Chris Stevens, a brave American

“How do these things happen”?, said Hilary Clinton in her announcement that Ambassador Chris Stevens had been killed by terrorists in the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. I think this happens when a person puts his own safety second to the cause he is fighting for, a cause he believes in. Orwell did it by going to fight for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. He escaped, just barely, with a bullet wound to the throat. Chris couldn't escape the relentless barrage of bullets and rockets aimed at his Consulate. He lived a life of purpose, not settling for a life in an air-conditioned office in Washington writing memos. He served in the Peace Corps in Morocco and in the Foreign Service in many middle east postings. He was fluent in Arabic and could mingle with the people. He wasn't into palace intrigues and big power posturing he was a soldier for democracy. I'm especially grateful to his father, Jan, for his very deft introduction to my wife Peggy. We celebrate our 55th anniversary September 14th. I have pictures of Chris and our son Tony when they were three years old, along with our daughter Alison who was just an infant. Chris was a classmate of Alison's at UC Berkeley. Through the years we saw him grow and mature to be intelligent without being pedantic; handsome without being vain and dedicated without being arrogant. Now he belongs to the shared history of our country. In the words of the poet Phillip Larkin: All the uncaring, intricate, rented world begins to rouse...the sky is white as clay, with no sun...work has to be done”. As Secretary Clinton reminded us: “We need more Chris Stevenss”.