The Foreign Service Journal, November 2020

84 NOVEMBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS to Chengdu, shared how he and his husband were part of a team that helped repa- triate more than 800 people from Wuhan. They flew from Chengdu to Seoul to meet the evacu- ation team and plane, and then, in a 96-hour period, flew across the Pacific Ocean three times: from Seoul to Wuhan and then to Travis Air Force Base in Cali- fornia, back to Seoul and Wuhan, and on to Vancouver and Miramar Joint Base in San Diego, repatriating stranded Americans. Stevens, who served on the USAID Coronavirus Task Force, discussed USAID’s overall mission of develop- ment and how its corona- virus response fits into the agency’s bigger picture. “USAID’s mission is all about helping our partner countries around the world progress on their own devel- opment journeys to self- reliance,” she said, adding that USAID’s development efforts come in the form of short-term humanitarian assistance and longer-term development aid. “We have placed renewed emphasis, including in the COVID response, on ensur- ing that we’re helping our partners build resilience, so that when the next event happens, whether it’s a man-made disaster or a pandemic, or a develop- ment challenge of any kind, our country’s systems and their capacity, their commit- ment, are strengthened and they’re better able to with- stand the next challenge.” The Foreign Service Journal ’s July/August issue features multiple recollec- tions from diplomats who took part in the Bringing Americans Home campaign, including Eaton’s. The issue also features an article by Amb. Kolker, “COVID-19 and Global Health Governance.” Additionally, the National Museum of America Diplomacy web- site (diplomacy.state.gov) features an online exhibit: Bringing#AmericansHome. You can view the Sept. 22 video at diplomacy. state.gov/latest-programs/ virtual-programs. n AFSA, Diplomacy Museum Team Up Continued from p. 77