we do in order to make America safer and stronger. ■ Congress speaks through funding, and it is time for them to bring our embassies overseas in line with the security standards established by the Inman Commission in 1985.