Visual information flashes light on mission

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Reginal Woodruff
  • 447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) --  Thousands of unsung heroes are contributing to the rebuilding of Iraq, and a team of military visual information specialists at Baghdad International Airport are letting the American public see more of these dedicated airmen.

“Primarily, we support the 447th Air Expeditionary Group by documenting every aspect of the mission here,” said Tech. Sgt. Lisa Zunzanyika, the chief of visual information and photo operations manager for the 447th Expeditionary Communications Squadron.

“Our primary focus is day-to-day operations -- documenting units here, the behind-the-scenes of keeping BIAP running. We want to show, from a military perspective, how GI Joe and GI Jane are doing the mission,” she said.

More than 1,500 airmen are assigned to the 447th AEG. Their jobs affect operations throughout Iraq, including the airport. Photographers have been there to document the movement of servicemembers, supplies, humanitarian aid, mail and soldiers injured during a downing of an Army Chinook helicopter.

“Photographing doctors performing field operations on victims of the helicopter incident shows the results of war,” said Staff Sgt. Levi Collins, 447th ECS photographer. “But that’s only one part of the story. We also photograph airmen and soldiers downtown repairing damage to homes and providing food and clothes to needy families. We take pictures of airmen doing the behind-the-scenes jobs that support the flying and fighting missions.”

The photographers have taken more than 5,000 photos since arriving in late October. More than 239 of those images have been sent to the Joint Combat Camera Center at the Pentagon, where they are made available to the public.

“As photographers, we have an impact on people’s perceptions of what’s going on here,” Zunzanyika said.

“We try to tell the complete story, humanize why we’re here. When I look through the lens and see a young Iraqi child, I see that we’re all the same. That’s what I hope to communicate visually, that the people of Iraq aren’t the enemy,” she said.

The four-person VI team, deployed here from Langley Air Force Base, Va., also uses graphic artists to illustrate the wide-ranging affect of airmen.

“Graphic artists support the 447th AEG and operations here through artistic interpretations,” said Tech. Sgt. Thomas Boetger, 447th ECS graphics chief.

They create certificates, layouts, presentations, posters, book covers, programs, temporary signs, shields, logos and patches. The art is primarily for internal use, but it reaches beyond BIAP, he said.

All of the artists’ illustrations are original designs and can take from a few hours to several weeks to create, Boetger said.

“We start with a concept, and then you have to rely on your creativity,” he said. “With shields and official designs, we have to make sure we adhere to strict guidelines. With montages of an organization, we want to make sure that we’re actually capturing the mission of the unit and still make it look good.”

The 16-year Air Force veteran said he considers the job he and his fellow visual information specialists do vital to the mission in Iraq and said the positive feedback from commanders and others make him proud to be serving here.

“Our jobs are about morale, esprit de corps and telling the mission,” he said. “Without us, many people might not know all the hard work airmen are putting in here and wouldn’t appreciate their selfless sacrifices.” (Courtesy of Air Combat Command News Service)