COMMAND AND FLAG OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES

Biographies of command and flag officers (and C/MCs) are an important part of your public affairs office files. You will use them in media kits, welcome aboard booklets, external releases and other mediarelated products

The standard biography has l-inch margins with either blocked or indented paragraphs. There are two spaces between paragraphs.

The first paragraph of a biography mentions where the subject is from and lists educational achievements beyond high school (do not include the birth date). Also mention when officers received commissions and from what source. For an enlisted person, mention when he joined the service and where he attended basic training.

Subsequent paragraphs usually outline (in chronological order) the person's career, listing significant jobs, accomplishments and educational achievements. Devote separate paragraphs to the person's current assignment and his medals and awards.

The last paragraph should indicate the subject's marital status, spouse's name (including maiden name, if applicable) and place of birth. Names of children are included, and - if there is enough space - where they are attending college and serving in the military. Some additional points to remember when you write biographies are as follows:

l Keep the civilian reader in mind. For example, Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Atlantic (COMOPTEVFORLANT) may be the correct way to phrase a military title, but it is much easier to understand if you write it like this: "Rear Adm. Clauster is the commander of the Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Atlantic."

l Pay special attention to capitalization. If you are not saying "Commanding Officer Lemming," then commanding officer is not capitalized. The same rule applies to any other billet titles listed throughout the biography, such as executive officer, training officer and company commander. The rule of thumb for you to follow is this: if the title directly precedes the person's name, you capitalize it. However, if the title stands alone or follows the person's name, you use lowercase. Warfare specialties also are lowercase, as in this example: "He was designated a naval aviator in 1973 . ..." . Lowercase educational degrees. It is a "master's degree in aeronautical engineering." Also, one receives a degree from or earns a degree at a university. . Lowercase ranks unless you attach a name to them. One is "commissioned an ensign." 

l Use the person's present rank when you refer to him throughout the biography. 

l Omit street addresses. 

Keep your biographies to one page. If you can reproduce a photograph of the subject on the biography sheet, place it in the top left or right comer of the page and wrap the text around it.

Note the month and year of the biography in the lower right-hand comer of the page. By doing this, you can distinguish the latest version of the biography from previous ones.

The biography ultimately belongs to the person about whom it is written. He may have personal reasons for including or excluding certain personal information, so be accommodating. However, you should advise the subject of the style of the biography in a tactful manner. A sample flag officer biography is shown in figure 16-7.

Figure 16-7. - Flag officer biography.