Speeches

Remarks by John Darrell Rood, United States Ambassador-Designate to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas following Swearing-In by Under Secretary Mark Grossman, U.S. Department of State

August 18, 2004

Mr. Under Secretary Grossman, I am honored to have you swear me in as Ambassador of the United States of America to The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.  Thank you.

I want to thank President Bush for his support and confidence.  It is a great honor to be President Bush's representative to The Bahamas, a commonwealth, with whom the United States has a great historic partnership.

I also want to thank Secretary Powell for his support.  I am privileged to be part of his distinguished team, especially at this challenging time in our country's history.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Secretary Powell.  His instructions were to pay attention to the needs of the team in my host country, as they are the future of our country's diplomatic efforts.  They are professionals.  Provide good management and leadership, he advised, and you will be successful.

You can be assured that as Ambassador, this will be a priority!

I want to thank all the outstanding, committed professionals in the Department of State and in the Foreign Service.  They led me through several months of training and I am grateful.  I also wish to thank Charge' Witajewski and his team in Nassau.  They have been very helpful in this process and I look forward to working with them at Post.

I owe a special thanks to Senator Nelson and Senator Alexander, two friends of mine, who provided my introduction at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing.  Let me also thank Senator Graham, Senator Coleman, Senator Harkin, and Senator Ben Nelson for their support.

I would like to extend a very special welcome to Ambassador Sears, Representative to the United States from The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

Ambassador Sears and I have met several times in the last several weeks.  Ambassador, I look forward to working closely with you and developing our friendship as well as the continued friendship between our countries.

I would like to thank my business associates for enabling me to pursue this dream.  I could only leave Vestcor knowing it is in good hands and I thank you all.

To our friends, let me extend a big welcome to all of you. Jamie and I thank you for being here on this very special day.  Thank you for your friendship, tremendous support, and confidence over the years.

My family has always been the center of everything I've done, and I am a very lucky man to have a great partner and a great supporter in my wonderful wife, Jamie.   Jamie thank you for everything!

Today is our 25th Anniversary.  Twenty-five years ago we were married in a cabin in the mountains of Montana.  Who would ever have thought we would be here today – with all of you – to celebrate our anniversary and being sworn in as an Ambassador!

Our son and oldest daughter, Christopher and Jennifer, were excited from the start about our move to The Bahamas.  They will be off to college, and of course, see the Bahamas as a great spring break destination.

For Holly, our youngest, the move will be a big adjustment.  It means getting to know a new school, and making new friends.  When I first explained to Holly that we had this opportunity in The Bahamas, she asked why I wanted to be an Ambassador.  I explained it was an opportunity to serve our country, to really make a difference, and besides, I said, they'll call me, Mr. Ambassador.  'Dad,' she said, "Couldn't we just stay in Jacksonville, and I'll call you, Mr. Ambassador?"

To my parents: Mom and Dad, the values I have today are because of you.  I learned from both of you unconditional love and unconditional support and I thank you.

I better not forget my sisters.  Sheila and Sheryl, and your families, thank you for making it up for this event.  Your support is and has been very important.  Thank you.

I have been a regular traveler to the beautiful Bahama Islands since I was 15 years old.  But there was one day and one summer that I will never forget!  I was at West End, Grand Bahama Island, in the summer of 1973 when The Bahamas gained its independence from the United Kingdom.

The joy, the excitement and the look on the faces, and in the eyes of the Bahamians, the pride that they expressed in becoming an independent nation!  That summer, that day, are etched in my memory forever.

Indeed, the United States and The Bahamas share a love for democracy, and we share values, the values of freedom, security, and prosperity for our people.  We also share dreams, a future of promise for our children, for our families.  I would like to see the United States and The Bahamas work together to promote our common values.  As Ambassador, I will promote such cooperation.

The United States and The Bahamas also face common threats.  This includes drug traffickers, substance abuse -- and its impact on family and society -- illegal migrants and financial criminals, and of course, the threat from terrorists that may attack our countries or use The Bahamas to reach the United States.  I am pleased to report that in all of these challenging areas, the United States is working very closely, as partners, with the government of The Bahamas.

On any given day, you will find in Nassau, an average of six cruise ships, and twelve thousand American visitors. Consequently, the safety and security of all Americans in The Bahamas is of great concern to me.

President Bush rightly states we are a caring and compassionate nation.  As Ambassador, I will not only work to strengthen our partnership and work to resolve bilateral issues, but I will work to create a better understanding between two close neighbors.

 It is my goal to bring together groups from both countries, in and out of government, who share common concerns on a variety of issues.  By working together, we can better address issues such as:  marine conservation, trade, tourism, HIV/AIDS, education, and medical services. We must share ideas and develop better solutions to these complex issues.

For me, this is an incredible privilege to be given the opportunity, to serve this great country of ours as an Ambassador.  I am grateful to President Bush.   I am grateful to Secretary Powell.  I am grateful to my family, and I am grateful to all of you.  Thank you.