As a
former journalist, my favorite kind of article to write was an a feature
article where I got a good picture of who a person was. I covered everything
from sports, to news, to heartfelt features showcasing a person and their
environment and life. I have an article that I plan on sharing with you that I
wrote previously while in the Air Force and for the assignment, I intend to add
to it. I will likely get my information from additional resources from my
friends that are still in Germany where these people actually still are. I
think it will be very helpful that I have friends still overseas. A couple of sources I will start with
will be the air base website from my previous base (www.ramstein.af.mil) as well as the
personal sources I have. I will fact check with any documented history of the
area and people within it. Some of
the best examples of articles written like these appear in magazines like Time,
National Geographic and sometimes
(rarely) the main news stream like CNN or Yahoo, MSNBC. The articles I
intend to bring forward are the ones where you don’t have to SEE a picture of
the person, but the article gives such a good picture of the person that
whoever reading completely understands what the person looks like, what they’re
going through, and they can almost see their joy or struggles in their face and
appearance.
Here is an example of the
first article I wrote myself, “9/9/2011 - RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany -- After
watching the Kaiserslautern Military Community evolve for more than half a
century, retired barber Sigfreud "Sigi" Degen, has watched Airmen and
leaders come and go -- and done so with pleasure.
After 50 years, Sigi has collected quite the
stock of historical photos and documents and is now sharing them with Silvano
Wueschner, 86th Airlift Wing historian.
Sigi, former owner and barber of Sigi's
Barber Shop, has seen the KMC evolve and grow for more than 70 years.
"After seeing everything change, I still
love the memories I've gotten from my Air Force friends," said Sigi.
"I've watched Airmen and lieutenants leave and come back as chiefs and
colonels."
With that said, Sigi has had some time to
collect quite a collection of newspapers, books and photos of the KMC's
development.
The Weilerbach, Germany native was only 14
years of age when the French handed over their territory to the United States
in Aug. of 1952.
From the establishment of Ramstein, to the
USAFE car bombing, Sigi has seen it all. He was at the air show of 1988 just a
day before the infamous crash and he's watched the architecture of the base
grow immensely.
Along with watching the KMC develop, Sigi has
also seen the Air Force change throughout the years.
He's watched the implementation of the rank
chief master sergeant and even had the privilege of cutting one of Ramstein's
first chief master sergeants hair. He has also seen policies come and go. Sigi
remembers seeing Airmen get the boot for homosexuality and now will watch the
Don't Ask Don't Tell policy dissolve Sept. 20.
"The Air Force today is much different
than it was before," said Sigi.
Through all of the changes, Sigi has built
quite the collection of historical documentation.
"Sigi has given us some really great
information," said Wueschner. "It's interesting to meet someone who
has seen so much. He watched Ramstein go from farmland to flightline. That's
incredible."
It all began when Sigi opened "Sigi's
Barber Shop" on Sept. 19, 1961 -- making this year the barber shops 50th
anniversary.
After 40 years in, Sigi sold his shop and
retired. However, retirement didn't stop his love for the Air Force.
"I like to spend my time golfing,"
joked Sigi. "And I still make it to the Officers' Club on Friday nights to
meet with friends."
At 73 years old, Sigi plans to stay around
much longer. After being designated an honorary colonel, Sigi has promised to
stick around Ramstein for as long as he can.
Still open and operating,
Sigi's Barber Shop is one of Ramstein's oldest establishments. Located in
building 2113, they are open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8
a.m. to noon, and they accept walk-ins or appointments.” (Travis, www.ramstein.af.mil)
And this as example as
well:
This
article is more about a situation than a person but it gives a good picture of
how to describe something.
References
