Photo By Sgt. Rebecca Newton | FORT MEADE, Md. – Cpl. Matthew Atwood is enrolled at the Defense Information School...... read more read more
August 20, 2016
Politics and public affairs: Reserve Soldier mixes it up
By Sgt. Rebecca Newton
206th Broadcast Operations Detachment
Fort Meade, Md. - Public affairs specialists help the Army, and its commanders by creating press releases, articles, photographs and social media content in order to disseminate the command message to service members, civilians and the media.
Cpl. Matthew Atwood, with the 207th Public Affairs Detachment in Denver, Colo., is formally a petroleum supply specialist. Now, he is in training at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md., to become a 46Q, public affairs specialist in the U.S. Army Reserve.
DINFOS public affairs instructors teach news writing, military public affairs, photojournalism, feature writing, publication design, and desktop publishing. They also offer practical exercises in media escort procedures, responding to media inquiries, responding to on-camera interview questions and performing as a public affairs specialist during a field training exercise.
Atwood, a staff assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives is graciously taking it all in. “I’m learning to write more technically, more so than creative writing, which is more or less what I’ve done academically,” he says.
“Being able to communicate your boss’ message [private sector or government], is ultimately your main mission; and making your boss look good,” he continues.
One thing he appreciates about his new military occupational specialty is talking to Soldiers who represent all of the jobs in the military; and telling their story. He says, “It will be quite a different experience.”
Atwood is excited to use his new skills. “I’m looking forward to building up my skills to lend a hand to my unit.” He adds, “The skills that I’ve learned here will absolutely help me out in the future.”
For now, this Broncos fan and avid outdoorsman has his eyes on graduating from DINFOS, and reuniting with his wife, and their two dogs.
| Date Taken: | 08.18.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2016 13:16 |
| Story ID: | 207855 |
| Location: | US |
| Hometown: | PUEBLO, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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