Hail and Farewell

It is an understatement to say that there is a lot of turnover in embassy personnel, both on the State and DoD sides. This is currently our largest embassy in the world, and growing, but few people stay longer than six- or twelve-month TDYs (temporary duty assignments). So there is a constant stream of welcome and departure social occasions, informal gatherings to, in either case, wish someone well. (No I didn't get a welcoming one because State Dept. regulations state that they have to be held within the first three days and only badged staff may attend... just kidding.)

Yesterday I attended my first one of these, to celebrate the departure of a State official who spent a year working as a PRT's (provincial reconstruction team) rule of law specialist. It was an unceremonious affair, filled with small talk around a table of freshly laid out chips, cookies, and soda. I'm still at the "getting to know you" phase, and was pleased to continue conversations with State's Rule of Law Coordinator and the Justice (as in DOJ) Attache, among others.

Then the Coordinator and Attache gave little speeches telling the story of the honoree's year in-country -- spent in some of the more hellish spots of Iraq, like Diyala and Buccoba (sp?) -- before yielding the floor to the PRT man (who I believe is an Assistant U.S. Attorney in his "civilian" life). This gentleman had clearly seen and been through a lot -- including at home, as his wife had suffered certain health complications during his year abroad -- and his eyes welled up as he remembered it all in the split second of recognition that it was now over.

"I will miss all of you," he said with a grimace, "but I will not miss Iraq."