FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. - Graduates of the Public Affairs Qualification course at the Defense Information School returned to their duty stations with a few words of advice from a seasoned public relations professional.
Chad Steele, director of media relations for the Baltimore Ravens, was the guest speaker during a DINFOS graduation ceremony Friday afternoon.
The graduates, who represent all branches of the military and reside all over the country, just completed an eight-week course in basic public relations strategies and techniques.
A position in public relations can be the first line of interaction with the media and is an opportunity for the service members to represent the military, Steele said.
"That's your chance to show[case] your branch of service, the military and the country," he said during his speech. "It's your opportunity to represent them, represent them as well as possible." Steele stressed the importance of establishing balanced and consistent relationships with whomever the new graduates encounter in public relations.
"I always preach that it doesn't matter if it's a student trying to learn or it's [ESPN anchorman] Chris Berman coming into the town; we treat everybody the same with respect." Steele said.
Steele spoke about his media relations experiences in the National Football League and made comparisons to the military sector.
Steele is familiar with the military and the program at DINFOS. He was born in 1974 while his father was a football coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. His father, retired Col. Gary Steele, also served as commander of the Advanced Individual Training Battalion when the military communication training institute was based at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.
Growing up, Steele watched service members drill on the military parade field and played basketball with them.
"I was so enamored with the way they handled themselves with what they did, it was something special for me growing up being able to watch," Steele said.
Steele's final piece of advice for the graduates came from two sentences of the West Point "Cadet Prayer": "Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole can be won." "Think about your path, think about your training, what you've done here at Fort Meade. Think about the obstacles you're going to face in the future" he said. "If those words come to mind, you'll do the right thing." After the program, several graduates such as Coast Guard Lt. Regina Caffery said they were surprised at Steele's impressive biography.
"I found his speech to be very motivating," Caffery said. "And I really liked how he tied in a lot of his experiences to military experiences."
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