Washington, D.C. (9/8/2009) -- Pentagon mornings start early.
At five AM, the quiet Virginia neighborhood-where I resided with my aunt and uncle over the summer months- is completely dead, void of any live movement. The sun has not yet appeared in the hazy gray sky, although it will show itself within the hour. The darkness envelops every traditional colonial home, hugging the perfectly manicured lawns and trimmed shrubbery. This is one of the only parts of the day that you could honestly call "cool." The air is not yet heavy with humidity and the sun has not had the chance to fry the world with its burning rays.
Washington, D.C. is a busy place. I learned from my first month and a half working downtown on 14th Street that almost without exception every man or woman walking beside you on the street, or getting onto the Metro has a plan and a purpose for his or her life. Career minded and driven by the desire to achieve success, it is every Washingtonian's goal to move up in the world...by whatever means they can.
This attitude is appealing to the young, politically minded intern like myself. As a student, you are naturally at the bottom of the pile, so an environment that promotes upward mobility is ideal. However, it is also exhausting and a bit disheartening when you are one of thousands of young (and not so young) people, trying to make your stamp in an economic recession.
Thus, I found myself (after several months of informative and very beneficial freelancing/networking) lucky enough to be offered a position working for the United States Navy Public Affairs Office (called CHINFO) at the Pentagon.
Talk about high profile! Walking into work that first day in my smart, new, gray Banana Republic suit, I felt on top of the world; even my lowly status in an unpaid, no-name position could not get my spirits down when I walked past security with my U.S. Navy badge. I was on the inside, now.
The summer was a flourish of tasks, working side by side with my mentor and the other Public Affairs Officers in the N3 and N5 sectors of CHINFO. I immediately was faced with an extensive military vocabulary, completely foreign to the average American civilian, forcing me to learn standard acronyms with astonishing speed. I think I dreamt about PSASDs, QRs, CENTCOM, and pet names that the Navy gave to political figures (such as calling President Obama the POTUS, "President of the United States"). I was fortunate to have an extremely wonderful LCDR as a mentor who not only took the time to teach me how to complete tasks properly, but then had enough faith in my work ethic to begin to hand tasks over to me for completion. It was an exhilarating feeling to be considered worthy of helping with high profile tasks. The level of respect that I witnessed within CHINFO and the U.S. Navy far exceeded my expectations.
By the end of the summer, my life had been consumed by my job at the Pentagon and I was deeply involved in planning a film premiere of a Discovery Military Channel's "At Sea" film on land, sea, and sub-surface warfare within the Navy. The premiere was a huge success, an event that marked the excellent technological advances and achievements of the U.S. Navy and was attended by top U.S. politicians, as well as U.S. Navy officials, such as the Under Secretary of the Navy the Honorable Robert Work.
I must admit that since my time at CHINFO ended in the second week in August, I have refrained from wearing any form of business attire. I have put away my Navy badge and my fake black leather briefcase remains on its hook back home in Vermont. However, a large plaque with a photo best wishes from all of my summer colleagues hangs above my head in my student apartment in Boston. It is a continual reminder of the work that diligent people continue to do in our nation's Capitol. It is work that I hope to return to someday very soon.
By Catherine Moore, camoore@bu.edu
