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Bombing victim The call came early Sunday. Salt Lake resident Roy McGuine walked outside and sat down in disbelief: It couldn't be true that his daughter and granddaughter were killed in a grenade attack in Pakistan.
had Hawaii roots
Barbara Green, killed with her
Americans in danger
daughter in Pakistan, graduated
from Nanakuli High
Safety tipsBy Rosemarie Bernardo
rbernardo@starbulletin.com"Not in my weakest moment whatsoever did I ever think this would happen," McGuine said.
But his disbelief soon subsided.
"I was numb. I didn't go back to sleep," he said. "I knew it was true because this lady wouldn't be calling me this early in the morning."
Barbara Jean Green, 39, and her family were attending services at Protestant International Church when the attack occurred at 10:50 a.m. Sunday (Pakistan time). Witnesses said a man dressed in black ran through the center of the church throwing grenades.
Green and her 17-year-old daughter, Kristen Wormsley, were among the five victims killed in the attack. More than 45 people were injured at the church.
No group claimed responsibility but suspicion fell on Islamic extremists. Islamic militants are outraged at Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism in Afghanistan and by Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's ban on five Islamic extremist groups accused of violence and terrorism.
President Bush condemned the attack, which occurred in the guarded diplomatic quarter at the heart of Pakistan's capital, about 400 yards from the U.S. Embassy.
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The State Department warned Americans abroad of "the imminent threat of terrorist actions" and said terrorists "will seek softer targets" as security is increased at official U.S. facilities.McGuine said he received a call from Secretary of State Colin Powell and is expected to travel to the mainland after her daughter's husband and son are discharged from the hospital.
Green's husband of more than 10 years, Milton, suffered shrapnel wounds to his stomach and legs. He underwent surgery yesterday and is listed in stable condition, according to relatives.
Green's 10-year-old son, Zachery, also suffered shrapnel wounds to his legs.
Green was born in Richmond, Calif., and moved to Honolulu with her family at the age of 2. In 1980 she graduated from Nanakuli High School.
"She was a fun-loving girl. She enjoyed life," McGuine said of his daughter.
She enjoyed going boogie-boarding and fishing, McGuine said.
Green later joined the Air Force where she met her husband. Thereafter, she worked in administration for the U.S. Embassy while her husband worked in the computer division.
The family traveled to places such as Germany and Beijing. Two years ago, they moved to Pakistan.
"She was happy over there. ... The kids were doing great in school," McGuine said.
Milton's other son, Milton Green Jr., from a previous marriage, earlier spoke to his father and younger brother.
"He's (Zachery) emotionally shaken over the whole ordeal. I've just been trying to comfort him and let him know that I'm there for him," said Green Jr., who lives in Minneapolis.
Wormsley was a senior at American School in Islamabad and was recently accepted to Florida State University, McGuine said.
"They will be missed. I loved them both," said McGuine while holding a picture of his daughter and granddaughter.
"I just think maybe the Lord wanted them more than we do, so he took them home."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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WASHINGTON >> U.S. embassies and overseas military bases are generally fortified against attack. But the schools where American kids go each day often are not. Americans abroad are
increasingly in dangerAssociated Press
Neither are restaurants where American business people meet clients, nor the church in Pakistan where an embassy worker and her daughter were killed.
Americans are in growing danger as terrorists search for vulnerable targets, the State Department said yesterday.
It warned those overseas to be wary of -- or even outright avoid -- any place where Americans typically congregate, including churches, restaurants and schools.
"One would have hoped that there would be some respect for a church, but even that doesn't always exist," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. "So, we all take the best precautions we can."
Total security is impossible. Private companies and the government need to have workers overseas, and those workers want their families nearby. If families are nearby, they shop, they go to school.
Some U.S. companies with operations in the Middle East or southern Asia have relocated workers' family members in recent months to other locations, like Europe, still close enough for frequent visits, said Vince Cannistraro, a former government counterterrorism official who runs his own security business.
Others are cutting back on the number of Americans overseas, relying instead on more local workers.
Still other U.S. companies are spending thousands of dollars to add guards and improve the physical security at compounds where their employees live, Cannistraro said.
The U.S. military designates many of its bases in Middle Eastern countries and other hot spots as "unaccompanied," meaning that spouses and children cannot go along. But that is viewed as a hardship, and thus rotations have to be frequent, costing more money.
It can be tricky to know when a place is unsafe.
The Americans killed in Islamabad-- Barbara Green, an employee at the embassy, and her 17-year-old daughter, Kristen Wormsley -- had only recently returned to Pakistan after the State Department decided in January it was safe. The two, along with many others, had left last September in a departure authorized by U.S. officials.
"The people at posts were looking forward to having their families back with them," Boucher said. "And at that time we operated on the best security information we had."
An additional 14 Americans -- all private citizens -- were injured in the church attack.
Terrorists have always looked for "soft" targets when their primary goals -- military bases and government offices -- have proved difficult to reach.
Fifteen years ago, in an attack blamed on Libya, two U.S. soldiers were killed in a bombing at a West Berlin disco. In 1997, four American auditors of a U.S. oil company and their Pakistani driver were killed while traveling in Karachi, Pakistan, between their hotel and work.
Military bases and embassies are fortified more than ever before with high walls, concrete barriers, sophisticated cameras, armored vehicles and guards with machine guns.
"If you're going to exact some revenge against Americans, you look for softer targets. (Journalist) Daniel Pearl was a softer target. They went after him. Businesses are generally softer targets, so they're at risk," Cannistraro said.
Schools are one of the biggest concerns, many government and private security officials say. Private schools in many cities are often attended by the children of both official and private Americans.
After the USS Cole bombing in Yemen in October 2000, some U.S. embassies in the Middle East asked American employees to keep their children home for a few days so security could be scrutinized. Some private Americans did the same.
Embassy security officers often work with private schools to improve security, trying to ensure, for example, that buses vary their routes each day, one official said.
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>> Check State Department travel warnings for the country or region where you're headed, whether you travel for business, for tourism or to live. Information is available at www.travel.state.gov. Safety tips for traveling overseas
>> Stay in touch with the U.S. Embassy in the country to receive any news of security warnings. Attend any embassy-sponsored meetings on security issues.
>> Register with the U.S. Embassy in the country so officials know how to contact you if trouble arises.
>> Monitor local news.
>> Be on the lookout for suspicious behavior, especially anyone who appears to be loitering, following or doing surveillance.
>> Vary your travel route from home to work, or from home to school.
>> Avoid places where large numbers of Americans are known to congregate, like popular restaurants or cafes. Avoid large crowds or public demonstrations.
>> In airports, move quickly from the public check-in counter area to the more secure areas behind metal detectors.
>> Avoid luggage tags, dress or mannerisms that identify you as an American.
>> Avoid parking a car in a public parking lot or a place where it could be tampered with.
>> In extreme cases the State Department has advised Americans overseas to check underneath and inside their cars, especially on the dashboard, for signs of tampering or protruding wires, before getting in. In one case a small bomb was placed in a cigarette pack on a dashboard.
>> Have mail delivered to your office, or someplace other than your home, so it can be checked before opening. Don't accept unexpected packages.
>> When driving, lock the doors and roll up the windows because bombs can be thrown through windows.
>> Make sure children know a few phrases of the local language so they can get help in a crisis situation. Make sure they know how to operate telephones.
>> Keep personal articles, including important documents, organized and handy in case you need to leave a country quickly.