Archive - 2016

On this last day of 2016, I thought I might try and chart the impulses in America that brought about the creation of the Peace Corps–something positive to think about as we wait for 2017–and before all of “our” story is lost in the fog of history.  Most of the early history of the Peace Corps, as we know, lives only as oral history. Still, there are a few key books that spell out in some detail the foundations of the agency. Two important books are The Story of the Peace Corps by George Sullivan, and that has an introduction by Sargent Shriver. It was published by Fleet Publishing in 1964. A second one is Peace Corps: Who, How and Where by Charles E. Wingenbach, with a foreword by Hubert H. Humphrey, and published by John Day Company in 1963. A revised edition by Wingenback was later published by McGraw-Hill . . .

Thanks to the ‘heads up’ from Neil Boyer (Ethiopia 1962-64) Marchers in Trump’s Inaugural Parade Announced  No high school or university marching band in the D.C. area will march in the parade Forty organizations — including several military and veterans groups — will march in President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade. Trump’s inaugural committee announced Friday morning which groups accepted an invitation to participate on Jan. 20. DC-Area Marching Bands Opt to Sit Out Inaugural Parade No high school or university marching band in the D.C. area will march in the parade. These groups are set to participate: 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment – Fort Hood, Texas 1st Infantry Commanding General’s Mounted Color – Ft. Riley, Kansas Boone County Elite 4-H Equestrian Drill Team – Burlington, Kentucky Caisson Platoon, Fort Myer – Fort Myer, Virginia Cleveland Police Mounted Unit – Cleveland, Ohio Coastal Florida Police & Fire Pipes & Drums – Palm Coast, Florida Columbus North . . .

A Note Regarding the Presidential Inaugural Parade As we have done on previous occasions, NPCA and our local affiliate group, RPCVs of Washington, D.C., submitted an application on behalf of the Peace Corps community to participate in the 58th Presidential Inaugural Parade on January 20, 2017. We received word this week that our group was not chosen.Historically, we most recently submitted a successful application in 2008, while our Peace Corps community was not chosen for the 2012 inaugural parade. We will continue to seek every opportunity to raise the Peace Corps flag high at public events of this nature.  

One, start writing your memoir. Two, hire an editor. Yes, you need an editor. What I have noticed over the years is that many interesting, fact-filled and engaging memoirs are being written and self-published by RPCVs. However, a good number of them would have benefited greatly if they had been first edited by a professional editor. All writers need the fine hand of an experienced book or magazine editor to bring out the best in a book. If you are writing your story for your family or for posterity, you should do yourself a favor and hire an editor. Also, a good editor will help you develop your story and get you through the tough spots with your narrative and prose. If you can’t locate a person or don’t know where to look, drop me an email and I’ll help you. I have put a few RPCV writers in touch with professional . . .

CHRISTMAS 1974 by John Moehl (Cameroon 1974-80) Beneath palm tree and mango sit I, thinking of pleasant times done by. Times of laughter, times of zest — but best of all: the time of Christmas. Sun birds search out palm nut’s soft meat; through the rustling fronds their chirping sounds sweet. Yet, how distant it is from Winter’s fine grace, as snow flake and icicle bedeck Nature’s face. Dry season starts, skies filled with Earth’s red dust; a far-away voice fills my soul with forgotten lust. The marvelous sounds of metal runners on ice, a burning cold that is the Northland’s own spice. Down ermine cloaked streets, shoppers do glide; examining each doll and train with professional pride. With a holiday pageant that puts the North Pole to shame, into each shopkeeper’s window comes Santa’s own name. Eves and shutters, windows and sash — all have donned their festive splash. from . . .

Today I think, Trump might have a chance to help those old bald white guy after all. Perhaps there is light at the end of the Blue Collar tunnel. The good news is that you, (or most of you) “Baby Boom Generation” are retiring. The reason why that is “good” is because Baby Boomers (51-69) make up 20% of the workforce. That means there are more jobs for Generation X (35-50) and those Millennials.(18-34). As for the rest of us, the Silent Generation…well, we are increasingly that. The bad news is the declining manufacturing jobs. They have declined, according to the Labor Department, something like 35% since 1980. Also, I read recently In a New York Times article that thirty years ago the US had had one of the highest employment rates for women. Today that rate has been outpaced by European and other countries. In 1999, 74 percent of . . .

  The Peace Corps Office of Strategic Information, Research, and Planning (OSIRP) has completed and published a report on the role of Peace Corps Volunteers in eradicating the scourge of small pox.  It is an important historical survey and excellently done. It is a tribute to the work of Volunteers and  a Holiday Gift to the entire Peace Corps Community! The report concentrates on Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Zaire, but acknowledges the work of Peace Corps Volunteers in all countries in the 60s and early 70s in eradicating this disease.  Here is a summary.  The link to the entire report follows.  Please read it.   “In 1966, the global burden of smallpox was estimated at 10 million cases and 2 million deaths per year. Global smallpox eradication, achieved in October 1977, required country-specific partnerships of national and international resources. As described in this report, Peace Corps and returned Peace Corps Volunteers contributed . . .

The signs that the special role for the Peace Corps in foreign aid was in trouble were all over Washington in March and April of ’61. Wofford ran into Ralph Dungan in the White House mess (Wofford was then a Special Assistant to the President on Civil Rights) and Dungan told him the Peace Corps would be a subdivision of the new AID. “Not if Sarge has anything to say about it,” Wofford tossed off, half joking, but also firmly believing Shriver walked on water. The truth was that all these “new guys” Shriver brought in to work for the Peace Corps believed Sarge could get anything he wanted from the White House. But Shriver was scheduled to leave D.C. and the U.S. Who would carry the fight that was developing in D.C.? Before leaving for his ’round the world trip to secure placements for PCVs, Shriver lobbied Sorensen, Dungan, and . . .

Vermont Ranks As Peace Corps’ Top Volunteer-Producing State in 2016 WASHINGTON. D.C., Dec. 20, 2016 – Today, Peace Corps announced that Vermont ranks No.1 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers per capita for the fourth consecutive year. Fifty-two (52) volunteers from the Green Mountain State are currently serving worldwide, with a ratio of 8.3 volunteers for every 100,000 residents, the highest per capita rate in the nation. Meanwhile, the Burlington-South Burlington area ranks No. 2 among metropolitan areas with the highest number of volunteers per capita, with 18 area residents currently serving overseas. It has ranked in the top five volunteer-producing metropolitan areas per capita since 2013. “During my time leading the Peace Corps, I have seen the tremendous impact that volunteers have when they share their unique hometown perspectives with the communities they serve,” said Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. “Volunteers represent our nation’s rich diversity by . . .

What continues to surprise me is how few people–since that morning in the Mayflower Hotel–have read “A Towering Task” the policy paper written by Wiggins and Josephson. The document was the first draft of defining the Peace Corps; it was in some ways the Holy Grail of the agency. When I asked Warren Wiggins about this, he commented wryly, “It’s marvelous that nobody has read it because, you see, in most ways I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about. In some ways I was dead on, but I did recommend that we ship air-conditioned trailers to the Philippines to house the Volunteers. It’s a far cry from the theology of the Peace Corps that evolved, but then, those were the early days.” What is clear now from the safety of time and distance is that being anti-establishment, amateurish, anti-professional was the reason for the success of the Peace . . .

The question in 1961 at the Maiatico Building was: would anyone apply to the Peace Corps? Could the United States produce enough Americans of high quality and character to make the Peace Corps successful? Between March 1 and June 1, 1961, after the Peace Corps preliminary policies were set, approximately 10,000 Americans filled out and mailed in Peace Corps applications. From June to December 31, 1961, Americans volunteered at the rate of 1,000 per month. In those early months, the Peace Corps made little effort to attract Volunteers, preferring to wait until it had a clear mandate from the Congress both in terms of authorization and appropriation. That mandate came on September 22, 1961. With bipartisan national endorsement, the Peace Corps took the initiative in explaining its program and the opportunities for Peace Corps service. October and November 1961 were taken up in preparing an adequate public information and public . . .

Brian Forde (Nicaragua 2003-05) co-founded the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab and was formerly a senior advisor at The White House.  Today he is co-founded the Digital Currency Initiative at the MIT Media Lab. • Earlier this week, President-elect Trump met with some of the top leaders of American tech companies. Some of these leaders are trying to find common ground after being on the receiving end of some of his sharp-worded tweets. Like many of my friends in the tech community, I’m faced with the reality of a Trump presidency and searching for a way to honor the calls of President Obama and Secretary Clinton for national unity and a chance for the president-elect to lead. My struggle comes from looking for common ground with a president-elect whose policy goals I largely do not support but recognizing from my time working in the Obama White House just how ineffective obstructionist politics . . .

Scratch any RPCV or PCV and they’ll tell you the three goals of the Peace Corps. While the wording varies from one publication to the next, these are the goals: (1) Contribute to the development of critical countries and regions; (2) Promote international cooperation and goodwill toward the country; (3) Contribute to the education of America and to more intelligent American participation in the world.  Now, those are the stated goals, and I know that they have been tweaked with by staff and PCVs over the last 50 years. For example, “living at the level of the HCNs” is often stated as Goal # 2. But the question is, who came up with these goals and why three? Well, at the famous Mayflower Hotel in the winter months of 1961 when the task force of Shriver/Wofford/Wiggins/Josephson and a handful of others began to draft the proposal to give JFK that would define . . .