Lieutenant Colonel, General Staff Division Public Affairs Officer 1st Cavalry Division, Baghdad, Iraq
Q. What country/area are you stationed in?
A. Baghdad, Iraq
Q. What is your primary duty?
A. Division Public Affairs Officer/Chief Spokesman, 1st Cavalry Division
Q. What has been the most rewarding experience from your time abroad?
A. Watching the rapid growth and professionalism of many of the Iraqi newspaper, radio, and television reporters in Baghdad. Many of the reporters are aware of the importance of their position in crafting a new, free Iraq.
Q. What do you miss most about the states?
A. Family
Q. When do you expect to be home?
A. Late February
Q. Who would you like to send your holiday wishes to?
A. My wife Karen; sons, Eric and Grant; and daughters, Kara and Julia.
Q. What was your last (if any) public sector job?
A. N/A
Q. What have your learned about public affairs/public relations from your work abroad?
A. The complexities created by the worldwide 24-hour news cycle continue to change the way all of us communicate.
Q. What is the biggest challenge you face in your job?
A. Balancing the competing and different needs of the US, Pan-Arab, and Iraqi media.
Q. What is different about communicating to a US audience, and communicating where you are stationed?
A. The Iraqi reporters are interested in how their lives are going to be affected by our actions. They want to understand the details of our civil works projects, how we're assisting their new government, and what our commitment is to them. US media is interested primarily in the conduct of combat operations and controversial topics of the day.
Q. Do you enjoy what you do? Why?
A. I enjoy it immensely because I work for an organization that is truly dedicated to making the world safer.
Q. Is the US winning the communications battle abroad?
A. That remains to be seen. We are making many inroads but the multiple, competing interests of media outlets has a culture all its own.
