WASHINGTON: In a push to promote members of the US Army Criminal
Investigation Command (which uses the legacy acronym CID) who are
assisting the FBI in its investigation of the September 11 Pentagon
attack, the Army has made quick use of some volunteer PR recruits.
Michele Nadeem, president and CEO of Massachusetts-based PR firm Media
Boston International (MBI), is working pro bono from the Pentagon along
with an on-site assistant and staffers in MBI offices around the US.
The goal is to tell national and local media about the 30 agents from
all over the country who are working to recover evidence - including
human remains - at the Pentagon. The soldiers have been working since
September 11, and do not expect the pace to slow down soon.
"I think it's important that they get the recognition they deserve, and
for the taxpayers to see they're getting their money's worth and their
army is doing its part to bring the guilty to justice," said Marc
Raimondi, director of public affairs for the US Army CID.
Nadeem has spoken to TV stations and newspapers across the country. She
explained that the story has national appeal with local angles.
Raimondi, who was at a CID office in Kosovo on September 11, struggled
to get back to his short-staffed Pentagon office. He is supposed to have
six staffers, but currently has only two. There are 120 CID offices
worldwide with 1,900 employees. He said Nadeem's help has been
invaluable, causing him to reconsider a long-held practice of not
working with agencies.
"I've never worked directly with an agency before, but my number-one
goal now is to try to figure out how I can do it more often," said
Raimondi.
