Today, we lovingly remember our daughter Anne on this 5th anniversary of her death in a terrorist attack.
We are incredibly proud of the work she did for our country to make the world a better place. We recently found her request to be assigned to fill an open position at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. She wrote –
— “I take seriously the word ‘service’ in our job title, and want to be sent where I am needed most, where my work has the potential to do the most good.” . . .
— “I am especially excited to work in Afghanistan because the challenges of the job will require innovative and creative thinking.” . . .
— “A post in Kabul will require great sacrifice, but this is the reason I joined the Foreign Service – to serve my country in the best way I can.”
The spirit of service that motivated Anne is critical to the future of our country and the world. By working to advance the cause of diplomacy, and to help the people of Afghanistan, Anne has given breath to the ideal expressed by the words of the song: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”
It is our hope that Anne’s spirit will live on in the work that U.S. diplomats continue to do around the world.
I work with one of your daughter’s colleagues and the other day I saw he was wearing KIA Remembrance bracelet with her name. We began to talk about how he knew her – he served in Kabul with her – and how her work affected him; he described her “as one of the best [PD officers”. A slow day in the office on the weekend prompted me to Google her name and this site appeared. I am impressed, but by no means surprised, that she wrote so thoughtfully about her role as a Foreign Service Officer and stressed the importance of service to her nation.
When I was in elementary school, I remember singing the song that you referenced above; it’s message is particularly inspiring in light of Anne’s courage, patriotism, and dedication to her nation.
I’m amazed it has been five years since we lost Anne. Having read the tragic news I chose to honor her life in a small way by dedicating our Little Free Library ( #1383) in Colorado Springs to her memory.
We’re now in our fifth year of sharing books with our neighborhood and it’s a warm feeling to be able to explain to patrons WHY we have the brass plaque with Anne’s name on the LFL.
So ironic that one of her classmates from Johns Hopkins named “Justine” stopped by to visit the LFL only to find her friend’s name on the door. What wonderful synchronicity.