A web-based project, called “30 Days Through Afghanistan,” concluded, March 15, 2010. The words, pictures and video were presented at a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable on March 25, 2010. It was all the brainchild of Air Force Tech. Sgts. Ken Raimondi, whose background is in broadcasting, and Nathan Gallahan, a photojournalist. Both soldiers are based at ISAF’s Joint Command in Kabul, Afghanistan. The idea was to traverse Afghanistan in one month and file daily reports in words, photos and video
“The whole 35 days through, we saw almost endless opportunity and good spirits out there, and it was really a morale booster for us about the whole mission,” Raimondi said. “There was no approval chain. What we saw, we talked about.”
Gallahan said the greatest challenge to keeping up the pace of daily reports was finding Internet access with enough bandwidth to upload video material to their Web site. The easy part, he said, was finding stories to tell.
“There are so many people in this country who have so much to say, and there’s so much to talk about, that I could have spent 10 years blogging every day and could have found something new to talk about,” he said.
When you think about it, this really is some groundbreaking Military Journalism. Kinda reminds you of World War II reporter Ernie Pyle, doesn’t it?
Gallahan said his two regrets about the project are a lack of time to plan out logistics and having to wrap up after just skimming the surface of the country.
“I would like to continue to try to tell the entire story of Afghanistan so people can make their own judgments,” he said.
That’s about the truth with any assignment these days. Leave a comment if you would like to see the military keep up with projects like this one.
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U.S. Airmen Train First Afghan C-27 Loadmaster
A C-27A Spartan parked next to a C-17A Globemaster III March 28, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. Training loadmasters is important as the Afghanistan national army air corps expects to expand its C-27 fleet to 20 aircraft by the end of the program and expects the delivery of two more C-27s in early April. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez
Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster, and Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, congratulate each other after successfully unloading the missions cargo to its detestation, March 28, at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. During an almost two-hour International Security Assistance Force operational mission to deliver more than 2,400 pounds of weapons and supplies for Afghanistan national police at Camp Bastion. ANAAC C-27 loadmaster, Afghan Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, was evaluated by Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez
Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, and Master Sgt. Chris Ringland, 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group standards and evaluation loadmaster, socialize prior to take-off for a check ride for Karimi, March 28, at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan. “Sheer Aqa is one of the brightest and energetic students we have, said Ringland, who is deployed from the 6th SOSS at Hurlburt Field. “He did a great job today and I would be proud to fly with him anywhere in the world.” Admitting he was a bit nervous, Karimi, was pleased at the success of the mission and is happy to be his country’s first qualified C-27 loadmaster Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez
Afghanistan national army air corps Master Sgt. Sheer Aqa Karimi, a C-27A Spartan loadmaster, performs pre-flight checks prior to engine start up for an operational mission and his check ride on a ANAAC C-27, March 28, at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan. Photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel Martinez
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