BAGHDAD CONSULAR LEADERSHIP DAY 2009

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 000359

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CMGT CVIS CASC
SUBJECT: BAGHDAD CONSULAR LEADERSHIP DAY 2009


1. Baghdad's Consular Section marked the 2009 Consular Leadership
Day with a series of events and programs that highlighted the
Section's teambuilding inside the DOS community and beyond. The day
began by concluding a two-day Military Passport Acceptance Agent
training program for five U.S. Army paralegals who traveled from
bases as far away as Tallil in Iraq's southern Dhi Qar province.
Thanking the Section for ensuring that American military personnel
are able to enjoy much needed R&R abroad, Sgt. Freddie Scott
observed, "I have gained a new respect for the duties of consular
officers and diplomats and the sacrifices they make."


2. The Section also met with Ambassador Crocker, who presented a
departing LES member with a Meritorious Honor Award for her
outstanding work in the Section's ACS Unit. The leadership program
culminated with a formal roundtable discussion with Leadership and
Management Training Division representatives about the challenges
unique to consular work in Iraq. While the Section members lamented
their separation from their loved ones, they were upbeat about their
working and living conditions since moving to the New Embassy
Compound and deeply proud of their service at this historic period
of transition in Iraq.

CROCKER