LAUGHLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- There’s not many jobs on Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, or even in the military, that give its Airmen an opportunity to take a glimpse over the entire base’s operations.
For Airman 1st Class Marco Gomez, 47th Flying Training Wing public affairs photojournalist, the opportunity to observe the base from this view is a reality day-in and day-out, thanks to his career in military Public Affairs.
“I like to think of Public Affairs as the “observers,” because we get to have a close look at other people and units doing their job,” he said. “Often, we get to see them from their first days here, up until they PCS to another base.”
One of the skills he practices every day in his interactions with base Airmen are his abilities to both communicate effectively and professionally to his audiences in his photographs and news stories. This helps everyone on base and around the Air Force know more about Laughlin’s operations, and as he describes, the awesome work Laughlin’s Airmen do every day.
“There are a lot of skills I learned in PA that can be used universally in any job outside or inside the military,” he said. “Communication is vital, even in the simplest forms. You have to be able to communicate solid thoughts or ideas to people and communities—that’s the biggest thing I learned in this job.”
Gomez describes the skills he hones and sharpens every day in Public Affairs will also help him with his future endeavors: enrolling in college to practice biology, with the hopes of entering a graduates program focusing on physical therapy.
“I would love to go down the path of cross-training into the physical health sector in the military—that was something I wanted to do before I joined the military,” he said. “That’s the best part about the Air Force: there’s no other employer in the country that opens as many doors as the military does.”
A career that allows one to talk to base Airmen every day, highlight their hard work, and tell their stories differs from the norm as Air Force career paths are concerned. According to Gomez, the Public Affairs career is not only a fulfilling career, but one that crafts skills necessary later on for opportunities both in the military, and out in the civilian sector.