VIDOC: Worth a thousand words

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Christian Michael
  • William Tell Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Pushy paparazzi, nosy TV reporters and supermodel photographers have nothing on a team of Airmen here. They take your picture, and they videotape you at work. They announce what you are doing to the masses, and they plaster you onto posters -- and most people do not even know they are there.

They are the William Tell Visual Information Documentation team. It is their job to show commanders, Airmen, other servicemembers, families and friends how the Air Force mission is accomplished and who is getting it done.

Photographers, videographers, graphic artists and broadcasters comprise the four areas of the William Tell VIDOC team. William Tell is a competition which tests an aircrew's ability to perform under combat conditions. The two-week event challenges pilots, weapons loaders and maintainers from five F-15 Eagle fighter squadrons.

Tech. Sgt. Dan Duncan, the noncommissioned officer in charge of “Eye On Nellis” at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., has been a broadcaster for five years and is one of two broadcasters working at the William Tell VIDOC facility.

“We’re providing live commentary during the weapons load competition and the actual pilot shoot competition,” said Sergeant Duncan.

Sergeant Duncan explained how continuity for VIDOC at William Tell was broken by the eight-year gap in the competition and that the current team was on a steep learning curve. But, he said, they are well aware of their mission here.

“Most of what we do is spread the word,” said Airman 1st Class Daniel DeCook, a still photographic apprentice. “We also help with [everything from] recruiting to retention.”

Airman DeCook said William Tell shows the real Air Force mission through the variety of support missions and activities being done basewide.

“It’s a good reminder for why you really joined the Air Force,” he said.

Tech. Sgt. Kurt Reilly joined the Air Force to be a graphic artist. He is the noncommissioned officer in charge of Air Combat Command Multimedia at Langley AFB, Va., and on the VIDOC graphics team.

Sergeant Reilly said his graphic layout and design work with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds has helped prepare him for work at William Tell in creating various visual multimedia that are planned for the competition banquet.

“We put out good visuals that show what the Air Force is about in a way that anyone can look at it and understand,” Sergeant Reilly said.

Tech. Sgt. Jamie Chapman and Airman 1st Class Amanda Hall are also on the VIDOC team.

“We’re the eyes of the commander in a real-time situation,” Sergeant Chapman said.

The videographers document mission-essential events, historically significant events or events that could aid training across the Air Force.

“We see a lot of things other people don’t,” Airman Hall said. “We see the maintainers working on the jets and planes taking off and landing.”

The VIDOC Airmen are usually at any given William Tell event. They see more than most, and they offer their insight to the world.