The Foreign Service Journal, December 2018

66 DECEMBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL LE Staff Participation Essential n PATRICK L. A. WISS, PROCUREMENT AGENT, MEMBER OF THE TRI-MISSION ROME LE STAFF BOARD, U.S. EMBASSY ROME, ITALY On arriving at post, direct-hire Americans should learn to accept and appreciate cultural differences to establish a profitable working relationship. I have worked to increase opportunities for Americans and local employees to get to know each other. I translated flyers about leisure activities available on and off the embassy com- pound into Italian to encourage LE staff to participate and not feel excluded a priori. In 2006 I organized an after-the-summer-holidays “Wel- come Back Bash” with the Community Liaison Office, a musical event with a live band. All U.S. embassy direct hire and Locally Employed staff were invited to come along with their families and local friends to spend a relaxed time together. It turned out to be so successful that it was repeated for several years, bring- ing people of different cultural backgrounds together in perfect harmony. The embassy should focus on replacing LE staff in time when one retires to maintain the high-level standards required. LE staff are primarily inclined to work for the U.S. government because of their admiration for the United States. This should be considered the basis for establishing a productive working rela- tionship based on mutual respect and obtaining best results. Empowerment Works n NOVIANI BASAR, CRIMINAL FRAUD INVESTIGATOR, REGIONAL SECURITY OFFICE, U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA, INDONESIA In my four years with the embassy, I have developed relationships with Indonesian immigration, police, air- line and civil registry personnel by teaching them how to detect fraudu- lent passports and visas. I have also facilitated opportunities for them to receive training in the United States, so they could enhance their skills and further strengthen the U.S.- Indonesia strategic partnership in law enforcement. I n serving the United States, Locally Employed staff/Foreign Service Nationals take particular risks to do their jobs. As we highlight the tremendous work and experience of local staff worldwide, we must pause to remember and pay tribute to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. All aroundWashington, D.C., you’ll find monuments to our fallen heroes and historic figures, not just on the Mall but scattered among the traffic circles and parks that make up the District. And so it is only fitting that the U.S. government honor the sacrifices made by Locally Employed staff. Visit the C Street Lobby of the U.S. State Department and you will find a plaque in honor of “the Foreign Service Nationals who have lost their lives under heroic or inspirational circumstances.”At USAID’s headquarters building, you can pay your respects at the Memo- rial Wall in the lobby, which is etched with the names of all USAID employees who have died in the line of duty. Some of these deaths made national or even international news when they occurred. Others happened quietly, with little public notice or attention beyond the walls of the embassy in the country in which they occurred. But each of the victims whose death is recorded through these memorials made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our country and their own as they worked to promote international peace and prosperity. We remember their sacrifices, and we thank them for their service. –The Editors Noviani Basar. FSNs’ Service, Sacrifice Honored