Ambassador Wilkins: American Soil is Sovereign Soil

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “I was able to wake up each morning and say to yourself you get to represent the greatest country in the world,” says Ambassador David Wilkins, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Canada for 4 years. It’s a tough job that only those appointed by the President can do. “I always felt safe. I had a few threats on my life, but nothing near this ballpark of seriousness,” says Ambassador Wilkins. So when he heard of the news that ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed in Libya, he said it could not be tolerated. “An American embassy is sovereign soil, it’s American soil, so an attack on an embassy, is an attack on America,” says Ambassador Wilkins. That’s exactly what happened in both Egypt and Libay on the 11th Anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks on America that killed nearly 3,000 people. “It’s a pretty graphic reminder that this war is on terror continues, you have to be ever vigilent, you can’t let your guard down.” “You can’t pamper these folks, you can’t appease them, you can’t make nice with them,” says Ambassador Wilkins. Wilkins says the killing of Ambassador Stevens marks the first U.S. Ambassador death to a violent act since 1979. Congressman Joe Wilson released a statement that said in part, “Today‘s act of unprovoked, horrific violence, resulting in the brutal death of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi, is senseless and will not be tolerated. I condemn these attacks as my thoughts and prayers are with the victim‘s families.” While the United States mourns Stevens’ death, Wilkins says his fellow Ambassadors will always remember. “It’s a sort of fraternity, once you’re an ambassador, you are part of that ambassatorial fraternity so it’s a blow against anyone who serves this country in that capacitiy,” says Wilkins.