I carry a map. Everyone on my team does too.
When someone mentions a place in Afghanistan, I want to understand where it is. I look at the terrain, reacquaint myself with the ethic dynamics, think about the media apparatus and consider who are chief communicators are.
To be a good public affairs operator, you have to understand your environment. You have to try to understand the people, the terrain and anything that affects your organization’s ability to do its mission … and communicate to support it.
Non-combat PAO? No problem. O still stands for Operator and since you are in the Department of Defense, you still protect America.
In Afghanistan, at the base hospital, or training within a brigade: you need to understand the environment you’re working in and make decisions based on it. You need to carry a map.
Photo by Ashley L. Keasler
