What Do Foreign Service Officers Do?

I am continually asked by friends and family about what exactly will I do in the Foreign Service. I don't usually respond that I will be a diplomat, because even though that is accurate, it's nonetheless meaningless to most people. Instead, I report that I will process visa applications and assist American citizens abroad, which is also accurate. In fact, diplomats play many roles, but the most important is protection of American citizens abroad. The most recent example happened over Thanksgiving in Mumbai. You can read a bit about the Foreign Service's/State Department role here: tp://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28443577.htm.
In addition, some of my colleagues here in D.C. pulled shifts at the State Department's operations center over the holiday, pitching in where needed. Many manned the phones, taking calls from individuals in the U.S. about the status of their U.S. citizen family members in Mumbai. Foreign Service Officers posted at the Embassy in Mumbai were present on the ground, pulling 12-hour shifts at the two hotels, at hospitals, at the airport, and at the morgue. I sincerely hope I never have to deal with something of the magnitude of Mumbai, but if I do I am being very well trained, and I have extremely competent, patriotic, and brave colleagues who'll have my back.