“In the same way my parents can still recall exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot, I will never forget where I was when the first plane struck the World Trade Center, Sept. 11, 2001,” said Nicholas Mecurio ’03 in a note from Afghanistan where he serves as a U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Officer.   “I was walking to Physics class as a junior at La Salle, wrapped up in anxiety over college applications when, in an instant of fire, hate and twisted steel the trajectory of my life was forever altered.  The University of Vermont, Boston University and Duke were replaced by the United States Air Force Academy, West Point, and Annapolis at the top of my list of colleges and in 2004 I accepted an appointment as a member of the Air Force Academy’s Class of 2008.”

On July 1, 2004, Nick reported to basic training at the Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., with a duffel bag filled with socks and underwear, toiletries, and a conspicuous lack of what he would come to call “civilian clothes.” 

Combat boots dangled from his neck, already broken in from months of running in preparation for the 40-day physical and emotional test known to cadets as Beast.  Upon completion of Beast Nick was formally accepted as a member of the cadet wing and thrust headlong into cadet life, a mélange of academic, military, and athletic trials used to rank cadets against each other as they collectively pursued the ultimate goal of earning a commission as an officer in the U.S. Air Force.

“On May 28, 2008, I graduated as a member of the Academy’s 50^th class, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in English and a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force,” continued Nick in note.   “I was assigned to the 22^nd Air Refueling Wing, McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas where I served for two years as the Chief of Public Affairs.”

According to Nick, Military public affairs is similar to civilian public relations, however differences exist in that PR delves into marketing while PA focuses more on journalism.  Air Force PA encompasses three distinct lines of effort, internal communication, media relations community relations, all of which must be orchestrated in a complementary manner by the PA Chief in order to effectively communicate the wing’s mission as well as the vision of the wing commander.

“Some of my duties included supervising a staff of journalists, photographers and videographers, editing a weekly newspaper, managing community outreach events and liaising with local and national media outlets,” said the lieutenant’s note. Nick also wrote that during his time at McConnell, he had the opportunity to serve as the Public Affairs officer for three morale tours which brought NCAA head football coaches including Mack Brown (Texas) and Jim Tressel (Ohio State) and legendary astronauts and aviators Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Gene Cernan to various military installations overseas in such places as Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Germany, Spain, Djibouti, and England." 

Additionally, he served as a photojournalist in Haiti during the earthquake relief efforts documenting the Air Force’s aeromedical evacuation mission as a part of Operation Unified Response in January and February 2009.

“I was promoted on May 28, 2010 to first lieutenant and currently am serving a nine-month combat tour in Afghanistan as the Public Affairs Officer for the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT),” said Nick.  “A PRT is a civil-military organization designed to assist host-nation governments build their capacity for governance, security, and regional stability by providing leadership-based mentorship and project-management expertise for a broad spectrum of infrastructure and quality of life construction projects.”

According to Nick the PRT provides a unique opportunity to live and work amongst the people of Afghanistan improving their organic capabilities, which will eventually enable a transition to full Afghan-ownership of all governance and security responsibilities and facilitate the withdrawal of coalition forces.

“The two months in the deployment has proved both rewarding and challenging and I look forward to returning to the United States leaving behind an Afghanistan better off for my being there,” concluded Nick.