The DVIDS Journalist of the Month for December 2011, Lance Cpl. Jacob Lagoze, stood out for his ability to perform under intense fire. He effectively used his skills to shoot video of the Patrol Base Georgetown attack, suffered a... read more
The DVIDS Journalist of the Month for December 2011, Lance Cpl. Jacob Lagoze, stood out for his ability to perform under intense fire. He effectively used his skills to shoot video of the Patrol Base Georgetown attack, suffered a shrapnel wound while filming the fight and took action to conduct interviews immediately afterward. <br /><br /> Lagoze is deployed to the Helmand province in Afghanistan with 1st Battalion 6th Marines and placed himself in the middle of the fight to get the needed shots of Marines suppressing the attack. He also showed Marines responding to a fellow wounded Marine, and followed through by staying with the aid team while they loaded the wounded Marine onto a MEDEVAC helicopter. <br /><br /> “The key attributes that have set Lance Corporal Lagoze apart as a combat cameraman have been his true grit under heavy enemy fire. He has the unique ability to maintain composure and focus while filming in combat,” said CWO2 Clinton Runyon, Task Force Leatherneck, Combat Camera officer in charge. “During the attack on PB Georgetown in which the Marines repelled an enemy attack, Lagoze and another Marine took shrapnel from indirect fire. Despite having a shrapnel wound to the head he continued to film the battle and the subsequent MEDEVAC of one of the more seriously wounded Marines.” <br /><br /> In addition to his performance during the fight, Lagoze had limited power and assets to produce the video in a timely manner, but the limited conditions did not stop him. <br /><br /> “Working from his ruggedized computer system, he wrote his story and used a camera microphone to record his narration. Relying on limited generator power in the cover of a mud hut, he quickly produced the video, burned it to a disk and put it onto a helicopter to be delivered to his higher Combat Camera Section. After receiving medical aid for his wound, he was back out on patrol providing his unit with Combat Camera support for their operations,” said Runyon. <br /><br /> The resulting video has been downloaded 83 times, viewed 7,492 times and distributed to multiple outlets to include CNN, Fox News, ABC News, MSNBC, CBS, NPR, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Baltimore Sun, and many other national and local outlets. The video was played on CNN and the Pentagon Channel and was detected on several other outlets including KNSD-TV in San Diego, CNN International in London, WMAR-TV in Baltimore and WMAQ-TV in Chicago. <br /><br /> “To date, Lance Corporal Lagoze has filmed many fire fights and documented key operations since the PB Georgetown production,” added Runyon. “He continues to provide combat documentation for 1st Battalion 6th Marines in the Helmand province of Afghanistan and has consistently improved both his shooting and production techniques.” show less