Columns:

Direct from the D.G.

By Edward W. "Skip" Gnehm Jr.

The author is Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Personnel.

 

 

Listening to the Families of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam

n early May, the families of the victims of the bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, along with the employees injured in those tragedies, met with senior officers from the Department of State and other agencies. These members of the Foreign Service community, who have endured so much this past year, had the opportunity to discuss the impact the event has had on their lives and to communicate their concerns about the Department's role in the aftermath of such tragedies.

The Department has been committed from the very beginning to providing every resource possible to assist the victims of this tragedy. We have sought to maximize every benefit, compensation and program to aid our employees and their families, but the system itself can be improved.

We learned that a personal point of contact is vital during times of crisis and even more essential in the ensuing months. We noted that those who lost loved ones or suffered major injuries continued to require long- term medical attention, psychological counseling and other forms of assistance, which until now the Department had dealt with on a provisional basis. The myriad bureaucratic regulations and required paperwork have also at times stymied our best intentions.

Several families who sought to leave Kenya in the wake of the bombings, for example, were unable to claim home transfer allowances because the only U.S. government employee in their respective families had been killed. That allowance does not take into account the consequences of death in the line of duty for an employee's survivors overseas. We saw this as both absurd and unfair, so we sought funds from other sources to cover a portion of the expenses. We are now seeking legislative authority to address this issue, as well as reevaluating other kinds of assistance that could be provided to the families and victims.

We also know after speaking with the families and victims that the Department can improve its system for disseminating information to worried relatives and friends who anxiously await news about their loved ones. When recent demonstrations outside the U.S. Missions in China trapped several of our colleagues in their compounds, we telephoned more than 100 relatives to reassure them that we were acting to secure their loved ones' safety. We also gave the families a toll-free number they could use 24 hours a day to seek information. I feel that we managed to reach out to the families at a crucial time, and certainly it was a relief to them to be informed until the protests finally abated and our personnel returned to safety.

As a result of these lessons learned, we have created a permanent Office of Casualty Assistance dedicated solely to serving mission employees and their families who may be involved in future crises. This office, modeled in part on the military's system, will operate under the unfortunate assumption that terrorist attacks are ever more likely. It will have the expertise to begin helping families both at the moment of crisis and over the long term.

Perhaps some of you had the opportunity on Foreign Service Day to attend the dedication of the plaque honoring our colleagues who died in the service of their country. If so, you may have been able to offer your condolences to the grieving families. You may also have spoken to some of those who survived the bombings. One survivor, Ellen Bomer, who was stationed in Nairobi at the time of the bombings, has become an inspiration to many of us who have since come to know her. Ms. Bomer was blinded by the explosion, but despite her pain, she tells us that she is a better person after her experience. She hopes to work abroad again in the near future.

I see Ms. Bomer as emblematic of those who serve their country overseas. Despite the hardships she has endured, she wants to continue her diplomatic career. We owe it to her and our fallen colleagues to make the Department of State an organization that truly takes care of its own. No task could be more important in times of our colleagues' greatest need.

The Africa bombings taught us many painful lessons about dealing with large-scale terrorist attacks. With the creation of our new Office of Casualty Assistance, the Department has taken these lessons to heart. If such a tragedy occurs in the future, we will be ready to provide immediate, compassionate and comprehensive assistance to all victims and family members.

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