75th FA Brigade UPAR continues journey from US immigrant to Army photographer

Photo By Keith Pannell | Spc. Goshen Carmel, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, takes photos of the 75th Field Artillery range on the M117 ranger. Carmel, an 88M, is a Unit Public Affairs Representative for the brigade. (Photo by Bryan Araujo)  

FORT SILL, OK, UNITED STATES

01.24.2022

Story by DaLynna Wood 

Fort Sill Public Affairs

FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Jan. 20, 2022) Spc. Goshen Carmel, 75th Field Artillery Brigade, acquired United States citizenship Oct. 25, 2021, by joining the U.S. Army at the age of 24.

For Carmel, becoming a U.S. citizen is something he has wanted as long as he can remember, and joining the military meant speeding up a process that can take years.

Originally from the Congo, Carmel has been living in the U.S. for a decade. He found an advertisement through Facebook offering a career in photography with the U.S. Army and he made his way to the nearest Army recruiter in Denver, Colorado, to get information on how to join.

“They told me the best they can do is make me an 88 Mike,” said Carmel. So, he became a motor transporter operator after his enlistment, and has in that job for almost three years.

Although he was a truck driver, Carmel volunteered within his unit and pursued his passion for photography and video work. He continued to practice and watch YouTube videos to stay motivated in his craft. The brigade photographer at the time looked over his work and decided it needed to be shared with others.

By the time the previous brigade photographer moved on to a different unit, Carmel said he was ready to have the job he wanted from the first time he saw that advertisement on Facebook years before.

Carmel’s supervisor understands his passion for photography and how it makes him the perfect fit.

“His focus on quality is so engrained with who he is,” said 1st Lt. Cody Hickman, 75th FA Brigade assistant information officer. Carmel’s attention to detail and unique view of culture made him stand out when it came time to replace the previous Unit Public Affairs Representative, he said.

In time, Carmel’s perseverance led to his photos being nationally recognized. In March 2018, the White House extended an official invitation to him to recognize his accomplishments of documenting the life of refugees in the U.S.

He lived in a community of immigrants in Denver who swapped stories about what it meant for them to come to the United States. These conversations became his motivation behind the camera ‒ he wanted to share their experiences.

Carmel’s first interaction with photography happened at his local church. He wanted to be more involved and quickly discovered that singing is not for him. He recalls that one member of the church asked him to point the camera at the person who is speaking and ‘simply press the button.’

Now, he hopes his passion can become his vocation in the Army of his adopted home.
He said he is excited to get the chance to document the extraordinary work his fellow
Soldiers do on a daily basis and hopes to reclassify at a 46Q Public Affairs Specialist or
25V Army Combat Documentation/Production Specialist.

Photography is Carmel’s love, his safe space and his career. But, even with all the work he has done, work that took him to the most famous house in his new country, the photo he is most proud of is a portrait he took of his mother. His mother allowed him to practice his photography on her, which led him to being a public affairs photographer for his unit.

“She is the one who motivated me,” Carmel said.

• Date Taken: 01.24.2022
• Date Posted: 01.24.2022 11:44
• Story ID: 413314
• Location: FORT SILL, OK, US