The United States Army has over 150 careers available for those who want a career path serving our country, with the minimum requirements of a high school diploma and a green card between the ages of 18-34 for new recruits.
Among the multitude of careers offered in the army is their journalistic opportunity, also known as the Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist. They participate and assist in Army Public Affairs programs and activities that provide information to the public through community engagement.
The Armed Forces Network (AFN) is the current broadcast channel for the armed forces which incorporates other warfare services, as well as the Marines and Navy.
“Every battalion has a Facebook, Twitter, any social media you can imagine is in the Army, so they write news just like any other journalist for the Army and any Army events,” Staff Sergeant Rivera said.
Staff Sergeant Recruiter Rivera is a recruiter for the U. S. Army who serves our country as an engineer where he prepares terrain for construction.
Before an Army recruit is eligible for their chosen career, they undergo nine weeks of mandatory training which encompasses three different phases known as Red, White, and Blue.
The red is the most physically demanding and is the first phase recruits will go through at the start of their military career. Then they will later move on to the next phase within a span of three weeks per phase.
“You learn your basic combat skills and soldier tactics,” said Staff Sergeant Recruiter Looney.
Looney serves as a Joint Fire Support Specialist and calls in any artillery, air, or mortar strikes.
“Everybody has to go through basic training. It’s mandatory, but then you advance in your training for your specific job,” SSG Rivera said.
As a Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist with the United States Army, soldiers who hold this title have responsibilities regarding their job while on deployment and are able to go on patrol with other soldiers.
SSG Recruiter Looney has had experience working with journalists in the U.S.
“This last deployment in 2018, I came back exactly a year ago today and we did a few patrols with them,” Looney explained about a time he was deployed.
“His title was combat cameraman and he went out there with us and took pictures of the local area and of us interacting with the local population.”
Journalists in the U.S. Army are still issued weapons for protection along with learning basic marksmanship during the initial mandatory training. However, any execution of a weapon is typically left for those specifically assigned to that duty.
SSG Recruiter Looney explained, “ For example, my first deployment of 2008, while we would come under contact, which is small arms fire, the journalists would continue recording or writing down stuff so he wouldn’t really shoot back; he would leave that to the people who were supposed to do it.”
Deployment for everyone in the U.S. Army is generally nine months unless you are part of the Special Operations Unit, then its four to six months.
“Civil Affairs, which is what the journalist falls under normally do four to six months but sometimes they do nine months as well.” SSG Recruiter Looney said.
“Deployment also depends on the unit a soldier is with,” SSG Recruiter Rivera said.
Journalists have no limitations under deployment with the U.S. Army and will sometimes need to go beyond their designated roles as observers to ensure the safety of themselves and those around them.
“A few times on our deployment, the cameramen would actually put down the camera. We hit an IED (improvised explosive device) one time and it destroyed the vehicle in front of us so we started pulling bodies out and the cameraman just put down the stuff and just started helping us bring people off the vehicle in front of us,” SSG Recruiter Looney said.
Along with the mandatory basic training that all new military recruits go through, training for a journalist under the title of Public Affairs Mass Communications Specialist lasts five months.
For more information on joining the U.S. Army and their job opportunities, stop by a local recruiters booth who may be at your campus or community.