The
Army military occupation specialty of 46Q, Journalist, is truly a unique one.
In my job I have the freedom – the duty in fact – to explore the Army inside
and out, and to show the world what I find. I believe that there are few other
jobs within the Army that offer as much freedom for knowledge and exploration
as mine.
The job is not “easy”
– I guess it is compared to being an infantryman or combat engineer slogging
through the mud and the muck daily, but as compared to most soldiers – I work
my *ss off! Journalists must be able to get out, get the story and get
back, all within what are often very strict deadlines. Military writing
in itself takes skill and talent that an untrained individual does not have.
It is NOT essay writing – it is news writing, which MUST be correct in every
detail and miss nothing.
Examples
of my military journalism:
Articles on Medivac Training and Sling Loading
These two stories and their photos
were done in Poland during Victory Strike III, a V Corps training exercise in
September.
On the road Again
An article and photos on military truck driving
that I wrote while I was at Hunter Army Airfield.
V Corps web publication, the “Vanguard”
This link will take you to the V Corps current
news page where news releases and the weekly Vanguard are released. Some
of these are by me.
The”Frontline”, current articles
This is the paper that I worked for in Georgia.
There are no stories by me on this site (just current articles) but it
provides more examples of Army journalism.
Are You
Right for the Job?
I would strongly
recommend this job to anyone who has some experience in writing and enjoys it
– if you enjoy English and literature, creative writing, or even journalism
itself, in school than chances are you will enjoy this MOS (enjoying the Army,
of course, is another thing entirely!).
The 46Q job field is
fairly small – the statistics that I have heard place our numbers at only
about 350 in the entire Army (active and reserve). That makes this job
difficult to get from recruiters, and demands that applicants have high ASVAB
scores. The job field is often “closed,” meaning not hiring, but
qualified applicants can attempt to demand the MOS (threaten to walk away
BEFORE signing any contracts)– I did, and have it now. If there are no
slots, then similar jobs include combat photographer (photo/videography) and
broadcast journalist (radio/TV). They work and train beside us and have
slightly different jobs, their fields are also small, however.
My Career Path
I have been an active
journalist in the Army for about 4 years now, and I am currently stationed in
Heidelberg, Germany with the V Corps. I have about 3 years left here
before I can return home to the US. The average enlistment for a 46Q is
5 years – I extended to come to Europe.
Before joining the
Victory Corps, I was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart in
Georgia with the 3rd Infantry Division. I worked as a
journalist, and for some time as editor, for the division’s newspaper, “The
Frontline.” Hunter was my first Army assignment after Basic and Advanced
Individual training. I arrived a Pvt. 2 in January of 2000 and departed
a Specialist in July of 2002.
Throughout my Army
career I have had stories printed in several newspapers, published on several
web sites, and have been labeled an ‘outstanding journalist’ by the Department
of the Army. I have also earned three Army Achievement Medals and
several achievement awards, having been an asset in many honorable actions
including the President’s visit to Fort Stewart, GA in 2001.
For more on the Army
and my experiences, visit
The Army.
