PAOs, and the reporters we facilitate, tend to operate in rather austere environments and finding the right equipment for these environments is a full time job in and of itself (seriously, there are 2 guys at Ft. Meade, MD doing it for just the U.S. Army). During the beginning days of major operations we are often cut off from reliable electricity and internet in deserts, mountains, oceans, jungles, and lord-only-knows wherever else we get sent. While we have systems such as DVIDS to help us get the story out, such systems are bulky and can be cumbersome when weight and speed are a factor. Alan Arnette isn’t a Soldier (never has been to my knowledge) but he is a bit of a kindred spirit in that he has blogged, photographed, reported, and generally communicated literally from the top of the world. I’ve always followed his story because I believe in his cause but also because I was amazed at how he was able to reliably communicate from places that are virtual black holes. He shares the secrets of how he did if from the tops of the worlds tallest mountains in this post from his site. While the military and professional news outlets have their own equipment and ways of doing business this seems like a great primer for anyone planning to freelance in those parts of the world that few dare to tread.

I was struggling with trying to find a way to start this blog. I mean, one of the reasons I started it at all was that I love what I do and wanted a place to scribble down my thoughts on what has become, for better or worse, my life. Then I came across this article. It is a reminder to me that what separates the good from the great, the job from the career, the blasé from the exceptional is passion.

In every field and endeavor there are examples of this. Steve Jobs, Peyton Manning, and yes, even lowly Bob the driving instructor, became great because they had passion for what they do. In my line of work it is possible to be good by just working hard but when I look around at my heroes, the people I consider “great”, they all share that one attribute, knowingly or not…they are passionate about their work, their people, and their products.

I don’t count myself among the greats at what I do but I do have passion for it…and hopefully someday that passion will translate to making a difference, however small.