This section recognizes the dedication and sacrifices of foreign affairs personnel who have faced particularly dangerous conditions during their service abroad.
This section recognizes the dedication and sacrifices of foreign affairs personnel who have faced particularly dangerous conditions during their service abroad.
To honor those killed in the line of duty or under other heroic or inspirational circumstances, the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) maintains two Memorial Plaques in the main lobby of the Harry S Truman building of the State Department. Starting with William Palfrey, “lost at sea” in 1780, and including a grim catalogue of death by natural disaster, tropical disease, murder, fatal effort to save others and stories defined by place and year (e.g., Vietnam 1968, Beirut 1983, Kenya 1998), the 231 names inscribed on the list as of May 2009 can be found at “Names on AFSA Memorial Plaques.”
On Foreign Service Day, May 1, 2009, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honored the four individuals added to the plaques. One, Brian Daniel Adkins, was a first-tour Foreign Service officer killed in Addis Ababa in January 2009. The three others died years earlier but had been previously overlooked. Two, Thomas W. Waldron and Edmund Roberts, died of diseases contracted in the Far East in the 19th century. The fourth, Felix Russell Engdahl, died from an accident sustained while he was in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Secretary Clinton delivered a message from President Obama, which said,
“Today, as we recognized everyone here and those serving at posts abroad, we honor these four diplomats and pause to reflect on others who have given their lives in service to their country. I join Secretary Clinton in saluting them and in applauding all members of our diplomatic service.” Secretary Clinton added that, “As we look at the plaque, you see names here gracing this lobby of fallen officers. It reminds us of the gravity of the work that we do here, and the courage and dedication that the mission of the Foreign Service requires. And it’s only fitting that we honor that courage and dedication by conducting our foreign policy with the highest levels of integrity.”
Following are just some of the many of the stories of U.S. diplomats and foreign employees of American missions who have faced great danger in crisis situations. An excellent reference on incidents before 1995 is Joseph G. Sullivan’s Embassies Under Siege: Personal Accounts by Diplomats on the Front Line, published by Brassey’s in 1995. Unfortunately, that volume has not been updated to chronicle the heroism and sacrifice of those serving in later years.