The VOXUS team has had the pleasure of working with a number of interns over the years. Like most agencies, we believe that it’s important to give students working experience in their careers — not to mention the fact that we appreciate having an extra pair of hands to help out with any number of tasks during crunch times.
Sometimes, interns become employees (such as Lindsay Stril). Regardless, we like to stay in touch with them, and it’s always interesting to see where they end up. Erick Saks is a former intern from many years back who is now serving in Afghanistan as the chief of public affairs for the U.S. Air Force. We asked him to tell us a little about his life today, and to share any advice he might have for communications students considering a career of public service in the military.
Erick Saks on duty
Question: You’ve traveled a long way, in your career and geographically, since you left us as an intern. What’s your current job title and responsibilities? What’s your average day like now, and what do you find most rewarding about this phase of your career?
Answer: I’m currently about a third of the way through a six-month deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. As the chief of public affairs for the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, I provide communication support for the largest Air Force organization in Afghanistan. Our unit consists of more than 5,000 airmen and aircraft including the C-130 Hercules, our air mobility workhorse; close air support jets including the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon; HH-60 Pave Hawks, which are combat search and rescue helicopters; and MC-12s which provide an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance function. We also run the theater’s most advanced hospital and coordinate all aeromedical evacuations from the country.
Based on the significant mission of my organization and our proximity to Kabul, we receive continual media attention. I average a media embed per week; however, I’ve had up to three simultaneous embeds. The biggest challenge I face is the staffing. I only have three folks assigned to my office (a military journalist, a broadcaster and a photographer). My days are never average. I arrive slightly before 6 a.m., prepare news clips to spin leadership up on the media climate surrounding Afghanistan, then move down my priority list. Sometimes that involves prepping for and attending meetings and briefings. Sometimes I’m coordinating and executing media visits. Always, I’m providing guidance to my staff on office direction and internal coverage priorities.
I regularly meet with organization leadership to provide communication counsel and advice. Recently, I escorted a Wall Street Journal reporter to a tiny forward operating base near the Pakistani border to cover the importance of airdrop to remote bases. We got snowed in there for about two days, but I’m looking forward to a great article.
Generally, I work 13- to 16-hour days, six days a week; however, there are no true days off here. When I’m not in Afghanistan, I’m the chief of leadership development for Air Force Public Affairs at the Pentagon. The most rewarding part of this phase in my career is that I’m finally at a point where I can really influence operations, and I feel my voice matters.
Question: What’s your ultimate goal as a communications professional?
Answer: It’s still too early to tell. I’ve had many “ultimate” goals during my time in this field (which began in 1994), but I’ve found that it’s easiest to focus on the task at hand and let your abilities and successes speak for you. As long as my leadership appreciates the my work and the value of my organization, I’m content.
Question: How helpful were internships as you were determining your career path? What advice could you give to young communications professionals looking at potential careers in the military?
Answer: My internship was a key part of my development as a communication professional. Earlier in my career, I would find myself thinking “OK, now I know everything I need to know.” Now, I finally know that I will never know everything I need to know. Does that make sense? What I’m trying to say is that every experience along the way has provided experience and knowledge that has made me a stronger communicator. Every day, I will learn something that I can file away and use again in the future. My advice to young communications professionals is take advantage of every experience to advance your skill set. Everyone will have jobs that they don’t care for or bosses they don’t like (not at VOXUS of course!), but it’s critical that you take advantage of those experiences. I believe there’s little worse than stagnation and wasted time.
