Platoon Sergeant Defines Unit’s
Deployment with Video
BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN – It’s time
for the 705TH Military Police Company to come home, but first the memories of
the past nine months must be diligently catalogued in a video and set to music.
“The guys are really proud of what we accomplished; hey look –
there is an Afghan in the background of this photo!” exclaimed Sergeant First
Class Michael Peters as he flipped through a collection of 160 tour images on
his laptop. “We had responsibility for pretty much everything that happened on
Bagram, which means this video I’m making must have pretty much everything –
and it needs to rock.”
SFC Peters expects the video’s viewership to hit tens of
thousands, though sources familiar with him and the unit morale believe the
YouTube count will likely reach a few dozen. The unit had responsibility for general law
and order on Bagram, spanning parking enforcement, providing crossing guards,
issuing speeding tickets, and driving in circles with sirens on after indirect
fire attacks (IDF).
“Now the music is everything, and we were basically Infantry –
cause of the raids we conducted – so I’m thinking “Let the Bodies Hit the
Floor” by Downing Pool…or is it Puddle of Mud?,” Peters mused, acknowledging
the unit’s role in health and welfare inspection response. “We were also
basically EOD, because there were explosions, so perhaps AC/DC’s “TNT”. Here is
a photo of SPC Andrews stacking some big bullets with EOD, and they were
exploded with TNT…or was it dynamite?”
Peter’s preferred video editing software is Windows Movie Maker,
a tool widely used by the elderly to perform basic transitions and apply music
to a slide show of images. He favors it over Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Adobe’s
Premiere as it came with his HP Laptop. The video quickly took shape with a
bright blue title screen announcing “BULLDOGS!” and the deployment dates,
followed by a masterful smattering of screen wipes, horizontal slides, and
dissolve effects.
He paused for a moment, “We were basically Field Artillery –
cause that’s the unit we replaced – so maybe I’ll use P.O.D.’s “Boom”. It’s
really important to be unique.”
SFC Peters went on dragging and dropping images, forming the
narrative of a capable and proud unit: Soldiers smiled while sitting at desks, smirked
while driving modest Ford SUVs, and sat at picnic tables in a series of images
that slightly over represented a November barbeque celebrating the unit’s
Combined Federal Campaign program.
“The commander and the
guys will be so happy with this,” and thoughtfully added, “We are basically all
patriots – so I’ll use Toby Keith’s “American Ride” – it will be completely
unexpected.”
Written by:
Ithamar Eunice
Famed street horticulturist. A misunderstood soul. Rest in Peace.
