DoD Names Military Journalists of the Year

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES

06.06.1996

Courtesy Story

Defense.gov         

DoD named its top journalists for 1995 during its recent Thomas Jefferson journalism competition.
 
Print journalist of the year is Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Benson, staff writer with Hawaii Navy News, Pearl Harbor Naval Base,Hawaii. Second place went to Jackie M. Thomas, an Army civilian who writes for Paraglide, the 18th Airborne Corps newspaper at Fort Bragg, N.C.
 
In the broadcast competition, top honors went to Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher Beckwith of the Air Force News Agency at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas. Army Sgt. Jay Harrell of Soldiers Radio and Television in Alexandria, Va., took second.
 
The American Forces Information Service sponsors the annual competition. Print judges were Laird Anderson, a professor of communications at American University in Washington, Defense News staff writer Rob Holzer and James Kitfield of The National Journal. Mike McLare, production director for The Military Channel, producer Bill Dobbs of BIZNET (U.S. Chamber of Commerce) and video tape editor Janet Dobbs of NBC television affiliate WRC in Washington judged the broadcast entries.

Individual Categories -- Newspapers

Large military funded newspapers
1st -- Naval Reservist News, Naval Reserve Force, New Orleans
2nd -- Prairie Soldier, Nebraska National Guard, Lincoln, Neb.

Other military funded newspapers
1st -- Forward March, March Air Force Base, Calif.
2nd -- The Rough Rider, USS Theodore Roosevelt

Civilian enterprise (metro) newspapers
1st -- The Flagship, Naval Base, Norfolk, Va.
2nd -- Fort Campbell Courier, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Civilian enterprise (tabloid) newspapers
1st -- Kadena Shogun, Kadena Air Base, Japan
2nd -- Marneland Crusader, 98th Area Support Group, Wuerzburg, Germany

Magazine format newspapers
1st -- Arctic Soldier, Fort Richardson, Alaska
2nd -- Leading Edge, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Writing

News Writing
1st -- Tech. Sgt. Bud McKay, McChord Air Force Base, Wash.
2nd -- Spc. John D. Tiller, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Feature Writing
1st -- Sgt. Brandon Haught, Marine Corps Recruiting Station, Oklahoma City
2nd -- Capt. John Goheen, Maryland Army National Guard, Baltimore

Commentary Writing
1st -- Capt. John C. Milliman, Consolidated Public Affairs Office, Marine Corps Base, Hawaii
2nd -- Maj. Terry Thompson (Army), 122nd Public Affairs Detachment, Tacoma, Wash.

Sports Writing
1st -- Senior Airman Jason Tudor, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.
2nd -- David Hamilton, 26th Area Support Group, Heidelberg, Germany

Open Writing
1st -- Tech. Sgt. Timothy Barela, Airman Magazine, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas.
2nd -- Chief Warrant Officer Robert Jenks, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington

Special Achievement in Print Media
1st -- Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Bolling Air Force Base, Washington
2nd -- Harry F. Noyes III, U.S. Army Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston, Texas

Still Photography/Graphics

Single or Stand-Alone Photos
1st -- Spc. Joseph Zauner, Fort Knox, Ky.
2nd -- Cpl. Kane Walsh, Marine Corps Base, Camp Butler, Japan

News, Feature or Sports Picture Stories
1st -- Petty Officer 1st Class William Goodwin, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii
2nd -- Jack Gordon, 99th Recruiting Squadron, Oakdale, Pa.

News, Feature or Sports Photo Supporting a Story
1st -- Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert Benson, Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii
2nd -- Zauner

Illustrative Art
1st -- Gunnery Sgt. Thomas Neal, Headquarters, Marine Corps Recruiting Command, Washington
2nd -- John Williams, Naval Safety Center, Norfolk, Va.

Radio

Radio entertainment program
1st -- Sgt. Jeffrey M. Selby (Army), Far East Network, Tokyo
2nd -- Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason E. Ditto (Navy), American Forces Network, Sigonella, Italy

Radio Spot Production
1st -- Staff Sgt. Theodore Reid Northrup (Air Force), Detachment 1, Air Force Broadcasting Squadron, Frankfurt, Germany
2nd -- Selby

Radio Information Program
1st -- Gail McCabe (Army), 21st Theater Area Army Command, Kaiserslautern, Germany
2nd -- Selby

Local Radio Broadcast
1st -- American Forces Network, Kaiserslautern, Germany
2nd -- Naval Media Center Broadcasting Detachment, Sasebo, Japan

Non-Local Radio Broadcast
1st -- AFN News, American Forces Network-Europe, Frankfurt, Germany

Television

Television News or Feature Stories
1st -- 133rd Public Affairs Detachment, Kentucky Army National Guard, Frankfort, Ky.
2nd -- Staff Sgt. Christopher Beckwith, Air Force News Service, Kelly Air Force Base, Texas

Television Sports News or Feature
1st -- Petty Officer 2nd Class Ronald Flanders, Naval Media Center, San Diego.
2nd -- Staff Sgt. Pat McGuire (Army), American Forces Network, Wuerzburg, Germany

Television Spot Production
1st -- Southern Command Network, Panama
2nd -- Detachment 7, Air Force Broadcasting Squadron, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey

Television Information Program
1st -- Far East Network, Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan
2nd -- Southern Command Network, Panama

Local Television Newscast
1st -- Detachment 8, Air Force Broadcast Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy
2nd -- American Forces Network, Wuerzburg, Germany

Story by American Forces Press Service

• Date Taken: 06.06.1996
• Date Posted: 07.04.2025 00:50
• Story ID: 530595
• Location: WASHINGTON, US