Bar-room versus the Boardroom
I think I have found the one thing that Public Affairs Officers (PAO) fear more than anything else. It isn’t liberal leaning mainstream media, it isn’t the Huffington Post. It is bloggers who are ex-military, hard-headed and know their way around the military culture.
Don’t get me wrong, TRADOC is treating my great, especially the PAO but I sense a look of suspicion and worry sometimes when I see or talk to the actual PAO of TRADOC. Once he found out I was a retired 1SG, and that I have a “don’t ask for permission, ask for forgiveness” attitude I think he started hanging a little bit closer to me every where I go. I am not sure why, as I would do nothing to discredit or embarrass the military. In fact it is quite the contrary, I will defend the military as an institution, and go after anyone that is disrespectful to the military. I think my record speaks for itself to show that I have done this several times. I know the PAOs are just doing their job and there is no doubt that PAOs army-wide have been burned and embarrassed by slimy media more times than they can count. So I guess I have to earn their trust and as I progress through day two of this conference it appears I have started to earn the trust.
I won’t be an extension of a PAO, as I won’t always tell the “good news” story. I will call BS when it warrants it. I will hold people accountable for their actions. I will be fair and honest and hopefully interject as little of my emotion as possible.
But they can’t be with me everywhere so I slip and dip and talk to different people whenever I can. This morning I have a interview scheduled with a gentlemen who oversees the non-commissioned officer education system for TRADOC. That came about from me talking to him in the coffee line yesterday.
Last night I was introduced to LTG Freakley, who is the commander of Accessions Command (they sponsored the milblog booth at last year’s Blog World Expo in Last Vegas). I had a great 20 minute talk with the LTG and this morning I followed up with him and he has committed to come on the You Served Radio show.
Last night I also had a chance to talk to some of the TRADOC Commander (GEN Dempsey) inner staff about him coming on the You Served Show also. So far they seem very open to it and it looks like it will happen. Since he he is a four-star General of a huge command like TRADOC, he is a pretty busy guy so I know it is not easy to get his time. However hopefully my convincing personality, shiny head, and winning smile will convince his people to get him on the show.
A lot of my progress last night was not done in a panel or a conference, it was done at dinner and then at the bar. Because as my wife has always said, “more business is done in the bar-room then it is in the boardroom”.