2007.03.01: March 1, 2007: Headlines: COS - Somalia: Speaking Out: West Linn Tidings: Somalia RPCV Martin Kaplan writes: Time to honor Peace Corps volunteers
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2007.03.01: March 1, 2007: Headlines: COS - Somalia: Speaking Out: West Linn Tidings: Somalia RPCV Martin Kaplan writes: Time to honor Peace Corps volunteers
Somalia RPCV Martin Kaplan writes: Time to honor Peace Corps volunteers
What did my own service do for me? It allowed me as a 26-year-old to travel the world, to places I never, ever thought I would see. I straddled the equator in Kenya, hiked the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands, took a steamboat around Lake Victoria, slept in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro and most importantly, made lifelong friends.
Somalia RPCV Martin Kaplan writes: Time to honor Peace Corps volunteers
Time to honor Peace Corps volunteers
By Martin L. Kaplan
, Mar 1, 2007
On March 1, 1961, the U. S. Peace Corps was officially established. This week marks the 46th anniversary of its existence. The first volunteers went overseas in the fall of that year. My group went to the Somali Republic, a new country, in the spring of 1962 to work as teachers.
All of us answered President Kennedy’s question about “what you can do for your country” by becoming part of what is one of this country’s greatest gifts to the world.
Peace Corps is an inclusive club whose members are men and women, people of all colors, all ages, all religions and with all manner of political interests.
Former Peace Corps volunteers have entered every phase of American life. There is a long list of notable volunteers in the arts, sciences, the media, corporate life and politics. Peace Corps is the one institution where Democrats and Republicans work side by side for the greater good.
As examples we have Senator Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut (Dominican Republic, 1966-68), Rep. James T. Walsh, R-New York (Nepal 1970-72), Rep. Sam Farr, D- California (Columbia 1964-66), Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Connecticut (Fiji, 1968-70), Rep. Thomas E. Petri, R-Wisconsin (Somalia, 1966-67) and Rep. Mike Honda, D-California (el Salvador 1965-67).
This collegiality needs to be reflected in the House and Senate, by all of its members, so that the needs of the people of this country can be met.
What did my own service do for me? It allowed me as a 26-year-old to travel the world, to places I never, ever thought I would see. I straddled the equator in Kenya, hiked the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands, took a steamboat around Lake Victoria, slept in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro and most importantly, made lifelong friends.
My experiences, exciting and fulfilling at the time, only made me appreciate all the more the gifts the United States had given me.
I recall vividly arriving to teach my class the morning of Nov. 23, 1963. I’d been up all night listening to the radio reports from Dallas. All my students were lined up outside the classroom. They had one question: Which general was going to take over the U. S. government now that President Kennedy had been assassinated?
They couldn’t believe that any government had the stability to survive such a disaster. Eight Peace Corps groups came to Somalia after us. A few years later, in 1969, a military dictator, Siad Barre, took control of Somalia and remained in power until 1990. Civil war resulted in the split of the north and south (does that sound familiar?).
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: March, 2007; Peace Corps Somalia; Directory of Somalia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Somalia RPCVs; Speaking Out
When this story was posted in May 2007, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| Suspect confesses in murder of PCV Search parties in the Philippines discovered the body of Peace Corps Volunteer Julia Campbell near Barangay Batad, Banaue town on April 17. Director Tschetter expressed his sorrow at learning the news. “Julia was a proud member of the Peace Corps family, and she contributed greatly to the lives of Filipino citizens in Donsol, Sorsogon, where she served,” he said. Latest: Suspect Juan Duntugan admits to killing Campbell. Leave your thoughts and condolences . |
| Warren Wiggins: Architect of the Peace Corps Warren Wiggins, who died at 84 on April 13, became one of the architects of the Peace Corps in 1961 when his paper, "A Towering Task," landed in the lap of Sargent Shriver, just as Shriver was trying to figure out how to turn the Peace Corps into a working federal department. Shriver was electrified by the treatise, which urged the agency to act boldly. Read Mr. Wiggins' obituary and biography, take an opportunity to read the original document that shaped the Peace Corps' mission, and read John Coyne's special issue commemorating "A Towering Task." |
| Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments. |
| He served with honor One year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor. |
| Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process. |
| The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace. |
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| History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help. |
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Story Source: West Linn Tidings
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Somalia; Speaking Out
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