U.S. Marine PAO Team wins a Silver Anvil Excellence Award and a Bronze Anvil First Place

SSgt. Amy Forsythe, LtCol. Chris Hughes and GySgt. Matt Butler from the First Marine Expeditionary Force's Public Affairs Office at Camp Pendleton attended the Public Relations Society of America's Annual Awards event in New York City, June 4, 2009. The I MEF PAO team won second place in the Multicultural Communications category for the project they worked on while deployed to Iraq in 2008. "Tell It To The Iraqis" was a strategic communications outreach program designed to provide news and information to local citizens in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. 

The team produced and distributed a magazine and website written in Arabic highlighting issues and events in the region. A significant effort was also placed on engaging the local and international pan-Arab media by providing unprecedented access to events.  They also developed a local journalists' organization in the region with the help of a full-time arabic-speaking public affairs spokesperson.

The I MEF team also won first place for a Bronze Anvil in the "B-Roll" Category for Sen. John McCain's visit to Haditha, Iraq in March 2008. B-Roll video of his visit was sent via satellite from Camp Fallujah to the Digital Video Imagery Distribution System Hub in Atlanta for maximum distribution to international and U.S.-based television news networks within 30 minutes from upload time.