Tragedy in Libya

The news this morning is full of mention of the tragedy in Libya, including the US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans working in the Consulate. 

Too often with events like this, they seem removed from our every day American lives of commuting, runs to the grocery store, and easy access to Starbucks.  Indeed, the sacrifices and challenges willingly faced by our Foreign Service and diplomatic corps abroad warranted no mention at last week’s Democratic National Convention, in stark contrast to the many mentions of the military and their families.

This one though feels personal, as I am an avid reader of Foreign Service blogs, and a few weeks ago read aloud to The Historian a blog entry by Hannah Draper, a Foreign Service Officer currently serving in Benghazi, Libya.  I wanted to share it here today, in honor of the amazing work Ambassador Stevens was doing in Libya to represent US interests and help rebuild the country there.  I think it is important to remember that even though these events happen to strangers a world away, that they are American diplomats whose lives were cut tragically short, and who, due only to the fact that they are Americans, somehow are attributed to share the blame for a movie made out of hate for the Muslim faith. 

Please keep them and their families in your thoughts today.  The blog post is linked here.