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COLUMBUS, Ohio — More than 150 Soldiers of the Ohio Army National Guard gathered April 26 for a public affairs conference at the Defense Supply Center Columbus. The event was geared at teaching the basics of being an effective Unit Public Affairs Representative, or UPAR.
Maj. Nicole Gabriel, the full-time state public affairs officer, briefed the troops on media basics.
“We want to set you up for success,” she said. “The point of this conference is to help you to succeed. We want to make sure that we help you tell your stories.”
Public affairs specialists mainly from the 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Ohio Army National Guard, taught classes in basic and advanced photography, basic and advanced writing, how to interact with news media and website and bogging policies.
“It is the military’s obligation to talk to the media and to keep the public informed about what we do,” Gabriel said. “It helps tell our side of the story.”
UPARs play an important part in the readiness of the Ohio Army National Guard, Gabriel said. By telling their Soldiers’ stories, they are also helping to support recruiting and retention efforts.
“Everything that is being learned and everything that you are doing and will do will help National Guard units develop ties with local communities,” she said. “When Soldiers are able to see pictures and stories about what they are doing on a drill weekend, it helps them to feel good about their service.”
Brig. Gen. Matthew L. Kambic, assistant adjutant general for Army, Ohio National Guard, is a huge supporter of the UPAR program and gave the conference’s opening address.
“There are almost 10,700 members in the Ohio Army National Guard. Each person has a story to tell,” Kambic said. “We have mobilized over 10,200 Soldiers in the war on terror. We will mobilize many more before we are done.”
| Date Taken: | 04.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2015 22:28 |
| Story ID: | 160489 |
| Location: | COLUMBUS, OH, US |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ohio Guardmembers train to tell Soldiers’ stories, by SGT Brian Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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