Photographer Shares Military Life With Every Snap

Technical Sgt. David Kujawa takes a photo as a group of medical specialist Airmen take a stretcher off a C-130 Hercules during a simulated medical evacuation during a training exercise at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Mich., May 24, 2012. During the Emergency Medical Training exercise, medical specialists from eight medical groups in seven states gathered to practice responding to a natural disaster. (U.S. Air Force photo by TSgt. Dan Heaton)

Photographer Shares Military Life With Every Snap

Technical Sgt. David Kujawa stands with his camera next to a C-130 Hercules at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Mich., May 24, 2012. A military photographer who earned a first place in the 2011 Air National Guard photography contest, Kujawa said he seeks to share a taste of military life through every photo. (U.S. Air Force photo by TSgt. Dan Heaton)

ANG Photographer: ‘Best Job in the World’

Published May 24, 2012
By TSgt. Dan Heaton
127th Wing Public Affairs

ALPENA COMBAT READINESS TRAINING CENTER, Mich. -- Have camera, will travel.

"I have the best job in the world," said Technical Sgt. David Kujawa, a photographer with the 127th Wing's Public Affairs office at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Mich.

Kujawa has been a member of the 127th Wing for about 7 years. He served for 4 years as a supply specialist in the U.S. Navy and then served 20 years more in the U.S. Navy Reserve. All totaled, he has about 31 years of military service. He didn't become a military photographer until he transferred into the Air National Guard with the 127th Wing. He works for the U.S. Postal Service in his civilian career.

"I enjoy being part of an organization that is so on the cutting edge of the Air Force mission," Kujawa said. "The opportunity I have to take pictures of people doing what they do best is very rewarding."

Sharing the Air Force story, and in our case, the Air National Guard story, is critical to the 127th Wing, said Capt. Penny Carroll, 127th Wing Public Affairs officer.

"In the modern era, fewer and fewer people have direct connection with the military, so explaining what we do and what our capabilities are is very important," Carroll said. "Our photographers, videographers and public affairs specialists, including TSgt. Kujawa, do a great job of helping the public gain a better understanding of who we are."

Kujawa had been interested in photography for years. After he joined the Public Affairs office, he was sent to a 4-month long training course at the Defense Information School at Fort Meade, Md.

"The school was intense, but very informative. The instructors have so much expertise, you walk out with a true knowledge of your field," Kujawa said.

In 2011, Kujawa won first place in the "combat/training category" for the Air National Guard's best photo contest. The photo depicted a training exercise of the 107th Special Operations Weather Team, which is also based at Selfridge.

"The Weather Team is highly professional, highly skilled group," Kujawa said. "To be able to work alongside a unit like that gives you a taste of what it is like in a true combat situation. To be able to share a bit of that through a photo is my goal every time I snap the shutter."