Former isle newsman
enjoys diplomatic duty

Tom Armbruster says Hawaii
prepared him for the Foreign Service

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By Keiko Kiele Akana-Gooch
kakana-gooch@starbulletin.com

Over 14 years, former Honolulu resident Tom Armbruster has met National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Vice President Al Gore and the late California Congressman and entertainer Sonny Bono.

He has kayaked 105 miles across the Baltic Sea, built an igloo on pack ice north of the Arctic Circle and embarked on a 50-mile horseback ride through Mexico.

But probably his most notable experience as a U.S. diplomat was leading the negotiations between America and Russia for an agreement on emergency response.

"This is designed in case of a disaster, Russians can provide assistance to us," Armbruster said. "They have expertise, especially in the Arctic."

As a diplomat, Armbruster traveled around the world, working in Finland, Cuba, Russia and Mexico.

"It's a good career," Armbruster said. "I think these kinds of experiences only come along because of being in the Foreign Service."

His current job description as the principal officer at the U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, sounds less thrilling, as he manages the property, finances and personnel.

He also is working on several projects -- upgrading security and improving consular services and the visa application process -- to make the consulate run as smoothly as possible.

But his is one of the six busiest U.S. foreign posts in the world, adjudicating 1,500 American visas per day. That puts Armbruster and his 80 consulate workers on the front lines of America's war against terror, as Powell has called visa officers the first line of defense, preventing criminals and possible terrorists from entering the country.

"The border can be a rough place," Armbruster said.

"Our main focus is for American citizens abroad," Armbruster said. "We'll drop just about anything for an American citizen."

Take, for instance, the bus crash just outside Nuevo Laredo last month that killed four Mexicans and injured 20 Americans. Armbruster was up until 2 a.m. helping reunite families separated at four Mexican hospitals.

His work in Hawaii as a broadcast journalist for KHPR, Hawaii Public Radio, and then KGMB-TV provided a good springboard for his dive into international diplomacy, he said.

"With Hawaii being a crossroads of the Pacific, a lot of the stories I followed there also had some sort of international significance," Armbruster said.

That is why he encourages Hawaii residents to register for the Foreign Service written exam.

"(Hawaii) gives you an awareness that's going to help you out in the Foreign Service," Armbruster said.

However, like all other Foreign Service people, Armbruster accepts a life of risk.

"We just had a memorial service this morning" for the East African bombings of U.S. embassies, Armbruster said Tuesday. "(The danger) is a reality now."

Being assigned to a new foreign post every one to three years has also been taxing on his family, who must leave their friends, schools and jobs.

"It really tests your abilities, and it challenges you in a way that a lot of other professions don't," he said.

Anyone interested may register for the Foreign Service written exam online at www.careers.state.gov before Thursday.