MAJ Justin Platt served as the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) with 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Airborne Division at Regional Command - East (RC-East) during 2010 and 2011 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In this December 2011 interview, MAJ Platt discusses the duties of a PAO and the general role and importance of Public Affairs and his additional duties with the Joint Visitor's Bureau (JVB). MAJ Platt concludes his interview with the observation, "I think a lesson learned . . . is getting out of that mindset of, 'I've been given this piece of ground, and gosh darn it, this is my piece of ground and I'm only worried about my piece of ground. I'll worry about whatever higher tells me.' Maybe it's because a lot of the battalion level leadership is so over-tasked with things to do, but there's got to be somebody on that staff that can help keep those bosses informed and those field-grade officer and company commanders informed of the larger area around themselves to help them be better able to deal with the communications requirements in their particular area."

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