Meet Chief Supply Clerk Kirk Flint.
Flint is an operations assistant assigned to DOD Attaché Office (DAO) as the operations coordinator (OPSCO) for U.S. Ambassador Stephen D. Mull, the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania.
As a chief petty officer, Flint is used to shouldering a lot of responsibility, but the demands of working in an American embassy are different.
“The DAO does at least two things that are important to the United States and Lithuania,” said Mull. “Obviously, it connects our two militaries, so it’s important that we know each other, work well together and ‘talk the same language’ in planning and executing military missions. In addition, the DAO is our action office for such things as aircraft clearances for the U.S. government planes that frequently fly into Lithuania, the arrival and departure of official delegations, visits of U.S. government officials to military sites or exercises and so on.”
Flint said his job is more than just serving as a liaison for the Lithuanians; he’s a friendly face and welcome voice to visiting Americans. “I’m an American’s warm, fuzzy blanket here in a foreign land,” said Flint.
Flint, as the OPSCO, is tasked with managing the operations assistants within the American embassy and works directly for the defense attaché. Since Lithuania is so small, Flint handles all of the operations assistant and coordinator roles for the American embassy. He is typically the first person Americans meet when they step off the plane in Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius. In fact, making travel easier is what Flint does best as an OPSCO.
“Our relationship with the Lithuanian airport in Vilnius is my proudest accomplishment,” said Flint. “We can get Americans in and out of the airport faster than anyone else, and for anyone who travels internationally, having someone who knows how to deal with the host nation’s customs and regulations as well as our DAO here does, makes all the difference in the world.”
Along with a hearty handshake and a quick trip through customs, Flint is the resident expert for Americans visiting Lithuania. He speaks the language, knows the country, can recommend where to stay, is familiar with the local laws, knows what places to avoid—and even where to get the best deals on Lithuanian souvenirs.
Whether Flint is greeting American delegates, coordinating multinational military maneuvers, or translating Lithuanian for an air crew trying to get their aircraft fixed, his significance is felt all the way to the top of the diplomatic chain of command.
“The chief is a key figure in a large chunk of the operational activities of this embassy. I know that the defense attaché would not be able to work without him, and the embassy would really be missing a lot without a well-functioning DAO,” said Mull.
If the thought of working in Lithuania, a fertile country with miles of rich farmland, evergreen forests and a small-town charm, doesn’t appeal to you maybe you might like Intelligence Specialist 1st Class Patrick Overstreet’s address.
Paris
No, not Paris, Idaho, or Paris, Texas, but the legendary city of light—Paris, France, home of the Eiffel Tower, high fashion and some of the finest cuisine in the world.
Like Flint, Overstreet is an operations assistant, but because France is a much larger country, it requires a much larger DAO. Still, Overstreet’s mission remains inherently the same: build and maintain relationships.
“This job is all about relationships,” said Overstreet. “We’re here to maintain open lines of communication with the French. I’m trained to blend into the French culture enough to effectively communicate the American interests to the French.”
“I think I have it pretty good,” said Overstreet. “I get to go home every night to my wife, Rebecca, and home is Paris, France.” The Overstreets like Paris so much that they felt comfortable enough to have their first child there.
While being married is certainly not a prerequisite for being an operations assistant, couples like the Overstreets succeed on foreign soil as a team because that’s exactly how the Navy trains them before they deploy. That’s right, the Navy trains your spouse.
