The Value of PR in Today's U.S. Army: Hughes "Gets It"

The Value of PR in Today's U.S. Army: Hughes "Gets It"

An assertive bastion with the obligation of keeping the U.S. Army and the American people informed is the role each Army Public Affairs specialist must assume. Public Affairs fulfills the establishment of confidence in America's Army and its readiness to conduct operations in peacetime, conflict, and war.

By Ryan N. DeGiacomo

This is the oath and commitment Mark Hughes takes everyday as he serves the U.S. Army and the American people as the public affairs specialist for the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant (MCAAP). Hughes works as public affairs specialist on the Department of Defense’s largest explosive storage facility. Spanning 45,000 acres in southeastern Oklahoma, MCAAP is a major ammunition storage site for all branches of the Armed Forces.

Education has played a vital role in Hughes professional endeavors. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a specialization in journalism in 1976 from Northeastern State University located in Tahlequah, Okla. Hughes continued his education at the U.S. Marine Corps Command & Staff College in Quantico, Va. He also took courses and earned certifications in public affairs from the University of Oklahoma. Hughes then attended the Senior Public Affairs Officers School and the Defense Information School while stationed at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Ind.

Hughes has been in the PR field as an Army Public Affairs Officer for 34 years. His media experience goes back to his Marine Corps Career from 1976 to 1996. Retiring from the Marines as a lieutenant colonel in 1996, Hughes has dealt with national and international media in these crises and exercises: Operation Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Panama, Honduras, Okinawa, Germany, Somalia.

Since his time at MCAAP, Hughes has been in constant correspondence with national and international media. From February 2002 until March 2003, MCAAP was the recipient of news media around the world such as “Nightline” (ABC-TV), The Associated Press, and the BBC once the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan and Iraq. As the sole public affairs specialist on the installation, Hughes coordinated each media visit and escorted media throughout the plant.

When asked how he perceives the value of public relations in his organization, Hughes had an interesting and thought-provoking response. Hughes says he thinks the value of PR in any organization is vital to the organization’s success.

“The real question, however, is what does the leadership think about the value of public relations in its organization? A PR practitioner can only be as valuable as the leadership will let him or her be. To that end, public relations practitioners have to be able to define value," Hughes said, "which is why it is essential for them to be able to measure the worthiness of what they do and their ability to contribute to the bottom line.”

Hughes says after years of experience in the field, he “gets it” when it comes to the function and value of public relations in the U.S. Army.

In his professional career, Hughes has had many articles published in various government publications. In 1992, Hughes wrote “Words at War: Reflections of a Marine Corps Public Affairs Officer,” which was published in the official U.S. Army magazine, Soldiers. Hughes encourages any PR majors to consider a career with the federal government in public affairs.

Image courtesy of U.S. Army Public Affairs Web site.