CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF U.S. DIPLOMAT ANNE SMEDINGHOFF

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Senior Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, released the following statement regarding Anne Smedinghoff, the young American diplomat who was killed over the weekend while delivering textbooks to children in Afghanistan:

“Anne Smedinghoff’s adventures ended tragically Saturday when the 25-year-old U.S. diplomat from Illinois was killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. Anne, one of six Americans killed Saturday, was the first U.S. diplomat slain in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001.

“Anne, a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, died in the service of her country as she was traveling with a group to deliver books to a local school in the Zabul Province of Afghanistan. She joined the Foreign Service three years ago right out of college. Anne absolutely loved the work she was doing. Her first assignment was in Caracas, Venezuela. She then volunteered for an assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, which she began in July, 2012.

“Working as a public diplomacy officer, she particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war. We should be consoled knowing that she was doing what she loved, and that she was serving her country by helping to make a positive difference in the world. She was a wonderful woman who was strong, intelligent, independent, and loving.

“My thoughts and Prayers go out to her family, friends and co-workers during this trying time.”