The fantastic Four Globetrotters and why we need our diplomats to blog their stories...

Her blog post started with a reference to a news item on "overpaid federal workers" and a warning:

"As a warning, the rest of this post might be troubling to some.  It's not funny.  It's tragic. It's heartbreaking, and when I think of it, I cry.  But I want to share anyway, because those of you who are in the process of joining the Foreign Service deserve to have as complete a picture as possible about the job you are about to enter.  You need to know what might one day be asked of you."

Then she writes in painful detail about dealing with the aftermath of an airplane crash.

"I wanted to go.  These were MY people.  They deserved to have their consular officer take care of them."
[...]
"This was seven years ago this month, and time has made it easier to deal with what was ultimately diagnosed as PTSD.  I still have nightmares sometimes.  But I would do it all over again."

Active links added.  Read the whole thing here.