Because I'd want someone to do the same for me.

A few weeks ago, I was left in charge of the Consulate as the CG was out of the country.  By coincidence, I was also the duty officer for the Consulate that week as well.  (For those of you reading that don't know what that means, let me explain.  After hours, all diplomatic missions worldwide have a duty officer that handles emergency calls from Americans oversees that have a problem that needs to be attended to immediately.  Or immediately in their eyes.  Usually it's a lost passport, someone in jail, or the worst: someone has died.)  Usually nothing happens that isn't easy to take care of or that can wait until the morning and we get no issues.  Many times the duty book has you signing in and signing out with no problems.  Sadly, this wasn't going to happen to me.

The Sunday of my duty and being the CG, I received a call on my regular work cell phone at 4 am.  If it had been the other phone, I would have thought an American had been arrested, or that someone had been robbed.  However, it was my regular work cell phone.  Nothing good can come of that phone ringing at 4 am.  Sure enough, it was the Regional Security Officer calling to inform me that one of my US employees had died.  

It's a shock when you get that phone call for an American Citizen overseas, but even more so when you know the person well and consider them a friend. So many things run through your head, and you can't seem to think straight.  However, there are things that you must do as a Duty Officer when an official American dies at post.  I went to the duty manual to see what needed to be done.  Number 1 was call the Management Officer.  Number 2 was call the CG.  Done, since I was all three this week.  You have to notify Washington, the Ambassador or Charge depending on who is there, and then comes the discussion of how to tell your employees at the Consulate about what happened.

I hope to never have to go through this again.  It's hard enough trying to be a Management Officer in the Foreign Service, but to then stand up in front of everyone and tell them that their friend and collegue is gone was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  Since I cry at lots of stuff, this wasn't happening without tears.

We've worked very hard to get him back home to his family.  He will be soon, which will be of great comfort to them.  Yesterday we had a Memorial service, put together beautifully by Lovely English Lass, for him at the Consulate.  Some people spoke about him, some sang, and there were many laughs and tears.  We filmed it for his family so they could know how much he was loved here in this community and so his kids could look back later in life to know the kind of man their father was.

We did all of this out of respect for him and his family, but also because if, G-d forbid, something like this happened to me, I'd want someone doing the same as well for my family.  It's my job, but it's also something more than that.  It's compassion.  While I hope to never do this again, I know that if I have to I will put just as much effort into it.