Of course, I admit, it could also just be coincidence.
Two events.
While moderating my panel, I raised the question, "Do we, as milbloggers, matter?" I read for the assembled multitude thoughts on that subject from a senior Army PAO official.
Excerpting from that soliloquy:
...Having written that, I don't really think bloggers are an afterthought. I think that there's just no real way to measure success yet, the military is still stuck on media impressions as a measure of success, and there's still this attitude that major media is the money maker.And I think that last bullet is significant because it's true. As a PAO, I realize that the real target
audience isn't "the american public" because 1) there is no such single animal, and 2) the real public that affects the success of our military mission is congress. So most of our efforts get directed to the MSM REALLY because that's who Congress is reading. That's why we're so focused on The Early Bird, etc.
I then observed that it isn't how many read us, but rather who reads us.
I then laid out my personal example - my meeting with my Representative, Nancy Boyda (D, KS 2) - a meeting that I got because I'm a constituent, I had several things to say that had already caught her attention, and, I'm a blogger. My being a blogger may not have been a direct consideration of Ms. Boyda and her staff, I'm not really asserting that, but my being a blogger of minor prominence is what got me invited to the event at which we had the conversation that enabled the meeting.
In the meeting, we discussed Project Valour-IT, the Soldier's Angels voice-activated laptop program for servicemembers whose injuries prevent them from using conventional computers. She'd never heard of it, and we discussed it rather a lot, really. And I enlisted Ms. Boyda's aid in upping the public profile of Valour-IT.
Cut.
I'm talking to Soldier's Angels Patti Bader and Holly Aho about the plans that Ms. Boyda and I sketched out, which involves using the good offices of Ms. Boyda to reach out to targeted Members of Congress to gain a larger voice for Valour-IT, and using that to leverage fund-raising and awareness (we're not asking Congress for money, we're asking Congress for their bully pulpits). Holly brings up access issues in a Minnesota VA facility.
Cut.
At the conference, as part of reinforcing the Senior PAO official's response, and at the same time proving the point - I bring up that based on that confluence of events, we had evolved the plan that the Angels would put together a list where the VA or Services had facilities that were restricting access in ways that *other* VA and service facilities did not (don't want to push any HIPAA buttons, heaven knows!). I would take that list, and working with Ms. Boyda's staff, we'd contact the Representatives for the districts in which those facilities reside, and see if some questions from Congresspeople might incite a little attitude adjustment.
Cut.
Yesterday, Soldier's Angels went to Walter Reed, to distribute laptops, to include the 1000th such to be given out (we're not sitting on your money, folks - I promise you that). Chuck Ziegenfuss, as is his wont, gave an earthy pep talk to the assembled wounded. Based on the reports (SWWBO and I were not present ourselves) Chuck was clearly in his element - surrounded by soldiers, and leading. And leading unique soldiers in a way he is uniquely qualified to lead them.
Cut.
Angels Patti Bader and Beth Schietzelt were approached by representatives of MG Schoomaker, the new commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and they made a comment that is telling, I think.
Giving the Angels their cards, they told Patti and Beth that if they had *any problems anywhere* in any facility, VA or military, to call them, and they would take care of it.
Coincidence? Possibly. But with the wording, inclusive of the VA, I'm inclined to think the message I deliberately sent to the "audience unseen" was received. And since it pushed the right buttons, and resonated with things they know they need to know better, and had that mailed fist hiding under the velvet glove, well, sometimes 2+2=4 simply because it does. But sometimes it's 16 divided by 4 times 2 minus 4 equals 4, too. Meaning the path to the answer isn't always simple.
Do I think we matter? Yes, now that they are listening to us.
But that also means we have to wear our big boy pants, and engage them like adults.
Which means kick them in the teeth when they need it - but politely, y'know, with respect.
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