Episode #16
Reactions to Loss
This whole show is a reaction to the loss of USAID. Not so much the loss of the Agency’s lifesaving programs or its contribution to our national security. Not even the loss of a part of our country’s own sense of itself. This show focused on the loss of the community of under 2,000 Foreign Service Officers who, along with our loved ones, spent our lives and careers overseas in the world’s toughest places. Every single member of my family – me, my wife, our kids – we all carried a black diplomatic passport on our overseas assignments. Every time I looked at mine I felt a sense of pride and belonging that I imagine might be what a member of the military feels when they put on their uniform. I felt like: this thing is big, and important, and I am so lucky, and I worked very hard, and sacrificed some big things, and so now I get to be part of it. Except now we’re not part of it. And the complex feelings of grief that creates are the subject of this episode. If you’re a USAID alum, or family member, with a story of loss after the destruction of the Agency, I’d love to hear it. Send me a message or a voice note at www.ItWasNeverAJob.com .
