A Memorial Day to Remember

Memorial Day, 2011
Arlington National Cemetery

LTC Robert E. Campbell
USA (Ret) 1926-2010

Memorial Day, 2011 was a memorable one in so many ways.
Just last year, I had taken my Dad, LTC Robert E. Campbell, to the Memorial Day ceremony in Albuquerque.  Even though it was difficult for him to walk, and he was in some pain, he stood absolutely at attention and rendered a well-trained hand salute to the flag and to fellow officers.  The years had taken nothing from that reverence in which he held his colleagues, the fallen, and his country. 

Fast forward to Memorial Day, 2011, and reflect on a year's worth of changes.  Dad passed away the morning of October 11. 

We grieve his passing every day. Death can move the living.   Shelly and I have moved  to Washington, DC, and joined the Nation's diplomatic corps.  It is something that Bob Campbell instilled in me . . . service to country is an honorable calling, and one to be pursued. 

So it was no sacrifice for us to arrive at the Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater hours ahead of the program, take our seats in the sun, and await the message of the President of the United States.  Once again, as he does so often, he spoke for me as he spoke to the Nation:

"What bonds this chain together across the generations, this chain of honor and sacrifice, is not only a common cause -- our country’s cause -- but also a spirit captured in a Book of Isaiah, a familiar verse, mailed to me by the Gold Star parents of 2nd Lieutenant Mike McGahan. “When I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?’  And I said, ‘Here I am.  Send me!” That’s what we memorialize today.  That spirit that says, send me, no matter the mission.  Send me, no matter the risk.  Send me, no matter how great the sacrifice I am called to make.  The patriots we memorialize today sacrificed not only all they had but all they would ever know.  They gave of themselves until they had nothing more to give.  It’s natural, when we lose someone we care about, to ask why it had to be them.  Why my son, why my sister, why my friend, why not me?"

So, to Bob Campbell and all of the fallen, we honor your memory, we thank you profoundly for your sacrifices, and, in some small way, we follow the path you have trod.  May God bless you. Rest in Peace.

Damon's Excellent Washington Adventure

Damon and Ducati

Damon at Marrakech



Damon and Abe

Although somewhat of a detour, Damon came to Washington on his way from Miami to Albuquerque.   He was in constant motion, and seemed to enjoy every minute of it.  He managed to visit the Embassies of England, Italy, Denmark, and Slovenia his first day in town.  Then it was off to multiple Smithsonian museums, Morroccan dinner at the tasty Marrakech, a bike trip to Mt. Vernon, soft shell crabs on the Chesapeake in Annapolis, MD, a lunch meeting about engineering of water parks, and seeing a play at Ford's Theater.  And that's not all . . . there was a DC United professional soccer game, technical rock climbing at Great Falls, and a weekend with a college friend in Richmond, VA.  He also took his Mom on a Segway tour of Washington's monuments!

Annapolis waterfront for seafood



We are very proud of our young man.  He just finished his sophomore year at the University of Miami, with all A's on his report card.  He ran on the track and cross country team, while being an active member of the civil engineering professional society.  He even went to a national engineering competition where his team brought a concrete canoe and a steel bridge.  He will spend the summer in Albuquerque on an internship with one of the state's best civil engineering firms. 



Shelly and Damon at the WH



Shelly and I delight in time spent with Damon and admire the person he's become.  His trip to Washington was lots of fun for all of us.  He also managed to attend Shelly's Bikram Yoga classes and helped coach her in an exercise regimen.  He (and we) are looking forward to seeing him in Mauritius in a year!   

Ambassador Pickering & The Path Forward to Peace

Former Ambassador
 & Undersecretary of State
Thomas R. Pickering

One of the tremendous benefits of being at the premier school for diplomats on planet Earth is the chance to occasionally hear speeches from eminent diplomats on topics of international interest.  I had that chance this week when former Ambassador Thomas Pickering came to speak at FSI about his recent work with the Century Foundation Report on the path forward toward peace in Afghanistan. Just last week, he wrote an op-ed on the Report in the New York Times.  The full Report is available here. 

Ambassador Pickering is one of American diplomacy's rock stars.  He has held ambassadorial posts in five different countries and has served in the highest position of a career diplomat, Undersecretary for Political Affairs.  The team assembled to work on this Report included a stable of other diplomatic rock stars from around the world.  If, for no other reason than the credentials of the committee alone, the Report must be taken very seriously.  The members spent the last year having confidential interviews with parties throughout the region and world.  On the basis of these interviews, the Report concludes that now is the time to engage in a negotiation leading to peace in Afghanistan.  In part, the Report concludes:  "A neutral international facilitator is needed to begin explorations with all potential parties toward negotiation. The United Nations could appoint a facilitator. Or a facilitator could be a group, an international organization, a neutral state or a group of states. A settlement would require international guarantees, aid, peacekeeping and enforcement of the agreement."

This is a very important work, and could represent the start of a new phase toward ending this war that has already gone on far too long.  

Personally, hearing Ambassador Pickering speak to a roomful of diplomats on the topic made me proud of my country and very pleased to be among those who are engaged in diplomacy and peace-making.  Ours is a profession that relies on human capital of the most talented sort.  America is well served by seasoned diplomats like Ambassador Pickering who continue to serve the world, even years after their active service in the State Department.

AAAARRRRGGGGH! Pirates on the High Seas---2011

For me, it's all about pirates these days. 

Not the ones downloading software in the back bedroom, not the Johnny Depp kind in the Caribbean, and not Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

No, I'm busy learning about the ones plying the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, and the coast of Somalia.  Seems that the US media has lost interest in the Somali pirates ever since the Maersk Alabama hijacking ended in that dramatic military operation last year.  It may surprise you to know, then, that the Somali pirates are still busily interrupting the international shipping lanes coming out of the Arabian gulf and through the Indian Ocean.  Here's a link to a live piracy map showing incidents of assaults on ships, illegal boardings, and hijackings. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there are RIGHT NOW 518 persons being held hostage by Somali pirates, along with 26 vessels.  These are astonishing statistics.  Just yesterday, May 10, the following incident was reported:  10.05.2011: 1100 UTC: Posn: 17:34N - 058:00E, around 235nm east of Salalah, oman (Off Somalia).
Pirates in two skiffs armed with RPG and guns chased and fired upon a bulk carrier underway. Master raised alarm, SSAS activated, increased speed, took evasive manoeuvres and contacted warship for assistance. Due to the aggressive manoeuvres, the pirates aborted the attempted attack. The ship and crewmembers are safe.

Fortunately, there is a broad international network that is working on the issue, and continues to meet and address the problem.  Looking at the IMB map, however, you see that this is not a problem limited to the Somali coast.  Rather, it is worldwide in scope. 

In my new job, I expect to get involved in this issue, and work with the outstanding men and women and agencies that have come together to address it.  AAAARRRRRGH!

Flag Day

The State Department has a very dramatic tradition for letting new diplomats know where their first post will be.  It's called "Flag Day".  In our case, all 89 of us newbies come into an auditorium with our family and friends sitting in the back.  Then, one by one, the master of ceremonies displays a national flag on the screen at the front of the room, while Ambassador Patterson holds a small version of the flag.  The announcer says, for example, "Chennai, India, the consular officer position goes to Bill Smith!"  Then, a smiling Bill Smith comes up to receive his flag from the Ambassador, have his picture taken, and get a folder describing the remainder of his training schedule and his probable date of departure for his new home.  In our case, the announcer said "Port Louis, Mauritius, in a Political/Military Officer position, David Campbell."  My additional instructions were that I would have about a month of job skills training, followed by six weeks of additional French language lessons, and another couple weeks of security and consular training.  All told, about 3 months of training at the Foreign Service Institute, with a departure in mid-August.  When I arrive, I will join the Ambassador and staff already in place.  The U.S. Embassy in Mauritius also serves as the US diplomats to the Republic of the Seychelles, whose flag is unique:

Shelly and I are learning everything we can about out new homes and preparing to move there in 90 short days.  We are told to bring plenty of sunscreen!

Meanwhile, our daughter, Heather, had her own Flag Day last Saturday.  While she already is living in Kazakhstan, with her Peace Corps training program winding down, she was assigned to her post within the country.  She will be living in the South Kazakhstan Province in the "county" called Oblast Shymkent, and in a city called "Zhetisay".  Her Kazakhstan flag is this:

 Heather also has several more months of language and job training in her new town.  She will be working with currently serving Peace Corps volunteers to teach at a summer school in Zhetisay. She is excited about the new move, yet melancholy to be leaving her Kazakh "family" with whom she has lived for over two months.  Her parents and brother are very proud of her, and excited for tales of her next adventures.  We're hoping that her access to the Internet will be better in her new location, so that (selfishly) we will have more contact with her!  She actually has a swearing-in ceremony this Saturday, May 14th in Almaty, Kazakhstan, when she becomes an "official" PCV. 

While we wish she was closer, one unanticipated benefit of our new post is that we'll be in the same time zone as Heather, but when she has winter, we'll have summer, and vice versa. 

Happy Mother's Day

Seems most things I'm doing these days, Mom would have loved to come along.  She was always the first one to say yes to anything, whether it was someone's idea of a walk around the block, a special dinner, or a trip half-way around the world.  For Cissie, life was a collection of special people and special experiences.  Here's a picture of Cissie in Northfield, MN, where she went to visit Heather as a college freshman at Carleton College in 2006. She visited me in my village in Cameroon for Christmas, 1977.  She went to Italy a couple times to visit Jay and family. And she looked forward to the annual 3 week stay at Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido, CA the month of May.  If she were still with us, she'd be doing the shopping for that trip right now. 

Mothers teach us some incredible things.  My Mom taught me to not let an unused minute go by---be active, contribute, volunteer, enjoy life.  I know she would have been excited by, and pleased with, the choices we've made over the last 18 months.  No doubt she would have been here to Washington to visit, and she'd have been on the first flight to Mauritius after we got settled in.  It's fun to imagine the reactions she would have had to all of this.  Unfortunately, we are left with imagining.  If anything, her sudden and unexpected passing served to underscore her passion for life.  You never know when an active, engaging day spent with friends and family will be your last.



Cissie learning Wii golf from grandsons

Today is always the best day to start on a new path, to say yes to a new adventure, and to accept an offer to work on a new project. Cissie was always learning---here's Grandma Cissie at age 75+ learning to play Wii golf with her grandsons.  She taught by example, and her enthusiasm for learning and doing new things was infectious.  Two years ago this month, I flew to Escondido to spend a long weekend with Mom and Dad, and got to play two days of golf with Mom.  It was the first time we'd ever done that, and, sadly, was the last.   

So, Mom, thanks for all the lessons you taught me, especially the one that says we never get to do today over again.  Best that we put it to good use . . . learning, playing, doing, loving.  I love you, Mom.  Happy Mother's Day!

A New Career Begins

Today marks the end of my Generalist Orientation at the Foreign Service Institute, called A-100.  At 3:00 pm today, I will swear an oath to protect my country, uphold the constitution, and to become one of America's newest diplomats.  It is the culmination of a life-long dream, and I couldn't be happier to be embarked on this long-awaited phase of my life.
Shelly, Heather, and Damon have been tremendously supportive as their aging husband and dad pursues his dream.  I couldnt do any of this without them.  My sole regret is that Mom and Dad can't be here to share this moment.  More and more I think of them and the unfairness of their untimely passing.   I constantly find myself twirling Dad's wedding ring on my right finger and thinking how much he would have enjoyed seeing me join the service of the Nation. And how Mom would have reminded me that she moved 4 kids overseas, all under the age of 7; and she was 29 years old at the time. 
Our group of 89 new diplomats has been together for 6 weeks.  It has been an invigorating and enlightening session with lectures on all manner of statecraft from some of America's top diplomats.  We've also had field trips, experiential practical skills training, and team building exercises.  Some of us were fortunate enough to be in the audience for a discussion on diplomacy between these two top diplomats:


Dr. Henry Kissinger



Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

The discussion was part of a TV show taping of the Charlie Rose Show.  The full interview can be seen on this link:  http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11631

Our A-100 course has taken place during an extraordinary time in diplomatic and world history.  We began the session in the midst of what is now being called the Arab Spring . . . the protests and responses in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, and Libya.  The international armed response in Libya, and finally the killing of Osama bin Laden by the United States.  A very historic 40 days and 40 nights. 

The other extraordinary part of the past month has been getting to know my classmates in A-100.  This is an incredible collection of very talented individuals, many of whom have already had very successful careers in other fields.  I've been fortunate to get to know many of them well, and this only adds to my pride in joining the Nation's service alongside such an outstanding group of officers. 

Here we go!!!

and the Seychelles, Too!

Shelly and I continue to learn more about our new responsibilities overseas each day---as the Political/Military Officer at Embassy Port Louis, I will have responsibilities in the US Embassy in Mauritius.  If you look at the map, you will see that just to the north of Mauritius, there is a group of islands called the Republic of the Seychelles---approximately 115 islands in the Indian Ocean.  As it turns out, the US Embassy in Mauritius also represents the US to the Seychelles.  Apparently, I will be REQUIRED to travel about a week a month to the Seychelles to work on matters there.  (I know, you feel sorry for me.)

If you read the news these days, you know that this area of the world has had huge problems with piracy on the high seas, particularly by the Somali pirates.  This problem is being met with a multi-national approach to law enforcement, and has a growing international coalition of governments and businesses working together.  I expect to have some responsibilities with this problem, working as a diplomat in the area.  So, lest you think it will all look like this:

 I'm here to tell you that there is hard work to be done on behalf of the Nation and World, right there in the Republic of the Seychelles. 

We get there in August; make your reservations for our guest room now!

End of OBL Celebration 5/1/11

It was a very very spontaneous and happy celebration at the White House Sunday night/Monday morning.  The President's announcement came at 11:35 pm, and several thousand of us were in front of his house within 45 minutes.  Here's a video of the craziness taken by a classmate of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTIUn89FwPY

Initially, it seemed strange to be so exuberant about Navy SEALS putting a bullet through someone's head . . . but not for long.  When you consider the evil brought on the planet by bin Laden, the thousands of innocents killed, the hijacking of a world religion in the name of terror, the amazing and extraordinary efforts the United States and other nations have made to bring him and his terror network to justice, the bullet was justice done. 
The President's message to the nation was pitch-perfect and completely appropriate.  The crowd gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue was a collection of mostly college students from GWU and Georgetown---whose childhoods and adolescence have been defined by 9/11 and the US response to it.  It is no wonder they were so enthusiastic in their celebration of bin Laden's death. 
The nation, too, needs to celebrate.  The last 10 years have been completely shadowed by the horrific events of 9/11/01.  Much has changed in response; history will judge whether the changes are for the better.  
Part of the allure of being in Washington is the ability to easily be part of a spontaneous celebration of history in the making.  I did that on Sunday, and was so glad to be there.