The Foreign Service Journal, March 2006

The responses also indicate that the Foreign Service community wants more information about service in Iraq and what it means for onward assignments and promo- tions. They want management to be up-front with them about the realities and impact of Iraq service. Who We Heard From The Journal took the highly unusual step of guaran- teeing anonymity to the survey respondents, a decision not taken lightly. We felt it was important for Foreign Service members to be able to speak openly, and we did not think many would share their views if attribu- tion was required. We heard from 210 active-duty members of the U.S. Foreign Service. Of the 210, more than a quarter — 57 — have served or are currently serving in Iraq. We were struck by how candid and thoughtful the responses were, both from those who have served in Iraq and those who have not. While it is entirely true that the respondents represent a self-selected group, they are not a group of “complainers,” as some might be quick to presume, but loyal employees serving their country under difficult con- ditions, offering an inside perspective on issues of con- cern to the Foreign Service, their Service. We list the questions asked in the survey, along with a sampling of responses. Clear themes emerged, and we tried to choose representative comments to illustrate them. The first set of questions was addressed to those who have served in Iraq; the second set, examining staffing issues more broadly, was addressed to the entire Foreign Service. Of the 57 respondents who have served in Iraq, about half were currently serving there. We heard from people who have served in Baghdad, in other cities as State Embedded Team officers with the U.S. military and in the Regional Embassy Offices — in Basra, Kirkuk, Hilla and Mosul — now being converted to Provincial Reconstruction Teams, known as PRTs. (Secretary Rice announced plans in January to establish 16 PRTs in the Iraqi provinces.) Most of the 210 survey respondents were State Department employees, but we also heard from 14 USAID Foreign Service officers and one Foreign Agricultural Service officer. We heard from generalists as well as specialists, including diplomatic security agents, office management specialists and IT professionals. Respondents ranged from first-tour to senior-level employees. (Photos were submitted by FS members, not all of whom answered the survey.) What motivated you to volunteer for Iraq service? The most frequently stated response was, in various iterations, “to serve my country.” Many spoke of a desire to serve where they are most needed. Some respondents mentioned an additional hope that Iraq service would be career-enhancing, while others pointed to the financial incentives. “This is the most important U.S. government mission we have, and I wanted to contribute,” writes a senior- level officer serving in Iraq. A public affairs officer in Baghdad cites “the opportunity to make a difference in a challenging environment,” as the reason, echoing senti- ment shared by several others. “Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, adventure and (the fact that) the depart- ment needed people to go,” says an FSO who served in Baghdad from 2004 to 2005. “The opportunity for grass-roots diplomacy was too great to pass up,” writes an officer who served in one of the provinces during 2003. “I went to serve and to make a difference. I did both and am glad that I did.” Some of the Arabic-language and area specialists made comments such as this one from an officer cur- rently serving in a regional embassy office: “I speak Arabic, have been following Iraq with interest since it invaded Kuwait in 1990, understand what the adminis- tration is trying to accomplish and consider it important to our own national interest.” “A sincere desire to give back to my country and serve where others did not want to venture,” declares a spe- cialist who served in Baghdad. She continues: “[I had a] youthful degree of hope that if I worked very hard — along with everyone else — we could get this war over and done with and send our young men home, alive.” Several people commented on volunteering, in part, to get out of a current job or post. A personnel officer writes that, “There have been numerous volunteers from many posts, both for Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have volunteered because they want to serve, some hope it will advance their careers and some are volunteering just to get out of assignments or supervisors they are dissatisfied with.” One senior-level DS agent illustrates in his response the combined reasons for volunteering: “A belief that senior agents needed to step up to lead the F O C U S M A R C H 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19