CONSUL GENERAL SPEECHES

Remarks, as prepared, to the American Women’s Club of Amsterdam
De Rode Hoed, Amsterdam
September 6, 2007

Good Morning.  Thank you for your warm welcome, and for the opportunity to participate once again in your fall kick off meeting.  I would like to thank the American Women’s Club of Amsterdam for the terrific support it provides to the Consulate General.  And I would also like to thank you for including me in some of the most memorable things I have done here over the past year.  Once I even came across a group of you enjoying a sunny luncheon at a lovely café on the van Baerlestraat and will admit I was more than a little disappointed that I had to rush back to the office and to work. 

One of the most moving events I had the great honor of participating in was the memorial service for the American crew of a B-17 bomber that was shot down during World War II over the small city of Opijnen – about 45 minutes outside of Amsterdam.  Who could fail to be touched by the Dutch community that has taken our fallen soldiers for their own, and cared so steadfastly for their memory?  Nancy Koster-Tschirhart, thank you for your beautiful memorial in September’s edition of Tulip Talk to John Bruce, the last remaining survivor of the B-17 bomber crew that met its fate in 1943.  Mr. Bruce passed away on August 1 but the sacrifices made by him and his fellow crewmembers will be faithfully honored by the AWCA and the community of Opijnen for years to come.

We approach another somber anniversary next week.  This time of year always brings such bittersweet transitions:  the beginning of the school year, perhaps sending your teenager off to college for the first time, reuniting with friends after the summer holiday, the change of seasons.  But Since September 2001 it also – inevitably – brings memories of a devastating day when the crystal blue sky of an iconic cityscape was ruptured by unspeakable violence, and followed soon afterwards by terror and tragedy at the Pentagon and in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 

Because this year’s meeting falls so close to that day on which so much was lost – and so much changed – I wanted to take a few moments this morning to remember September 11. Six years on, we remember those who lost their lives.  We remember those who showed tremendous courage – racing up smoke-filled stairwells in the Twin Towers, carrying the injured away from the burning Pentagon building, rushing up the aisle of an aircraft to thwart the terrorists’ deadly plans.  We remember the families and the friends of the nearly 3000 victims of September 11 from 90 countries who carry their own memories of those they have lost.  And we think about those who continue to put themselves in harm’s way to protect us, whether they are police officers or fire fighters, or men and women in other uniforms serving in the far flung corners of the world.

If you would like to join with others in the American community in The Netherlands to commemorate 9/11, there will be a public event called “A Day of Remembrance and Hope” at the American School in The Hague next Tuesday.  The event is organized in cooperation with the school by an organization called Overseas Americans Remember and it starts at 7:30 pm.  There’s more information about this special evening available on the Consulate General’s website.  

Now, perhaps more than ever before, I think that organizations like the American Women’s Club are extraordinarily important, as a source of support for both new and continuing members of the American communities overseas.  The logistics of international moves have changed over the last several decades.  Our connectivity certainly has.  In fact, I can remember the first time I moved overseas:  there was one flight between the United States and that country per week.  We had to send people to Miami once every couple of weeks to pick up the mail.  Of course there was no internet, no e-mail, no online ordering.  And I shiver to think about what my international telephone bills must have been like. 

Moving might have become easier in many ways, but there is always a profound disruption when you begin life anew in a foreign country.  And in today’s world where the unexpected has become more commonplace – including everything from the weather (witness Hurricanes Dean and Felix recently) to avian flu, to possible terrorist threats (the arrests this week in Denmark and Germany) it is reassuring to know there is a strong community to turn to. 

We all need a helping hand, an experienced guide, a source of counsel – whether it is regarding finding a huisarts or a good Thai restaurant.  We sometimes need the solidarity and sense of belonging that comes by being in familiar surroundings even in the midst of an unfamiliar city.  And we sometimes need advocates.  Along the way we manage to form great friendships and explore more of our new home than perhaps we would have done otherwise.

At the U.S. Consulate General in Amsterdam, we are grateful to serve you, our community.  There’s no question about us being a part of the American community in The Netherlands.  There are six Americans on our staff of 30 and I am grateful every day that they are among the best I have run across in the Foreign Service.  Our experienced local staff has worked with and interacted with Americans for so long that they know well our needs.  Together, we have a tremendously strong commitment to service and professionalism, understanding that in many ways it is a privilege to be able to do the work we do. 

We welcome your thoughts about how we can become more accessible and more involved with our fellow Americans here.  One of your members – Grace Kenney – has already come up with a terrific idea and this year, staff from the Consulate General will participate in the AWCA’s orientation program for newcomers.  We are very much looking forward to it, and hope to be able to continue this partnership. 

Last year when I spoke to you I told you that one of my priorities for my time here was to undertake a comprehensive review of the way we provide information to the public and see what we could do to foster communication with the Consulate General.  We’ve taken a number of steps in that direction. 

Our first and biggest project was to take that great leap into the internet age by establishing our own website.  I’m really pleased with the result – a group of my colleagues labored to make it accessible, user friendly and informative.  And over the past several months we integrated some of the feedback we have received to make it more useful. 

What you will find on our website is a comprehensive guide to the services we provide, complete with specific instructions and downloadable forms, as well as references to other organizations or information that might be helpful to you.  Whether you are registering the birth of your newborn child as an American citizen, or renewing your passport, you’ll find what you need on our site.  One specific online service that I would recommend you take advantage of is our Internet Based Registration System.  Registering with the Consulate General means only that you provide basic identifying and contact data so that, should we need to get in touch with you in case of emergency, we have the ability to do so.  You can register via our website by taking a couple of moments to fill in a simple online form. 

We are taking advantage of the web in a couple of other ways.  My colleagues prepare a regular newsletter called “Consul’s Corner” that can be found on our website.  I’ve brought an example with me today and you will see that it is packed with useful information, as well as notices about upcoming events that might be of interest to the American community. 

We conducted our first webchat on April 2 where we invited members of the public to ask me questions and receive on-the-spot answers.  That’s something we will continue to do regularly.  And next week I will record the Consulate’s first podcast which will allow people to listen to information that we provide at public events at their own convenience, especially if they are not able to attend in person.

I’ve brought cards along with me that have the website address on them and I hope you visit us via the internet often.  In particular, I would ask that you check our opening times regularly, as some people are not aware that we are obliged to close on both U.S. and Dutch holidays.  And we have recently instituted a monthly in-service training day (on the last Wednesday every month) that allows us the opportunity to augment our skills and knowledge, translating directly into better service to you.  Our hope is that when you do need to actually come see us, you will know what to expect and have what you need so that we can provide the service you request promptly.  

I must say that one of the things we most enjoy is coming to see you – hitting the road and meeting members of the American community outside the Consulate General.  In the past several months we have held Consular outreach events in cities including Breda, Groningen, Rotterdam and Wassenaar.  During these events we are able to register American births, provide notarial services, take passport applications and answer questions on a host of issues.  I even tried my hand during this summer’s Independence Day community picnic at the American Baseball Foundation in Wassenaar and was delighted by the number of people who had heard about it and were grateful to take advantage of it.  We are always looking for host organizations for these consular “roadshows” especially if they are a little farther afield from Amsterdam, which helps those who have to travel farther for routine services.

I should note that we are also there for you should you face more difficult challenges.  The staff at the Consulate General is experienced in all manner of personal crises, and we will do our best to help, whether it is a complicated child custody issue involving an international abduction, or helping to find a lost relative, or the death or illness of a family member, or assistance finding local resources for a family intervention.  As I said, we consider it a privilege to do this work, helping American citizens and their families, sometimes during the most difficult moments of their lives, while preserving the dignity and confidentiality of our clients.  

Finally, it cannot have escaped you, even without daily access to American media, that 2008 is an election year.  As you probably know, American citizens overseas are eligible to participate in primary, run-off and special elections, as well as the general elections in November.  Voting information will be one of the cornerstones of our outreach activities throughout the year, so that everyone can register to vote and request an absentee ballot in plenty of time.  I’ll leave some voting pamphlets that I have brought along for those of you who are unfamiliar with voting overseas.  Get ready to cast your vote and make your voice heard! 

Now, all that remains is for me to wish you an enjoyable and constructive AWCA year.  Thanks again for inviting me to join you as you kick it off.