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WASHINGTON, May 29, 2001 – With a staff of four service members, the DoD High School News Service manages to reach students in 98 percent of the high schools and colleges in the country to let them know about the varied opportunities in the U.S. military.
The organization publishes the monthly magazine Profile, which focuses on young troops from each service doing a variety of military jobs. "We try hard to give an objective view of all the services, including the Coast Guard," Profile editor Army Sgt. Ramona Joyce said. "We want to give an objective picture of what people could do in each service." Air Force Master Sgt. Scott Clough, managing editor of Profile, said the magazine is unique as a recruiting tool because the staff doesn't necessarily work to sell the military, just to give an accurate picture. "We try to tell it like it is so kids can get a real view of what it's like in the military," he said. Although a joint organization, the High School News Service falls under the Navy's Chief of Information and is located at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Each month during the school year, 31,000 copies are distributed to high schools and colleges in the United States and to DoD schools overseas. Recruiters seem to appreciate the extra help, Clough said. "Recruiters love it because there's no other source of info like this available to them that shows all five services together," he said. He also said the staff receives plenty of positive feedback from students who see the publication. "Most of the time they want more information on a particular job or career field, and we refer them to a recruiter," Clough said. Sometimes the magazine features new and exciting equipment as well. Joyce described a recent article on the Navy LCAC, Landing Craft, Air Cushion, that is used for amphibious assaults. "You've got 22- and 23-year-olds running this thing," she said. "That's going to appeal to some kids who are still in high school trying to figure out what to do when they graduate." The magazine also recently became a full-color publication to be more appealing, and the staff hopes to focus more on quality-of-life issues when school starts again in the fall. Since its inception at the end of World War II, the magazine's mission has evolved. "Because of the draft, the purpose was to let folks back home know what life was like in the military. The mission shifted when we went to an all-volunteer force," Clough said. Visit Profile Magazine on the Internet at http://www.spear.navy.mil/profile_magazine/. [link no longer available]
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