122nd MPAD Tells Soldier's Story In Kosovo
Story by 1SG William W. Kuhns, Photos Courtesy 122nd MPAD & the U.S. Army - Posted Jul, 2000
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The 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment (MPAD), made history on 15 Dec 1999 by becoming the first Guard unit of its kind to deploy to Kosovo. Deploying with only 15 of our authorized 18 soldiers, the 122nd took over a mission formerly performed by 28 active duty soldiers. Everyone has worked hard in the past seven months to produce the highest quality work possible.
Based at Camps Bondsteel and Monteith in the Multi-National Brigade (East) sector of Kosovo, the 122nd functions as the Task Force Falcon Public Affairs Office.
The unit produces the task force newspaper, The Falcon Flier, broadcasts the KFOR (Kosovo Force) Hour radio program, produces videos, provides media escort to visiting journalists, and serves as the task force public-information conduit.
The five-soldier print section inherited a black and white camp newspaper that was photocopied and stapled together. They improved the photojournalism effort to now publish a commercially printed, 16-page, biweekly color newspaper that that has doubled its circulation.
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The journalists travel throughout Kosovo to capture the efforts of the members of Task Force Falcon in words and images.
Deploying short handed, with only three of the authorized broadcasters, the video section managed to produce five live radio shows a week for four months called Kosovo American Style: American music, news and public service announcements broadcast from a leased Communist-era broadcast studio.
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The section also managed to pump out more than 50 videos to be sent to American Forces Network (AFN) - Europe, in Germany, and radio products to be broadcast on AFN - Balkans. The broadcast mission was given a boost with the addition of three active Army volunteers from the states.
After serving alongside their active duty counterparts to help keep the peace in Kosovo, the 122nd is now preparing to return home in early July. The 122nd MPAD also deployed to Bosnia in 1997.
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