This morning, Richard Holbrooke died. Throughout his career, he indirectly touched my life in a number of ways.
He served in Vietnam during the time when my father fought there. As a child, the lives of my Air Force friends were impacted by his work in the State Department. When I was serving in Germany, he was the American ambassador. His work with NATO and the rest of Europe on the Bosnian War led directly to me learning Serb (sort of anyway), and his efforts to bring about the Dayton Peace Accords sent me to Bosnia.
Throughout his later career, he has worked for humanitarian causes to either draw the international community together or to make life better for the poor people of the world. His politics and mine probably didn't sync up much at all, and he was no saint. But I believe that he worked for the betterment of humanity his entire life. His work to end the Balkan War alone should be enough for him to be remembered, but his accomplishments in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Mid-East will have positive ramifications for years.
Rest In Peace, Ambassador.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God - Matthew 5:9
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