In October, 1960, Curtis Kamman entered the Foreign Service ofthe State Department and was one of 300 new employees chosen from a field of15,000 applicants. Now, 38 years later, Kamman's career has progressed to thelevel of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States to theGovernment of Colombia. He is a "soldier" in the war against drugs andoversees the management of the Embassy in Colombia.



What is yourmain duty in Colombia?

My job is to represent the Government of the UnitedStates to the Government of Colombia and to oversee the management of thisEmbassy, which has a total budget of more than $100 million a year. A lot of thatmoney goes into our biggest task in Colombia - fighting against illegal drugs(cocaine and heroin) manufactured in Colombia and smuggled into the UnitedStates.



Is the danger worth the job? If so, why?

There issome risk because of guerrilla violence in Colombia. But I have protectivesecurity details that accompany me and I think I'm pretty safe. The job itself isimportant, since Colombia is our twenty-fourth largest trade partner, has 38million people and is the largest producer of cocaine in the world. My work herebenefits all Americans - those who produce goods for export to Colombia and thosewho may avoid getting hooked on drugs because the supply of cocaine isreduced.



Do you enjoy your job?

I do enjoy my job, becauseI am meeting interesting people all day long. We have had visits from severalU.S. senators and congressmen, other high-level Washington officials and some ofour most senior military commanders. The Colombians I talk to have bigresponsibilities in this country, beginning with the president and includingmajor industrialists, the head of the national police, etc.



Whatwas it like raising a family and working overseas?

Living abroad issometimes a hardship (in Bolivia, until 1997, there was no McDonald's). But youlearn a lot about the world, speak foreign languages and make close friends withall kinds of people. Our kids liked this life. Some kids don't; they'd ratherstay in one place. But the best thing about life in the Foreign Service is thatif you are fed up with the place you're in or the people you work with, you knowit will all change within a year or two.



What is your favoritepart of the job?

My favorite part is travelling to remote corners of theearth. The other day, Mary [his wife] and I went to San Jose de Guaviare, whichyou will have a hard time finding on the map. It is in the Amazon jungle and iswhere illegal coca plants are grown to produce cocaine. We flew in helicoptersand took a brief ride in "Piranha" speedboats on the GuaviareRiver.



What is the most interesting thing you have ever done forthe State Department?

The most interesting thing was to travel to Latvia,Lithuania and Estonia in 1991 to sign agreements restoring diplomatic relationsafter they had regained their independence after 50 years of being forced to jointhe Soviet Union.