The Foreign Service Journal, December 2016

12 DECEMBER 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL only highlights our legacy as diplomats, but also highlights the issues relevant to the lives we live and the work we do. An added plus is seeing an A-100 colleague in a photo, or when your ambassador writes about the highlight of your first tour, as was the case with the article, “Over the Finish Line: Win- ning Strategies for a Successful Visit,” b y Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius. I look forward to receiving each issue, tearing into it during my down- time and spreading back issues on my coffee table to be glanced at by curious guests. With each article, I sense the esprit de corps and know I’ve made the best decision in choosing a profession. Thank you for all that you do. Cameron Thomas-Shah FSO Arlington, Virginia Support for FS Kids with Special Needs More than 20 years ago I became a lifetime member of AFSA because of its policy of giving voice to issues affecting all aspects of Foreign Service, looking out both for the U.S. government and also its employees. With “MED’s Child and Family Program, Explained” (September) , the FSJ has once again revealed the “tip of the iceberg” in terms of the challenges we face in coming to terms with a more diverse workforce, one which includes parents with special needs children. Having worked closely with MED for well over a decade now on my own child’s special needs, I have experi- enced a large range of the services the bureau offers. At one point, MED was a—if not the —primary source of support to my family as we addressed overseas schooling and medical needs for our child. It was a truly collaborative