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Lt. Col. David A. Miller – director of public affairs for the North Central Region as well as public affairs officer for the Missouri Wing, its Group II and its Spirit of St. Louis Composite Squadron – was honored with the inaugural Lt. Col. Al Pabon Best in Show Balsem Award. Miller won five of the 11 Maj. Howell Balsem CAP Public Affairs Exceptional Achievement Awards announced at the Public Affairs Officer Academy in Baltimore, held in connection with the 2012 Annual Conference & National Board.
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Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz of the Illinois Wing’s Scott Composite Squadron received two Balsem awards for his photos of, respectively, a cadet immersed in a search and rescue exercise and officers participating in professional development training.
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Lt. Col. David A. Miller received one of his five Balsems for this photo of a Gateway Senior Squadron member reviewing air charts before his “high bird” flight on Day 2 of the 2011 Ardent Sentry Exercise.
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“The Logbook,” the online newsletter for the California Wing’s Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188, earned a Balsem award for 1st Lt. Luis Rivas.
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Maj. Johanna Augustine of the Texas Wing’s Three Rivers Composite Squadron was honored with a Balsem award for the unit’s Facebook page.
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Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Tiffany Trunk of the Pennsylvania Wing’s Washington Composite Squadron used this photo – taken by her mother, Gail, as the cadet saluted during 2010 Wreaths Across America observances at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies – in her Balsem-winning campaign last year to generate area media interest in her unit’s participation in the event in 2011.
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Maj. Kevin J. Berry of the Pennsylvania Wing’s Butler Composite Squadron 712, was recognized with a Balsem award for generating coverage like this Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article when the squadron participated in a Carnegie Science Center observing the 108th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight.
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Six members from five wings, ranging from one of Civil Air Patrol’s eight region directors of public affairs to a Pennsylvania Wing cadet, have been recognized with Maj. Howell Balsem CAP Public Affairs Exceptional Achievement Awards for work done during 2011.
In all, 11 Balsem awards were announced today at the CAP Public Affairs Officer Academy in Baltimore, with five going to Lt. Col. David A. Miller, who serves as not only director of public affairs for the North Central Region but also as public affairs officer for the Missouri Wing, the wing’s Group II and the Spirit of St. Louis Composite Squadron. Miller’s awards came in the Media Coverage for CAP, Writing for Media/Online, Event Promotion/Crisis Management and Photography categories.
In addition, his Event/Promotion/Crisis Management submission was recognized as Best in Show with the Lt. Col. Al Pabon Best in Show Balsem Award, named in memory of Miller’s predecessor as region director of public affairs.
Honorable mention for Best in Show went to 1st Lt. Luis Rivas, assistant public affairs officer for the California Wing’s Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188 for his work on the unit’s online newsletter, “The Logbook."
Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz, public affairs officer for the Illinois Wing’s Scott Composite Squadron, received two Balsems in the Photography category.
Also receiving Balsems were Majs. Johanna Augustine of the Texas Wing’s Three Rivers Composite Squadron and Kevin J. Berry of the Pennsylvania Wing’s Butler Composite Squadron 712 and Cadet Senior Master Sgt. Tiffany Trunk of the Pennsylvania Wing’s Washington Composite Squadron. Augustine and Berry both served their respective units as commander and public affairs officer.
The Media Coverage category generated four Balsems –
- Two for Miller, recognized for the publicity he garnered for CAP and the Missouri Wing with news releases entitled “Vaccines to Joplin” and “High-Tech Flood Fight.”
- One for Berry, for his news release on his unit’s role in the Carnegie Science Center’s display marking the 108th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight.
- One for Trunk, whose campaign to publicize her squadron’s participation in the Wreaths Across America campaign resulted in coverage by multiple publications in the Pittsburgh area.
The Photography category accounted for three Balsems:
- Two for Hoffeditiz, one for a photo he called “Through the Brush – Search and Rescue Training,” showing a Scott Composite Squadron cadet participating in a search and rescue exercise, and another for “CAP Professional Development at Scott AFB,” capturing three members of the unit concentrating on an online map during a training session.
- One for Miller, showing a member of the Missouri Wing’s Gateway Senior Squadron reviewing air charts before flying “high bird” during the May 2011 Ardent Sentry exercise.
Balsems in other categories went to:
- Rivas in the Newsletter category for “The Logbook.”
- Augustine in the Social Media category for the Three Rivers unit’s Facebook page.
- Miller in the Writing for Media/Website category for his “Missing Aircraft Found” news release on a Missouri Wing aircrew’s discovery of a downed plane with no survivors April 1, 2011, in southeastern Missouri after a five-day search.
- Miller in the Event/Promotion category for the Search and Rescue Media Kit he assembled and distributed highlighting that five-day search.
In selecting Miller’s media kit as Best in Show, the Balsem judges praised the officer’s “excellent implementation and results,” remarking that he “obviously gave the media everything they could want” – fact sheets on the wing and on CAP, the initial medial release and the ensuing eight releases, and a copy of CAP Volunteer.
The kit helped generate extensive local, regional and national media coverage. In his Balsem submission form, Miller said he “personally interacted directly with 35 media persons, made continued contact via phone and email with a total of 98 media persons overall, and distributed through various means 528 media releases.” He produced no fewer than nine updates – two each on March 28, March 30 and March 31 and three on April 1, the day the plane was found.
The judges cited the “Missing Aircraft Found” submission to VolunteerNow as a “nice job on a high-profile story.”
Miller’s “High-Tech Flood Fight,” concerning his wing’s use of real-time full-motion video surveillance in gauging the impact of flooding along the Missouri River in late spring, was commended as a “nice job of tackling technical subject matter and making it understandable and interesting.” Coverage appeared on VolunteerNow, STLtoday.com and the Missouri National Guard's "Bear Facts."
Similarly, his “Vaccines to Joplin” article – covering a Gateway Senior Squadron aircrews’ mission flying 200 doses of tetanus vaccine into Joplin, Mo., after a tornado devastated the city -- drew praise for having done a “very nice job of interesting media in (an) offbeat angle stemming from major news event.” Coverage followed in the July-September 2011 CAP Volunteer as well as STLtoday.com, the Springfield News-Leader, Aero News Network and Flying Magazine.
Miller’s photographs of flight preparations by Missouri Wing members participating in the Ardent Sentry exercise were lauded as “well-executed, engaging and effective.”
Also in the Photography division, Hoffeditz’s “Through the Brush – Search and Rescue Training” was praised as a “dramatic shot that succeeds in conveying the intensity involved in” such training. The photo accompanied Hoffeditz’ article in the Oct. 13 edition of the Scott Air Force Base Command Post.
The Command Post also published his “CAP Professional Development” photo on Nov. 17. The judges found that the Hoffeditz’s “interesting angle makes for an interesting shot” and called it an “engaging photo.”
Trunk’s award stemmed from the media coverage she helped generate for her squadron’s Wreaths Across America observance, including articles before and after the observance in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and the Observer-Reporter, which featured a front-page photo of her saluting a gravesite in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies.
“I thought we should do something so I just started writing articles,” she told an Observer Reporter writer. To generate publicity, she sent out an information sheet to media featuring a photo a photo her mother took of the cadet saluting at a gravesite during the December 2010 Wreaths Across America observation, as well as information on her plans for the 2011 observation, her motivations for participating, her background in CAP and information on how to contact her for further details.
The Balsem judges found that Trunk did an “excellent job of generating prominent coverage for a significant CAP event.”
Berry’s Balsem-winning article concerned the Butler squadron’s role in the Carnegie Science Center's Wright brothers obervance, which included officers and cadets assisting patrons in using the unit’s cockpit and tabletop flight simulators and also discussing CAP’s core missions – aerospace education, emergency services and cadet programs.
The article helped spur coverage in the Dec. 18 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, including a photo gallery, as well as the Butler Eagle and the Cranberry Eagle. The activity was also publicized on the Pennsylvania Wing website and the wing’s and squadron’s Facebook pages.
The judges found that Berry ‘”elevated a routine topic to the level of attracting great coverage. Nicely done!”
Augustine, who maintains her squadron’s Facebook page, was commended for the page’s engaging and attractive presentation of photos, video and events and for featuring “solid info exchange.”
With the Earhart squadron’s “Logbook,” the judges found, Rivas has created and maintained a “very clean, very attractive” site distinguished by a “nice balance between text and art.” They were especially impressed by his “very innovative use of technological tools,” especially ah glider video.”
Other awards:
Media Coverage of CAP
Lt. Col. David Miller, Missouri Wing Headquarters, “Wreaths Across America” – Award of Excellence
1st Lt. Joan Scarborough, Brunswick Senior Squadron, Georgia Wing, “Annual Yearbook” – Award of Excellence
Lt. Col. Edgar Flick, Somerset County Composite Squadron 1502, Pennsylvania Wing, “Newspaper Stories” – Certificate of Merit
Writing for Media/Newsletter
1st Lt. Elizabeth Becker, Northwest Iowa Composite Squadron, Iowa Wing, “Welcome Home” – Award of Excellence
Writing for Media/ TV-Radio
Maj. Paul Van Brunt, 130th Composite Squadron, Minnesota Wing, “Learning to Fly” – Award of Excellence
Writing for Media/VolunteerNow
Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz, Scott Composite Squadron, Illinois Wing, “Birds-Eye View” – Award of Excellence
Lt. Col. David Miller, Missouri Wing Headquarters, “Earthquake Drill” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Robin Olsen, Murfreesboro Composite Squadron, Tennessee Wing, “Airman Excels” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Jessa Erickson, Northwest Iowa Composite Squadron, Iowa Wing, “Bring Flying to Kids” – Certificate of Merit
Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz, Scott Composite Squadron, Illinois Wing, “East St. Louis Air Show” – Certificate of Merit
Sgt. John Horne, Sky Harbor Composite Squadron, Arizona Wing, “Flying High in KC-135” – Certificate of Merit
Writing for Media/Military Publication
Capt. Michael Mathewson, Topeka Eagle Composite Squadron, Kansas Wing, “All-Female Flight Crew” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz, Scott Composite Squadron, Illinois Wing, “Professional Development Weekend” – Certificate of Merit
Capt. Michael Mathewson, Topeka Eagle Composite Squadron, Kansas Wing, “Long-range Communications” – Certificate of Merit
Writing for Media/Magazine
Maj. Deborah Kawaguchi, Tri-Cities Composite Squadron, Washington Wing, “Change of Command” – Award of Excellence
Newsletter
Lt. Col. Julie Oldham, Springfield Composite Squadron, Missouri Wing, “Missouri Wing Cadet Program Newsletter” – Award of Excellence
2nd Lt. Margaret Secunda, Washington Composite Squadron, “ReCAP” – Award of Excellence
Lt. Col. Jay Tourtel, Albuquerque Heights Composite Squadron, New Mexico Wing, “High Flight” – Certificate of Merit
Capt. Aaron Yanagihara, Eugene L. Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85, California Wing, “Maroon Marauder” – Certificate of Merit
Photography
Lt. Col. Michael Daniels, Group 1, Colorado Wing, “Peaks and Planes” – Award of Excellence
Sgt. John Horne, Sky Harbor Composite Squadron, Arizona Wing, “Refueling Ride-Along” – Award of Excellence|
Capt. Gregory Hoffeditz, Scott Composite Squadron, Illinois Wing, “Aerospace Education 70th Anniversary” – Certificate of Merit
Slideshow/PowerPoint
Lt. Col. John DiGiantomasso, Skyhawk Composite Squadron 324, California Wing, “Color Guard Slideshow” – Certificate of Merit
Social Media
Maj. Annette Carlson, Pennsylvania Wing Headquarters, “70th Anniversary Celebration Video” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Jessa Erickson, Northwest Iowa Composite Squadron, Iowa Wing, “Squadron Facebook Page” – Award of Excellence
Staff Sgt. Phillip Kittelson, Arizona Wing, “Wing Facebook Page and Twitter Account” – Certificate of Merit
2nd Lt. Jennifer Lichlyter, Harrisburg International Composite Squadron 306, Pennsylvania Wing, “Squadron Facebook Page” – Certificate of Merit|
Lt. Col. David Miller, Missouri Wing Headquarters, “Wing Facebook Page” – Certificate of Merit Capt. Robin Olsen, Murfreesboro Composite Squadron, Tennessee Wing, “Squadron Facebook Page” – Certificate of Merit
Brochure
Senior Member Sally Ludwig, Annapolis Composite Squadron, Maryland Wing, “Interested?” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Aaron Yanagihara, Eugene L. Carnahan Cadet Squadron 85, California Wing, “EAA Young Eagles/CAP Flight Basics” – Award of Excellence
Event/Promotion
2nd Lt. Jennifer Lichlyter, Harrisburg International Composite Squadron 306, Pennsylvania Wing, “Taking CAP to School” – Certificate of Merit
Website
Capt. Cindy Beck and Staff Sgt. Phillip Kittelson, Arizona Wing Headquarters, “Wing Website” – Award of Excellence
Capt. Jessa Erickson, Northwest Iowa Composite Squadron, Iowa Wing, “Wing Website”– Award of Excellence
Lt. Col. Roy Long, Pennsylvania Wing Headquarters, “Wing Website” – Award of Excellence
1st Lt. Luis Rivas, Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188, California Wing, “Squadron Website” – Certificate of Merit
