MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Many people have heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This is especially true when the picture documents the history of an organization such as the Marine Corps.
The Marines at Combat Camera do just this, combining their knowledge of photographs, videos and computer graphics to make sure the history of the Corps lives on.
Many people confuse the Combat Camera Marines with characters from the movie “Full Metal Jacket,” but that’s not the kind of work that they do most of the time, said Cpl. Marsha N. Garcia, Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron combat photographer.
“We get that once in a while,” said Garcia. “You tell them, ‘That’s combat correspondent, that’s not what we do. I’m not going to make you famous and I’m not going to write about you, I’m going to take your photo, and somewhere down the line, maybe the Commandant of the Marine Corps is going to see it.’”
Some people might question the need for military occupational specialties such as this, since anyone could take a few snapshots with a digital camera. But there is much more to it than that, said Garcia.
“We don’t just follow people around and take happy smiles,” said Garcia. “We’re doing actual documentation. Depending on (the) Marine, (they) could have the caliber of work that could go on Time magazine.”
Combat photographers also need a secret clearance because of some of the work they do, said Garcia. They may get attached to reconnaissance units or take photographs from the air that cannot be made public to ensure the safety of American troops.
Combat photographers learn the history and science of film photography, all the way from black-and-white film to color, from taking the picture to developing it, said Garcia.
“You learn to be a photographer by trade,” said Garcia, a native of Baldwin Park, Calif.
This is all before combat photographers moved to using color film and digital cameras, the medium they primarily use today, said Garcia.
“(Our instructors at school) teach you on a manual camera,” said Garcia. “In order to be a photographer, you need to understand the mechanics of a camera.”
Photographers are not the only MOS present at Combat Camera, and some of the Marines there actually do more than they were trained for.
Sgt. Francisco J. Gutierrez was originally trained as a combat illustrator, but currently works as Combat Camera’s reproduction chief, providing the air station with pamphlets, booklets, fliers and any other printed materials needed in large quantities not purchased from civilian suppliers.
“We support all the squadrons as far as any printing requests they might need,” said Gutierrez. “We cover it all. We’re talking about one-point-six million impressions a year that we print.”
The reproduction section likes to think of themselves as doing more with less, said Gutierrez, a native of Davenport, Iowa. With only one Marine and one part-time civilian working there, they produce as much as similar sections at other Marine Corps installations.
But the combat photographers, combat videographers and combat illustrators continue to make due, while still training to ensure they are ready to be deployed at any time, said former Gunnery Sgt. Luis A. Palacios, who served previously as Combat Camera chief.
“I took these Marines out to do training,” said Palacios, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. “For example, in 2004, we did a little practice exercise. At three o’clock in the morning, I made a call to the platoon sergeant and said, ‘Hey, get everybody in the shop, and have all of their gear ready.’”
Palacios went on to assign the platoon sergeant with his mission and watch as they went on to accomplish it. Along the way, Palacios threw obstacles in the way, such as casualties and land mines, but said he was pleased as they adapted and learned from the exercise.
“(I did) these things because Marines will get complacent,” said Palacios. “If you don’t get (away from) your desk and think of ways to train these Marines for harms way, they will get complacent.”
And complacency is something no Marine should gain, especially Combat Camera, where three Marines have been deployed to Iraq in the past year in order to ensure that the deeds done there are never forgotten.