The Foreign Service Journal, December 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | DECEMBER 2012 13 While my family and I were on home leave in California that summer, State offered me other choices, noting, for instance, that “Tehran is available.” How- ever, I had little knowledge of the Middle East, had not served in the area, and pre- ferred to remain in the Pacific. Thanks, I said, but no thanks: I decided to take my chances on waiting for New Zealand. My gamble paid off: I was assigned as consul and first secretary, arriving in Wellington in late September 1979. But as much as I enjoyed the assignment, it wasn’t completely idyllic: That Novem- ber, shortly after Embassy Tehran was overrun, an Air New Zealand DC-10 with 257 persons aboard (including 25 Ameri- cans) crashed into the Antarctic Ocean. We were the nearest consular district, so it was our responsibility to respond. Four years after leaving Wellington, I was posted to Toronto. There I served in the Citizens Services Unit with Rich- ard Queen, a young officer whom the Iranians had released earlier than the rest of the hostages due to a medical condi- tion. (Richard was not mentioned in the Journal article or in the film.) Richard and I worked together in Toronto for several months. I found him a most likable colleague, but we never spoke of Tehran. His multiple sclero- sis progressed until he returned to the department, where he served for some time before eventually passing away. My 35-year Foreign Service career was filled with many adventures all over the world, but I am truly grateful that an assignment to Tehran in the fall of 1979 was not among them. Donald R. Tremblay FSO, retired Santa Monica, Calif. n A time of service…a time of need Help for Seniors May Be Just a Phone Call Away— Home Health Care Adult Day Care & Respite Care Prescription Drug Copayments Transportation to Medical Appointments Durable Medical Equipment For more information, please contact the SENIOR LIVING FOUNDATION OF THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE 1716 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036-2902 Phone: (202) 887-8170 Fax: (202) 872-9320 E-Mail : info@SLFoundation.org Web Site : www.SLFoundation.org The Senior Living Foundation may be able to help you or someone you know. Some examples of assistance are: SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION