[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13939]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING OUR FOREIGN SERVANTS

  Mr. REID. I was disturbed and saddened to learn late last night of 
the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other personnel in an 
attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya. I would be happy to talk by name 
about them, but their names have not been released at this stage. It 
doesn't take away from how important the jobs are of these Foreign 
Service officers.
  I join President Obama in condemning these senseless acts of 
violence. My thoughts are with the families of those who were killed in 
this horrible attack. It is too often forgotten that American diplomats 
risk their lives on a daily basis.
  I had the good fortune in my days on the Foreign Affairs Committee in 
the House to travel the world. I always make sure, wherever I go, to 
visit with the Foreign Service personnel. They are everyplace. There is 
no group of people--and I tell them this every time I have the 
opportunity to visit with them--who do more for our country in a 
positive sense than these Foreign Service officers. They work so hard, 
and most of the time their duty stations are very difficult.
  For example, take this good man, Ambassador Stevens, who was just 
confirmed a few months ago. He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. 
He taught English there. He was fluent in Arabic, French, and English. 
He served in the Foreign Service in Jerusalem, Cairo, and Saudi Arabia. 
He was the Staff Assistant of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. He 
had an education that was really unbelievably strong and powerful. He 
graduated from Berkeley. He had a law degree from Hastings, one of the 
premier law schools in the country. He had a master's degree from the 
National War College. What a loss to our country.
  Our diplomatic corps is filled with admirable and dedicated public 
servants, and the four Americans who lost their lives yesterday 
exemplify the courage that happens every day in diplomatic posts around 
the globe. They learn the language, and they live with the people 
wherever they go.
  As I have indicated, I have traveled to many of the American 
Embassies abroad. I have always been so impressed and grateful for 
their leadership, and I communicate that to them every chance I get. We 
are so fortunate to have had Hillary Clinton leading the State 
Department for the last 3\1/2\ years.
  I have indicated that Ambassador Stevens was not a political 
appointment; he was a Foreign Service officer. As I indicated, he 
served in the Peace Corps and spent his life giving his time and his 
talents to drum up democracy and American values around the world.
  I support President Obama's directive to increase securing our 
diplomatic posts around the world and provide whatever resources are 
necessary to keep our personnel in Libya safe. I will continue to 
monitor the situation as we learn more about these terrible events.

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