All of these are foundational principles in my approach to special projects, be they special edition magazines, national commission reports, or large-scale, three-day exhibitions on the National Mall.
The mission of the Vietnam War Commemoration, chartered by Congress in 2008 and stood up by President Barack Obama in 2012 as an office under the Secretary of Defense, is to use the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War to thank and honor all Vietnam-era Veterans and their families for their service and sacrifice during the period of 1 November 1955 to 15 May 1975. A centerpiece effort was "Welcome Home! A Nation Honors Our Vietnam Veterans and their Families" 11-13 May 2023, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The operation included a major multimedia concert, ceremonies, and a "historical walkway" with museum-calibre displays and various associations' and services' participation. The Commemoration hired me in April 2022 to use my magazine writing talents and associations experience to build partnerships and promote "Welcome Home!" I was working with the office's new public engagement branch chief, Navy Commander Brian Wierzbicki, to launch the publicity campaign when circumstances prompted the Commemoration to assign us an "additional duty": lead a team that would plan and build the "historical walkway," which we christened Camp Legacy.
We had just over eight months to accomplish that task. Except for my working trade shows and my knowledge of how amusement parks interact with their audiences, neither of us had hands-on experience with creating a major public event, let alone one on the "Nation's Front Yard" with major social and political implications. While working with National Park Service turf restrictions and within Department of Defense regulatory limits, we planned Camp Legacy, recruited participation, and, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, oversaw the contract for its construction and operation. On the JFK Hockey fields adjacent to the Reflecting Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial, and across Independence Avenue in West Potomac Park, we built two sites of tents housing 98 exhibitors as well two venues for 26 performers and educational programs. I was appointed the Mayor of Camp Legacy, overseeing all operations during the event. I also organized a ceremony at Nationals Park honoring Vietnam Veterans, Gold Star Families, Donut Dollies, and Vietnam Veteran Nurses (for International Nurses Day) before a Major League Baseball Game.
The key to our success was building a collaborative community among the exhibitors through planning summits and personal communications. Any problems that arose, our exhibitors rose to meet the challenges as a cohesive force. With a full range of input into our after-action report, Welcome Home! and Camp Legacy were considered a great success by those involved, and I was awarded my second Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service.
(Links open PDFs)
Lt.Gen Dennis McCarthy (USMC, retired), who had been my boss at the Reserve Officers Assocation, was chairman of the National Commission on the Structure of the Air Force and hired me to be the editor. My title was Chief of Outreach: In addition to being the report's editor and managing its production, I wrote press releases and articles, produced the media kit, and edited Commission correspondence to members of Congress and media outlets. With just 10 months from formation to Congressional deadline, we endured hiring delays, forced time off due to a federal budget-cutting program called "Sequestration," and a government shutdown. We still made our deadline.
My first opportunity to edit a special edition magazine came when Off Duty/Europe assigned me to develop the publisher's first Welcome to Britain guide in 1989. They already had produced such guides for other European locales, and though I used those as my template, my supervising editor left the content up to me. My first hurdle was determining my audience. The publication was targeted to American service members. Being the spouse of an Air Force officer then stationed in England, I had friends who loved exploring the region and indulging in its culture. For every one of those, however, quadruples more weren't so adventurous in a foreign country, and when they did wander forth, they searched out back-home favorites, like McDonald's and cinemas. Even pubs didn't fit in their comfort zone.
The Off Duty Welcome to Britain guide had to serve both audiences. I came up with a writer's trick by selecting a friend of mine, a captain, who loved exploring local cultures on her assignments, and a ubiquitous young enlisted service member who would stay on the military installation every weekend. I imagined both were standing behind me as I planned the content and wrote the copy; she watched over my right shoulder, he watched over my left. I concentrated on writing in a way that kept both engaged, giving her more ideas for exploration, convincing him to expand his experiences one small step at a time. While the technique kept me constantly attuned to the guide's prospective audiences, I also discovered that my prose had more instant energy, as if I were performing to a live audience with my words.
The over-my-shoulder muse became a standard writing technique for me, but 15 years later another special editorial project required an even more diverse audience pairing. The Association of the U.S. Army assigned me to write and edit a complete overhaul of their Profile of the U.S. Army. The book was handed out to new recruits; it also was provided to the Air Force's Air War College. That's an audience ranging from young Army spouses, many still learning English let alone how the U.S. government is structured, to colonels, many with master's degrees. Our prose and graphics needed to be intelligently presented but simple to understand.
Links open PDFs
Off Duty National Guard & Reserves
October 1992
Off Duty targeted the U.S. military's Reserve Components as an untapped advertising market by publishing a special issue devoted to the National Guard and Reserves. I was assigned to develop all the content, approaching it as a summary of Reserve Component duty, benefits, and conditions.
Off Duty National Guard & Reserve
Fall 1995
With the success of its inaugural National Guard & Reserves edition, Off Duty continued it as a semiannual magazine. In 1995, the editor wanted an issue highlighting benefits available to Reserve Component families. I suggested a "Best of..." format of profiles exemplifying each benefit.
Midwest Living
Michigan Travel Ideas
1998
I twice served six-week stints as an interim associate editor at Midwest Living in Des Moines, Iowa, filling in for staff on medical leave. This established an ongoing contributor relationship as both writer and project editor. I provided the ideas and content for this Michigan travel guide's "Things to See & Do" section.
While servng on The President's Committee on Employment of People With Disabilities, I was Chairman of The Outreach to Small and Medium Business Product Team. I managed this booklet's production and edited its contents.
When my wife, Sarah, was Commander, 93rd Maintenance Squadron, at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, as her spouse I took responsibility for managing a community network for all of the squadron's family members. This was her first command, and while I was not required to perform in any duty capacity for the squadron, I readily volunteered to do so, especially having written so many articles for Off Duty about the necessity for such family support efforts. In that role, I published a newsletter that I mailed directly to the families. Sarah and I covered all costs, including postage. I named it "Owl Eyes" for the squadron's mascot, the 93rd's aircraft being the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, or Joint STARS, the "Eye in the Sky." My newsletter provided updates on unit activities, family services resources, members' promotions, and squadron social events. You can see the final edition of "Owl Eyes" by clicking on Sarah's Eye on the Sky mug.
