Skip to content
Who's in the Video
Richard Armitage was the 13th United States Deputy Secretary of State, serving from 2001 to 2005. He served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and then after the[…]

The former civil servant talks sacrifice and family.

Topic: The cost of serving

Armitage:    Well my wife and I had two biological children.  We adopted six, and I must say that one of the things regarding public service at a high level is that you don’t spend the time with your family.  And I . . .  I think if I were to criticize myself, it is that I spent too much time at work and too little time on them.  And I know that now that I’m out of government service, at least temporarily, I’m spending a good bit more time trying to be closer to them, because I don’t feel that I was the parent that I should have been.  On the other hand I’m blessed by being married to someone who is a wonderful mother, a wonderful wife, and I think she more than pulled her weight.  I think they have leaned to me more, as I was suggesting, more than I leaned to them.  I think I sacrificed a bit of that and I’m very sorry for it.  But I attempt . . .  Now that I have grandchildren, I’m attempting to make it up a bit.  And grandchildren are great.  You know by the way you can give them back. 


Related