Combat Camera

One of the unique agencies we have in the Army is Combat Camera. These man and women travel around the battlefield documenting the work being done with digital media. They are very good at what they do and take some fantastic photos (right hand column, 4th down). It's always nice to see yourself on TV or the splash page of Army Knowledge Online however, it comes with a price.

As a PL (Platoon Leader) I had several opportunities to take these guys out on patrol with me and show them the great work my platoon was doing in Bayji, Iraq. I briefed the guys beforehand on what we were doing and everything went smoothly. They were very responsive, took some great action shots, and put together a press release out of the mission. The problem was; during the mission some of my guys had downgraded their uniform, took off their knee pads, eye pro, etc. and when the CG (Division Commander) saw the press release, he didn't focus on what we were doing, but rather on the fact that some of my Soldiers were out of uniform.

It was not a big deal, and they eventually photo-shopped in the sunglasses and knee pads, but it made me think, what if there was a Christian Combat Camera? (I could call them C3 or something.) I would probably act different if there was a camera documenting my daily goings-on. Obviously this is a flawed parallel, as C3 wouldn't be able to get at mindsets and attitudes, which is where the real problem lays most of the time.

The thing is, God doesn't need combat camera, he already has the inside scoop. And, unlike the CG, his concerns go beyond the surface issues of uniform standards, down to what is going on inside of me. His focus is not limited to what can be seen by a camera lens, and there is no photo-shop to fixup my attitude when I'm outwardly in compliance and inwardly rebelious.