The Foreign Service Journal, November 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2012 81 Benghazi; his family has been informed, and the news is likely to break out on the wire services soon. Needless to say, we are in shock, have no words, and have nothing but sympathy for his fam- ily and children. I have known Vile Rat since 2006; he was one of the oldest of old-guard goons and one of the best and most effective diplomats this game has ever seen.” Within minutes of the official announcement that Smith was among the dead in Benghazi, tributes from players flooded social media, gaming boards and instant messaging in honor of a “true American hero,” as the gaming writers and staff at The Inquisitr put it. Sean Smith was also a member of the player-elected government, the Council of Stellar Management, that is autho- rized in-world to liaise with the game’s developers in Iceland. “This was very real ‘parallel’ diplo- matic work in which Smith was engaged, and he is clearly missed deeply by those who were engaged in it with him and who understood the level of skill required,” Anne Collier noted in a Sept. 13 blog post on the Christian Science Monitor site. “EVE Online is a fascinating experiment in online plus offline governance. It’s an experiment in starting ‘civilization’ from scratch.” In the weeks since the tragedy, gam- ing friends and others have raised more than $100,000 for the Smith children’s college fund through an online campaign at YouCaring.com that ends on Dec. 1. Sean Smith is survived by his wife, Heather, and their two young children, Nathan and Samantha. n Glen Anthony Doherty , 42, a for- mer Navy SEAL, was assigned to a State Department security detail at the time of his death. Mr. Doherty, the second of three children, grew up in a close-knit fam- ily in Winchester, Mass. He attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona following high school, but left to become a “ski bum” at Snowbird, Utah, and work as a whitewater rafting guide on the Colorado River. In 1996, he joined the Navy, becoming a SEAL with skills as a paramedic and a sniper. He was assigned to West Coast- based special warfare units, responding to the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 and serving two tours in Iraq. He was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Com- bat Distinguishing Device. Mr. Doherty left the Navy in 2005 as a petty officer first class to work for private security firms in the Middle East region. “He, too, died as he lived, serving his country and protecting his colleagues,” said Sec. Clinton in her remarks at Andrews Air Force Base. “Glen deployed to some of the most dangerous places on Earth, including Iraq and Afghanistan, always putting his life on the line to safeguard other Americans.” Although drawn fearlessly to action and adventure, Mr. Doherty would generally return every few months to the United States to visit friends and family. “He was the glue that kept many social scenes together,” his brother, Greg, told the Washington Post . “He never met a stranger,” a friend and former SEAL recalls. “There is nothing he wouldn’t do to help those that were close to him.” Glen Doherty is survived by his par- ents, Bernard and Barbara; his brother, Gregory, and sister, Kathleen, and their families. n Tyrone S. Woods , 41, who served for two decades as a Navy SEAL, had been working for the State Department protecting U.S. diplomatic personnel at posts in the Middle East and Central America since 2010. “He had the hands of a healer as well as the arm of a warrior,” Sec. Clinton said in her remarks at Andrews Air Force Base. President Obama described Woods as a “quiet, consummate profes- sional.” The Washington Post quoted his mother’s description of her son: “He was a guy you would want to have in your corner if you were in a tight situation.” A native of Portland, Ore., Mr. Woods enlisted in the Navy out of high school in 1990 and was attached to SEAL units on the West Coast. He deployed on multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as serving at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, earning distinction as a regis- tered nurse and certified paramedic. He retired from the Navy in 2007 as a senior chief petty officer, with decora- tions that included a Bronze Star with Combat V. Known to friends as Rone, Mr. Woods had previously owned the Salty Frog Bar in Imperial Beach, Calif., that catered to SEALs and other military personnel stationed in the area. “Everyone’s very upset,” Stacy Forrestal, a former neigh- bour of Woods who works at a nearby establishment, is quoted as saying. “It’s a tight-knit community.” Mr. Woods is survived by his wife, Dorothy, a dentist in La Jolla, Calif.; a son, Kai, born several months ago; two teenage sons from a previous marriage, Tyrone Jr. and Hunter; and his mother, Cheryl Croft Bennett, of San Diego, Calif. n