Beamed into your living room

MCSN Devin Wray

In a previous post I mentioned how U.S. Navy ships not only have websites, but are connecting those sites to Facebook.  These connections come in the form of Facebook Fan Pages.  This blog is linked to Facebook, and I get much more interactivity with my readers there than here. (comments left on posts, for example)

MCSN Devin Wray, my buddy from bootcamp and the source of  the "I Am Your Eyes" line, is a forward thinker.  He's got some innovative ideas concerning military Public Affairs.  I won't spill the beans on anything here, sorry.

Posting videos on Facebook Fan Pages isn't new, but it's new to the military.  Wray just posted a DNU, or Daily News Update, on his ship's Fan Page.  Check out the link below to watch the video.  But more importantly, read the comments.  Families post on how grateful they are to see what life is like for their son/daughter, a veteran follows his ship's activities, and an OPSEC issue is quickly resolved.

That last one was really cool to see.  Operational Security has always been important, but with the arrival of social media, it's more crucial than ever.  The risk of a breach goes up as more and more people post their every thought online.  OPSEC even has it's own Facebook page.

Alright I'm about to miss chow.  I need to go eat.  Here's the link.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=406213029674&ref=mf

Liberty! (Six Flags)

This, as well as the upcoming post, is part of my ongoing quest to give future DINFOS students a list of fun stuff to do in the area.  Many Sailors end up at Busch Gardens because it's free to the military.  That's all good, but Six Flags is only an hour away (compared to 3) and has more rides than BG. Michelle and I recently stormed the amusement park and conquered every one of its menacing roller coasters.  Our longest wait for a ride?  Twenty minutes.  This was thanks in part to the Flash Pass, an electronic pager that allows you to reserve ride times and show up when your seat is ready.  Other parks have similar items but this one received the best review online.  Totally worth the extra dough.

I don't have a lot of exciting photos, but here's a good one of the drop on one of the coasters.  The drop is on the far side.  Yeah, it's almost 90 degrees.  Here we're touring the park on an easy train ride.

There were staff members everywhere.  I think I was asking this guy about wearing shoes on water rides.  We forgot our flip flops.

I wasn't able to blog at the time because the person above hogged the laptop.  You wouldn't have the heart to take it away either.

The world awaits

MC1 Ballge (foreground) and MC1 Miller take the time to speak to each student, giving them words of encouragement.

The most recent force of DINFOS trained killers just graduated to teary eyes and proud smiles.  Class "I forget their number" represented the last group that I had a real connection to.  Being a 'C' schooler is like living forever.  Friends come and go but you never leave.  /sob

I'll be fine guys, you just go.

Hernandez suddenly realizes she doesn't have to do homework anymore. (never say never)

MC 'A' school is 6 months long, but it goes fast.  I suspect in a few months many will wish to be back in the comfortable air-conditioned world of DINFOS.  lol

Students from all sorts of classes show up to congratulate the victors.

Graduation is a whirlwind.  It happens fast and then everyone's gone even faster.  Usually, they head out on leave the same day.  Some head straight out to their next duty station.

MC1 Vernon does his "extra guy in the photo" impersonation behind us.  I think it works.

Carey, excuse me, MCSN Marty Carey, was the day's honor graduate.  He had the highest overall grade for all the courses, and will receive an automatic promotion to E-4.

Good job nerd!

 

Very shortly, Chief Carter will be leaving for Afghanistan.  He's been the heart and soul of the Navy barracks since well before I came around.

Chief, I've saved to memory many things you've said.  "Attack your weaknesses" is probably my favorite one.  Through personal examples, you've shown the students here the importance of motivation, hard work, and good attitude.  Thank you for everything!

Squinting through the glass eye

Shaver, a welder before enlisting in the Army, gets to know her camera.

The great thing about studying photo/video is there's lots of hands-on.  I can only learn so much by listening.  Like many in the class, I have to do...and do...and do again til I get good at it.

There's a lot of get-to-know-you going on between human and camera.  Some pairs are like long lost friends.  Others are more like mortal enemies.

My Nalgene bottle has been to the ends of the Earth with me.  I sure love that little guy. 
 

For the students with no video experience, every day brings a new challenge.  I think the biggest one is operating everything on manual.  Manual focus, manual exposure, manual zoom. The instructors want us to know how the camera works from the ground up.  Knowing this doesn't make trying to focus manually any less painful.

Sergeant First Class Medina, our lead instructor, checks a student's camera for malfunctions.

The instructors go through a brief demonstration and then set us loose to practice.  There's a lot of trial and error going on in the DINFOS hallways these days.

Every new shot must be slated with project information such as date, location, and camera operator.

Everyone's working together well, and the Soldiers and Marines only make fun of each other 3-5 times a day.