He Said: Swearing In, the end of A-100

Wow, what a whirlwind these past seven weeks have been. As I look back, it's hard to imagine where Steph and I were just a short few months ago, heading down such a different path. Today, after my parents, Steph's parents, and Steph were all safely on planes back to MN, I took a little time to go for a run. When we used to live in DC, running around town was one of my favorite things to do. Where else in this world could you run for 40 mins and see a number of national treasures and landmarks along the way. On my run today though, I realized how truly changed my life has become, and that Steph and I have now entered a completely different world, exposed and aware of so much more. Along my route this afternoon I encountered both the Saudi Arabian Embassy, and Swedish Embassy. During the more than three years that Steph and I lived here before, I had never come across either. As I ran by today, it was strange to think that in six short months, I too will be working in an Embassy

This past Friday, I was so lucky to be joined by my parents, Steph's parents, and Steph for my official swearing in as a Foreign Service Officer. After a short reception with my classmates and their families, we filed into one of the auditoriums at the main State Department building. What a treat we had for our ceremony. Not only were we able to hear Ambassador Bill Burns, currently the highest ranked Foreign Service Officer still in service, but we were also honored with the presence of former Secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger, the ONLY FSO to ever serve as Secretary of State. Secretary Eagleburger actually administered our oath after giving a short speech. In his remarks, Sec. Eagleburger choked up a bit after mentioning how proud he was, and how proud we should all be to have the opportunity to represent the greatest country on Earth. I must say, this short moment encapsulated all my feelings for this journey we are about to endure. I am so proud of my country and so honored to be able to serve in a capacity where my actions could make a difference for America. Below is the oath I took, and above is a picture of me taking the oath of service.

"I, Brian Beckmann, do solemn that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Tomorrow I begin the next phase of my training. I will spend the next three months learning Spanish full-time. It's so cool to think that learning a new language will be my job. What a great opportunity. It's also a little nerve wracking to think that I need to get to a certain fluency in the language to be able to do my job. I'm looking forward to it and think that I'm motivated enough to study hard.