Remembering Anne Smedinghoff, Here and Afar

The death of River Forest resident Anne Smedinghoff has been felt far outside of the Chicago area. 

Countless news reports have been written and memories shared about Smedinghoff, the 25-year-old U.S. diplomat who was killed last weekend during a car bombing in Afghanistan. 

We look at some of the thoughts and memories people shared:

Fenwick Mourns the Loss of Alumna Turned Diplomat — Fenwick High School

“It is clear that Anne Smedinghoff will be remembered as a model of the excellence to which all of us at Fenwick hold ourselves," said Fenwick President Fr. Richard Peddicord.

Fenwick remembers slain U.S. diplomat as woman of ‘quiet intelligence’ — Chicago Sun-Times

“For one so young, she seemed so focused and determined to unravel the big problems,” AP Spanish teacher Irene Drago said. “At the same time, she had the gentleness and patience required to assemble and send care packages to our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Colleagues Recall Steady Rise of a Young Diplomat Killed in Afghanistan — New York Times

At a service for her in Kabul on Monday, Ambassador James B. Cunningham said, “It was clear that she was one of the best,” and that it was “indeed tragic that Anne’s great, promising story ended too soon.”

Anne Smedinghoff, the Hero Diplomat We Lost in Afghanistan —The Daily Beast

"The image recalls to mind another young American woman who helicoptered among soldiers—the CIA operative whose role in tracking down Osama bin Laden was dramatized in the movie Zero Dark Thirty. Smedinghoff was a hero of another kind and certainly no less courageous."

Friend of JHU grad killed in Afghanistan recalls her strength, dedication, smile — Johns Hopkins University Hub

"For those of us lucky enough to have known Anne, there is a challenge in trying to separate her from the narrative of war and diplomacy and the infinite tragedies told and untold. Of another fallen human in this senseless volley of innocents lost. She is more than another grim salute splashed across the headlines. She reminds us of our fragility. Our blessings. Our abilities."

U.S. Diplomat From River Forest Killed in Afghanistan — Oak Park Patch

"She was everything a Foreign Service Officer should be: smart, capable, eager to serve, and deeply committed to our country and the difference she was making for the Afghan people. She tragically gave her young life working to give young Afghans the opportunity to have a better future," Secretary of State John Kerry said.

 — Oak Park Patch

"We are consoled knowing that she was doing what she loved, and that she was serving her country by helping to make a positive difference in the world. She was such a wonderful woman--strong, intelligent, independent, and loving. Annie, you left us too soon; we love you and we're going to miss you so much." —Tom and Mary Beth Smedinghoff