Camp Ripley's story told through a soldier's lens

CAMP RIPLEY - Staff Sgt. Anthony Housey of the Camp Ripley Public Affairs Office was recognized Nov. 9 for his contribution to telling of the story for Camp Ripley and Minnesota National Guard.

"There are many moving parts here on camp, and a lot to be told," said Housey. Following his time on active duty, Housey served as a 19-Kilo, Armor Crewman, a part of tank units that frequently trained on Camp Ripley. During that time the multiple jobs and functions of the military and how each role plays a significant part in the overall accomplishment of the mission became very relevant.

Like many service-members he was impressed by the appealing action of the combat-arms careers, but was also interested in the elements behind the scenes, the action supporting the action. So following a strong career as a tank commander, Housey stopped shooting tanks and started shooting cameras as part of the Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs Team.

"It was a big change career-wise, but the aggressiveness, dedication and attention to detail I learned in Armor carried over to Public Affairs," continued Housey.

Beginning his new career in late 2012, Housey was assigned to the Joint Visitors Bureau at Camp Ripley. He assisted with events and programs organized by the garrison, followed units during training, and conducted media escort for several news agencies from around central Minnesota.

"Staff Sgt. Housey would be knee deep in mud getting photos of a unit one day and standing tall in Class As for a distinguished visitor the next. He fit in well with the Camp Ripley team," said Staff Sgt. Tim Krouth of the Joint Visitors Bureau.

"There was a lot to learn, protocols, when to get the best shot, where to stand, what's important and what's not. It's all a fast pace business to keep up with, but it's important information to know," added Housey.

Since 2012 Housey's images and articles have been seen in publications around the world from mechanized Infantry conducting gunnery to the American-Norwegian Reciprocal Exchange, which is the longest running international exchange in the Department of Defense. In early 2014 Housey photographed a frosty-faced soldier during one of the coldest winters in Minnesota's history. That soldier's chilly face would be published in eight different publications throughout the country.

Recently Housey was recognized for capturing images of officer candidates conducting a 10-mile ruck march with the 1st Battalion - 175th Regional Training Institute. Those images made the list as part of the Huffington Post's 'Best Photos of October 2015' list.

1/6: A combat engineer of the 334th Brigade Engineer Battalion rushes from cover to begin the breeching process of a wire obstacle during platoon evaluation lanes on Camp Ripley May 21, 2015.

2/6: Members of the Law Enforcement memorial Association Honor Guard conduct a rehearsal of a funeral precession during training at Camp Ripley Sept 19, 2013.

3/6: Candidates of the OCS Class #60 finish the last mile of the early morning, 10 mile ruck march through the Camp Ripley training area Oct. 25, 2015.

4/6: Soldiers of the Norwegian Home Guard conduct domestic operations training with Officers of Sherburne County and St. Cloud SWAT during a joint inter-agency partnership exercise on Camp Ripley June 27, 2014.

5/6: Search and Response Teams made up of engineers from the 849th MAC, Minnesota Army National Guard work together to remove a large block for and opening in order to recover a trapped victim. The search and Rescue Teams are all training in extraction techniques for the purpose of handling any type of obstacle.

6/6: An M1A1 SA tank crew from C Co. 2nd Combined Arms Battalion - 136th Infantry, Minnesota National Guard fires an M865 training SABOT round during a gunnery qualification table June 20, 2014 on Camp Ripley.