I am a Consulate Warden

What is a Consulate Warden you ask?

Similar to the role of an air raid warden during World War II, Consulate Wardens "stand guard" on behalf of US citizens in a foreign country. A Consulate Warden's job is to alert and communicate on behalf of the US State Department with Americans living and working abroad. Wardens and the Consulate Warden system provide a reliable way for the American Consulate to reach US citizens living in a host country in the event of an emergency, a disaster, or threat, and to distribute information of interest to the private US community.

I had heard about the Consulate Warden system at the annual meeting of the American Society of South Africa last month. It sounded like something I might want to pursue.

And then the siege in Nairobi happened. Once again I was reminded that it can be a dangerous world out there and there are bad people in it. Bad people who sometimes target innocent people on holiday or going about their business shopping in a mall or working in their high-rise twin tower office buildings. Some of the bad people even target Americans.

I remember when the Gulf War first broke out in January of 1991.  The US State Department issued a security warning for Americans traveling abroad which I saw broadcast on the evening news. I listened eagerly because as it happened we had a vacation planned to England and Ireland over Pingry's upcoming two week spring break in March. England was one of the Desert Storm Coalition countries and was also providing refuge to the Royal Family of Kuwait. Both of these facts made the country especially vulnerable as a target for terrorism.

The State Dept. warning went on to describe Americans abroad in particular as potential terrorist targets. They offered some practical suggestions for behavior to keep us safe. For instance, they suggested that Americans traveling abroad should not wear tee shirts with anything identifiable as being "American" written on it, such as the names of American sports teams, prep schools, universities, etc.

They further suggested not speaking when in a crowd so that we could be identified as American by our accents. Hmmm. We were going to be in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day and chances were good that it would be crowded! We could stop the boys from wearing their Pingry or favorite sports teams sweatshirts, but keeping them quiet in a crowd would be difficult. It was then I realized that the stress the restrictions would cause would far outweigh the potential for relaxation during our Spring vacation.

I did not want to "give in to terrorism" but at the same time we really couldn't see enjoying ourselves for two weeks under these conditions. And most importantly we didn't feel comfortable gambling with our sons' young lives for the sake of a vacation.

We postponed our trip to the UK and Ireland and instead spent spring break somewhere less threatening. I can't remember where we went as the alternative, probably out west to a US National Park or something. This was ten years before 9/11. How naive we were in thinking we were safer just because we were not traveling abroad.

The attack in Kenya brought me back to the practical reality of terrorism. Be ever vigilant. I do not reliably watch the news or read the newspapers here. I can't quite figure out the schedule and channels and it has not become a daily habit. There is hardly any news from America anyway. And I do not routinely check the Consulate website for alerts. Only if Vince is traveling to somewhere really bizarre. So I decided I'd better wake up and pay more attention to safety issues bigger than the pickpockets in the CBD.

How would I know if there was an imminent terrorist threat to Americans living in South Africa? I could become a Consulate Warden, that's how.

The first step was to register with the American Embassy's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP is a secure online travel registration website which allows an American citizen to record essential foreign residence information such as telephone numbers and addresses with the Department of State. Next step, training. That should happen sometime in November at the American Consulate in Johannesburg or at the Embassy in Pretoria.

I've got your back, America!