"Tim's video was invaluable in telling the soldier's story in Afghanistan I can't be everywhere the Guard is, so journalists like Tim who are involved in newsgathering, help paint the picture."- Master Sgt Tom Hovie, Oregon National Guard
(SALEM) - A new video produced by the Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office in Salem, captures the fast paced tempo of the State Military Department's last year of operation.
Master Sergeant Tom Hovie of the Oregon Guard produced the project that features video segments recorded by Tim King, during his time covering the war in Afghanistan over the winter of 2006/07.
Hovie says it is a year long project, "But it takes a month to edit the thing together, the script and all the photos from all over the world."
With a role in the Guard as a soldier and a job with the military department as a federal employee, Hovie's titles include Visual Information Technician on the federal civilian side, and a more catchy "46 Romeo- Broadcast Journalist" on the military side.
The Public Affairs division of a military group walks the line between fighter and observer. While Salem-News.com helped with Afghanistan footage, most of the images in the video are shot by members of the National Guard.
"To get the word out, that's our business. We try to tell the Guard story as much as we can and I think a lot of people don't understand how involved we are in so many different aspects of state national and international levels."
As a senior enlisted soldier, Tom Hovie says he has no trouble supporting the Oregon Guard mission, in his heart.
"It's an amazing organization, it really is, and it is my job to put those pieces together in a palatable way so that people enjoy it. I've been to Korea three times, Japan twice, Panama three times, Guatemala, German four times, Bosnia twice, Iceland twice."
But still the Oregon Guard isn't in every place all the time and that is why Salem-News.com agreed to share clips of video for this program. Hovie says it helped bring it together.
"Tim's video was invaluable in telling the soldier's story in Afghanistan I can't be everywhere the Guard is, so journalists like Tim who are involved in newsgathering, help paint the picture. And you can see that in the video, some of his video is a really nice touch, helped polish it."
Hovie has a decade under his belt working on the Guard's Year in Review. His work has also been seen on 60 minutes, Nightline and McNeil Lehrer Report.
"I'm always calling people and saying 'hey I need scripts and all of that.' I've been doing this for ten years."
Afghanistan is only one aspect of the Guard's work in 2007, which included service in Iraq, Japan, Mongolia and several other nations.
Tom Hovie is a 1988 graduate of the University of Oregon where he received a Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications and Film.
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WATCH THE OREGON GUARD YEAR IN REVIEW VIDEO BELOW
Video
New Oregon Guard Video Features Video From Salem-News.com's Tim KingSalem-News.com