Service to America’s Ideals

America has played an exceptional role in the world for generations, serving as a model for other nations and as the architect of an international system that offers justice and prosperity. Our diplomats explain America to foreign audiences, help set global standards for everything from international trade to human rights, maintain U.S. influence in the face of criticism and competition, and demonstrate how Americans live up to our ideals even in dangerous situations.

Photo on right: Photos of the disappeared collected by the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. Giselle Bordoy, WMAR, Creative Commons

Setting Global Standards and Maintaining American Influence

Ken Quinn: Ending the Terror of the Khmer Rouge: Kenneth Quinn split his childhood between New York City and the American Midwest before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967, which assigned him to the Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support program (CORDS) in Vietnam.

“Tex” Harris: Documenting the “Disappeared” of Argentina: Franklyn Allen Harris, known to his colleagues as “Tex,” was born in Glendale, California and raised in Dallas, Texas. Harris joined the Foreign Service in 1965 and arrived in Argentina in 1977 during the so-called “Dirty War.”

Richard H. Davis – Issuing the Visa that would Save a Jewish Girl: Richard H. Davis, a young Foreign Service officer from Chautauqua County, New York, began his distinguished career in 1938, serving at his first post in Hamburg, Germany, as the world stood on the brink of one of history’s darkest chapters.

Lino Gutiérrez: Overseeing Aid To Nicaragua After Hurricane Mitch: When Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in the fall of 1998, it became one of the deadliest natural disasters in the region’s history, leaving thousands dead and displacing hundreds of thousands. In Nicaragua, U.S. Ambassador Lino Gutiérrez played a central role in the American response, helping to guide emergency relief and deepening the bilateral relationship between the United States and Nicaragua during a time of crisis.

Guy Martorana – Quiet Patient Work of Diplomacy: Guy Martorana was born and raised in Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of Harper Lee and the inspiration for her classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Martorana, who served in the U.S. Agency for International Development from 2010 until 2025, explains how Lee’s story inspired his 15 years of public service building better partners for the United States.

Ambassador Quinn advances with the demining technicians, an anti-tank mine detonates on the road ahead of them, bringing home the seriousness of their task.

Photos courtesy of Ambassador Quinn. — Ambassador Quinn advances with the demining technicians, an anti-tank mine detonates on the road ahead of them, bringing home the seriousness of their task. Photo courtesy of Ambassador Quinn.

Irmgard Kayem’s immigrant identification card signed by Richard H. Davis. Photos courtesy of Stephen Keat.

Casita volcano in western Nicaragua after a mudslide caused by Hurricane Mitch. Public Domain.

Niles Bond: Helping Jewish Refugees in Havana (coming soon)

Mort Dworken: Monitoring Rules of Engagement in Laos (coming soon)

Frank Young: How Operation Sea Angel Saved Bangladesh (coming soon)