About the Author: Corina R. Sanders serves as Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta Indonesia, and Amy Weiner serves as a press intern at Embassy Jakarta.

As guests mingled in the deepening twilight under air-conditioned tents, snacking on Smoking Joe’s pork ribs, posing for photo ops in front of a candy apple red Harley Davidson Fatboy, and gulping Coca Cola, the backyard barbeque-themed U.S. Embassy Jakarta 4th of July celebration officially began. U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel and Mrs. Marciel and ASEAN Ambassador David Carden and Ms. Rebecca Riley co-hosted over 600 guests at the Marciel’s official residence in central Jakarta.

Ambassador Marciel inspired the crowd with his short remarks in Bahasa Indonesia and English. He spoke on independence and the blessings of freedom, the excitement of the growing partnership between the United States and Indonesia with our shared values of freedom and democracy and celebrating family and friends.

In the weeks leading up to America’s 235th birthday celebration, the… more »