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Oct

25

A to Z’s of AUSA!

Posted by : Linda Dennis | On : October 25, 2011

Category: AUSA, Interviews, Man on the Street, Ms. D's Notes, News, Quick Updates

It’s not easy writing captions. You have to get to the point – quickly. NO flowering speeches or multiple sentences. Saying many things in a few words takes skill!

During the workshop day prior to AUSA, our team of military youth spent time “writing”. Learning first how to express themselves (see our website: www.abackpackjournalist.com) and then how to say it in a few words. They spent time training on high quality digital cameras.

The results are here – and on our flickr at flickr.com/backpackjournalist and on our at facebook.com/backpackjournalist.

The A to Z’s of AUSA was a challenge for each youth to go and find each letter of the alphabet on the AUSA Show Floor. Next to take a photograph and write about it! The Youth worked in teams, and each day “voted”. A to Z ™ is one of the finest literary and photojournalism projects we have assigned to date and so pleased with the results!

A to Z’s AUSA range from People and Products to Inspirational and Informational! Click on over to http://www.abackpackjournalist.com/ausa/a-to-z/ to see the work all of the great youth produced. KUDOS to these hard working and talented group of military youth! By the way – be sure and check out our video link at the top! We had multiple cameras shooting the interviews and editors are working now to compile and upload.

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Cover the Assignment – AUSA – completed! (almost)

Ms. D

Oct

12

Final day of AUSA!

Posted by : Linda Dennis | On : October 12, 2011

Category: AUSA, Day 6, Ms. D's Notes, Quick Updates

We are all exhausted, but it is a good tired.  We have walked the aisles of the AUSA Expo, and we have seen firsthand drones, helmets, robots, guns, and also met some of the neatest uniformed people.  From the SSGT’s to the Generals, they have all welcomed us in! We have traveled from TRADOC, to First Army, to Korea, then Europe and back here to the United States.  We have seen patches that have told us where a soldier is from and where they might’ve served and all the while we keep seeing our glorious Flag on the shoulder.

Now it is time to wrap up.  We are told to get working now, all of us sitting down and writing up all of our notes, and preparing our content for this wonderful blog.  It’s easy to find a cushioned floor, and off we go with our laptops and cameras.  We have our reporter’s pads and pens.  Zia and Kat lead us to get organized.  Hammond makes sure we have the alphabet covered.

Soon, you will find on our blog the alphabet from A to Z, with each letter covering some element, company, or person at the AUSA Meeting!  You will find photos and captions, and the interviews – Q & A’s.  The Backpack Journalist Editors will work to continue to upload and add content, so check back often.  Visit our photo gallery also to take a peek at our portraits and a short bio about ourselves.

Ms. D and Scotty had told us about a special reception on Wednesday night.  So after we wrapped up our notes, off we went to walk the floor for one last time.  WOW.  Just about every exhibitor had something special to give away.  So we collected ball caps, backpacks, pens, pads, water bottles, heck even socks!  It was like one after the other filled with special little gifts to hand you.  I think some of us had to have another suitcase to get all the goodies home.  And, for sure – we will not need pens or pads for a while.

Perhaps the best little “swag” (that’s what someone called this stuff) was the little dolls that allow a deployed service member to put their photo inside for their little toddler to hold while they were away.  They come in the typical Army green, and also in blue.  And the spot on the head was just right to hold the Mom or Dad photo.  So adorable!

That evening, we all gathered for dinner, a quiet one we thought.  By the time we left the hall it was late, but not too late for good food.  And, did we mention that Pedro and Marynell had run to bring back a nice bag of cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes!  We each chose one (or maybe even two), said good night and went to our sleeping rooms to marvel over our bags of “swag”, and to figure out a way to get it all home, all this time thinking about AUSA and how it was truly an inspirational and informational event for us all!

Oct

10

AUSA – First day!

Posted by : Linda Dennis | On : October 10, 2011

Category: AUSA, Day 4, Ms. D's Notes, Quick Updates, Sights and Sounds

First days are always a test. A test of knowledge. A test of how to find the location of your booth. Where the bathroom is. Where the refreshments are.  The Washington Convention Center is absolutely huge!  Our booth is in the AUSA Family Programs Area, and it has to be filled with 27” iMacs from Apple, our banner and lights for our recording area.  It was crowded, but a good kind of crowded.  It was all digital stuff, and our movies playing on each monitor.  Best of all was the table skirt that Diana, our creative designer, worked up for us – it spelled out – A Backpack Journalist – building resiliency through creative expression.  In other words, finding one’s voice!

Our team of youth – all 11 of them were divided into two groups.  With each group went a writing and photo teacher, and then we had our two film makers.

Early in the morning, Ms. Dennis checked into the US Army Public Affairs Room to get the schedule of the day.  While there, she learned that the Defense News was interviewing lots of the top brass at the top of the stairs!  Even better, CNN was coming over! Needless to say, lots and lots to do!  However there was a rule, only exhibitors allowed into hall, and we only had press badges.  So we had to go secure another badge!  It took some time, but we did end up with two badges – as we were exhibiting in addition to our press badges!  What an experience with these youth- their first time at the AUSA Conference, and they ended up credentialed with not one, but two badges!
One group went off to the opening ceremony, and the other over to the National Guard booth, or should I say castle? That thing was huge!  They all agreed after talking that watching the opening ceremony and the presentation of the colors by the the Washington Guard was most memorable, and then the different athletic related displays and simulators at the National Guard Booth and meeting some of the Olympian athletes were also pretty cool.

While in the National Guard booth, we were privileged to meet up with LTC Doneas and then Chief of Staff for the Army Guard.  He asked a lot about A Backpack Journalist, and we were eager to share!  They welcomed all the Backpackers in for a tour and then another tour, and then another tour!! Needless to say, I think you know that we took just a couple tours.  It was hard to leave with all those neat simulators and machines just waiting for us to test out.

As we continued on, one of our afternoon assignments was to tour and report on the US Army Warrior Corner booth.  The social media corner was the first stop, and seeing as most of the youth are all pretty familiar with the technologies used, the Virtual Leadership Soldier display was ranked as another one of their favorite and was really something new and different for them, and yet it still was very familiar. Thanks to Erika for sharing www.army.mil and how they derive their content. It was neat because they even got to see how they upload it!

As we made our way back to our booth though, a group of backpackers wandered into the Army European Command booth where there were little kiosks with information and touch screen interactive challenges or “games”.  LTG Mark Hertling, CG happened to be around his booth and began interacting with our Backpackers, playing the kiosk games with them! Our Backpackers, realizing what was happening, began to interview LTG Hertling. After Mama Lynch came back to the booth to let us know what was going on, we all got up to go on a trip to Europe! LTG Hertling was so kind and eager to share his knowledge of journalism and history with us all.  As we all came back, each Backpacker was taking turns interviewing him, each asking different questions. It really was such a cool sight, seeing all of these teens interacting with this three star General!

But it didn’t stop there, no it did not! LTG Hertling invited all of the Backpackers to sit down with him and a reporter from Politico, Charles Hoskinson, who had an interviewed lined up with the General.  The General thought it would be a good experience for the backpackers to view an interview by a professional journalist and it certainly was! After the Mr. Hoskinson’s interview was complete, the General added that it came with a catch! Mr. Hoskinson was to now be interviewed by the Backpackers with LTG Hertling running the press conference!  What an experience, one of the best real world ones yet!

So on Monday – the first day of AUSA – our backpackers experienced the finest in military tradition – got educated on how recruiting is done – went Virtual in the US Army Booth – then to Europe in the Army European Command – and lastly – took a trip up the hill and spoke with Politico.

All in all – a very exciting day here at AUSA! More to come!

Oct

10

“Lots of hills. Lots and lots of hills.”

Posted by : Zia Johnson | On : October 10, 2011

Category: AUSA, Day 3, Interviews, Quick Updates, Sights and Sounds

When runner Sheila Van Kuren arrives at a hill a smile forms on her face. She likes hills. They are a welcomed challenged.

Van Kuren describes the Army 10 miler course as having a lot of hills. This is her second time running the 10 Miler.  “When I ran this last year it was more of an emotional experience. And I am inspired when I run with the military and the wounded warriors.” Sheila can’t help but to feel honored when running with them.

She is a runner who is dedicated to training for the Army 10 miler. She starts her training at the beginning of the year with 3-4 miles and then this increases each weekend. By May, she is running 10 miles every Saturday or Sunday.  The weekend before the Army Ten Mile race Sheila Van Kuren ran those 10 miles in the pouring rain.

Report by Zia Johnson, Picture by Alexus Packwood