Top Army Reserve Public Affairs Soldiers

Four Army Reserve communication professionals recently earned top honors for their work in 2009.  They will now vie for journalism recognition at the Department of the Army level.

The winners are:

• Army Reserve Military Journalist of the Year - Staff Sgt. Mark Burrell, 211th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Bryan, Texas.

• Army Reserve Rising Star/Outstanding New Writer - Spc. Elisebet Freeburg, 143rd Expeditionary Support Command Public Affairs Office, Orlando, Fla.

• Army Reserve Military Broadcast Journalist of the Year - Sgt. Thomas Bramble, 222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment (BOD), Bell, Calif.

• Army Reserve Rising Star/Outstanding New Broadcaster - Spc. Christopher Tobey, 222nd BOD.

A Chicago native, Burrell is currently the print journalist noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) working at Camp Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq.  There he oversees more than 300 print and photo products he and five other public affairs Soldiers produced.  He graduated at the top of his journalism class at the Defense Information School, Fort Meade, Md., in 2008.  He also completed a combat tour in Baghdad from April 2007 to March 2008 working as an administrative and opearations NCO for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Burrell joined the Army Reserve in 1998 because he wanted to do something different than the rest of the kids in his neighborhood.  "The Army Reserve appealed to me because it provided an opportunity to challenge myself in ways that I hadn't been tested before," he said.  "Also, my recruiter promised me that I'd be able to travel and see the world.  So far the Army Reserve has done both of those for me -- I've been able to travel the world and tested myself in ways that I didn't know were possible!"

Freeburg is presently working in Afghanistan with the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, which leads the Joint Sustainment Command (JSC).  Her duties include identifying issues of interest relevant to JSC's strategic communicaton goals and objectives, coordinating coverage, gathering information and imagery, producing print news and photography packages, and marketing the products to relevant media outlets.  Currently residing in Keystone Heights, Fla., she also edits and publishes the "Victory Sustained" newsletter.  When not wearing the uniform, Freeburg teaches English at Keystone Heights Senior High School.  She is a graduate of the Victory Baptist Academy in Niagara Falls, Canada.

"I joined the Army Reserve [in 2007] to serve my country and make a difference in the world," Freeburg said.

Bramble is currently the NCOIC of the Special Services Division for American Forces Network (AFN)-Iraq where he wears a lot of hats.  He's the producer, anchor, lead editor, lead writer, graphics artist and co-creator of "Freestyle Iraq," a television entertainment program that focuses on how deployed service members spend their free time and airs on the Pentagon Channel.

He earned Distinghished Honor Graduate honors in the Basic Broadcaster Course at the Defense Information School.  He holds an associate's degree from the College of Eastern Utah, and is pursuing his bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Utah.

When Bramble first donned his military uniform, he served in the active Army from 2001 until 2005.  During that time, he was stationed at AFN-Korea and AFN-Honduras.  After completing this military stint, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Film and Entertainment.  Almost four years after leaving the active Army, he was recalled to deploy to Iraq because he still had a service obligation on his initial miliary contract.

"I reported to Fort Jackson [S.C.] on Oct. 5, 2008, and the journey began," he said.

After "re-greening" back into the Army, "I realized there was a lot I missed about wearing the uniform and the sense of pride and accomplishment that goes along with such an honor," Bramble said.

Shortly after being recalled, he reenlisted in the Army Reserve.  "I was confident I could make a positive impact on the Public Affairs Broadcast mission of the military and my junior Soldiers," Bramble added.  "It's been a very rewarding, personally and professionally, and I'm very proud to serve again."

Bramble currently resides in Los Angeles, and most of his immediate family lives in Saint George, Utah.

Presently serving as a broadcaster in Baghdad, Tobey joins Bramble to produce "Freestyle Iraq."  His versatility allows him to use music, graphics, creative editing and unconventional storytelling to entertain and inform an audience of up to 20 million viewers per day.  He has written, edited, shot and anchored numerous segments for the 30-minute program.  He also spent four months with AFN-Iraq's Freedom Radio as a co-host of the morning talk show "Iraqi Sunrise."

"I volunteered for this deployment with the 222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment and I feel it has helped me grow as a journalist and as a Soldier," he said.

Born in Detroit and raised in Tappahannock, Va., Tobey joined the Army Reserve in 2007 to augment a degree in Broadcast Communication.  "I chose the Army Reserve because I thought it would help give me a different, more intense experience in news gathering, and I couldn't have been more right," he said.

Tobey graduated from the Defense Information School in 2008.  He is pursuing a double major in Music and Communications Studies from Longwood University.  Tobey is an Eagle Scout and active with multiple Troops in Virginia.  He is preparing for a cross-country bicycle tour to raise funds for the Troops First Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports wounded Iraq War Veterans.  The trip is scheduled to start at the completion of his current deployment.

From Sorority Girl to Soldier

Being the only American woman in the courtroom during the first day of Saddam Hussein's trial in Baghdad is a distinction only one person can claim.

Army Reserve Staff Sgt. Kristen King was physically in the actual courtroom operating a video camera capturing historic footage broadcast around the world that day.  "I felt like I was part of something so much bigger than myself and as a journalist," she said, looking back on the experience.  While other well-known women journalists like Christiane Amanpour and Laura Logan were there, they were required to remain behind bullet-proof glass.

Check the block for "adventure" as a reason for joining the Army Reserve.

The energetic King has enjoyed the best of both worlds as a student and as an Army Reserve broadcast journalist.  In 2008 she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Mass Communication/Journalism from Louisiana State University in Shreveport, which she was able to fund in part with education benefits she got from the Army Reserve.

Check the block for "education benefits" as another reason for joining the Army Reserve.

King put her military training into practice during two deployments to Iraq.  From 2005-2006, she worked in Baghdad as a reporter for American Forces Network, which provides broadcast entertainment for service members overseas.  There she relied on her "southern hospitality" to engage her radio audience during her wildly popular show "The Country Convoy" broadcast throughout Iraq.

During the most recent deployment in 2009, King worked with the 10th Mountain Division in Baghdad, and the 34th Infantry Division in Basra.  As the assignment editor, she was responsible for tracking down stories and helping the military reporters connect with their subjects.  She was also the editor, writer and producer of "The Red Bull Report," a two-minute weekly news cast highlighting 34th I.D. people and activities.

The hands-on experience King has gained has been the most useful aspect of her Army Reserve career thus far.  "I've learned so much about journalism that I could never grasp just sitting in a classroom," she said.  "The situations I've been in and the extreme pressures I've been under prepared me for life after college."

While an undergraduate degree may likely give King an advantage when competing for full-time civilian employment, she realized it wasn't enough.  "I also wanted something extra to boost my resume," she said.  King hopes to parlay the real-world experience into a career as a DJ on a morning radio show.

She added, "My Army career set me up for a successful civilian career.  During my first deployment, my radio show received national attention from the CBS "Early Show" and NBC "Nightly News."  I'm still feeding off that exposure and have a possible job officer in Seattle stemming from those news stories."

Check the block for "experience" employers respect as a reason for joining the Army Reserve.

In case you get the impression King is focused entirely on herself, think again.  She is most proud of being able to give back.  "During my first deployment I got to travel outside the wire a lot, and would have people send me care packages with goodies for the kids -- pens, pencils, colors, nail polish, etc.," she said.  "I always felt best on those days I could go out into the communities and put a smile on the kids' faces."

As an Army Reserve Soldier, King values the gratitude of the American people and Iraqi citizens.  "I'm constantly thanked for my service and what I'm doing.  I don't think about it as anything special, but it means a lot to hear thanks from the peoople at home," she said.

When King joined the Army Reserve five years ago, her family and friends thought she was crazy.  "I was a sorority girl, and this was the last thing anyone expected," she said.  "They were worried, but supportive."

Family and friends also sustained King during her two deployments to Iraq.  "They were very scared about me going to Iraq, but I've got such a great support system.  They constantly wrote emails and sent packages, letting me know I was on their mind," she said.

King found the best part of deployments was spending time in a country she never would have traveled to on her own.  Additionally, meeting the local Iraqi citizens and playing with the children were highlights of her experience.

Reflecting on her time in Iraq, King learned some things about herself, including the fact that she is strong and independent.  She added, "I tackled a lot that I never thought possible...I can take care of myself, and that makes me happy."