Epitaph On My Own Friend

On this Memorial Day we should remember the pseudonymous FSO blogger Consul-at-Arms who, back in the day when FSO blogs were first becoming popular but were then cracked down upon by the Department and largely disappeared, was for a while the sole FSO blogger remaining.

He soldiered on until this month when, tragically, he passed away, far too soon. His friends and co-workers are mourning him, but I expect that some of his online readers might have known him only as Consul-at-Arms.

CAA was my oldest friend in the Department. We began as contractors both working in the same office for a few years, then later were both hired as Civil Service employees at the same time and again worked in the same office, with CAA ultimately becoming a Consular Officer and serving at several posts. Sharing an Army background and having similar interests, we stayed in touch on line and sometimes crossed paths at FSI over the many years. 

You can get a good sense of him from the image he used on his blog: a Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets sword above and a Scottish Claymore below, with U.S. Army insignia and decorations in between, on a field of desert camouflage. An active Reservist, he was called up for Desert Storm and served in many subsequent military assignments at the same time that he carried on his Consular career, deriving a great deal of satisfaction from both types of service. 

To honor his heritage, what could be better than a poem by Robert Burns? 

          Epitaph on my own Friend 

An honest man here lies at rest

As e'er God with his image blest.

The friend of man, the friend of truth;

The friend of Age, and guide of Youth:

Few hearts like his with virtue warm'd,

Few heads with knowledge so inform'd:

If there's another world, he lives in bliss;

If there is none, he made the best of this.

Requiescat in pace.