10-10-12 – Thick as a Brick

They said that photography was prohibited on post, which I didn’t know. Then they sent me on my way, and I headed down town for photos of the Bassett Tower and Globe Mills. In conclusion, don’t take pictures on Fort Bliss and watch out for E8s with flat tops.

Was that clearly posted on the gate entering the Base? Unless the law has changed since 1997 (it may have) photography on a military installation was only restricted in controlled and restricted areas clearly marked as such. Otherwise, the DoD must follow Federal law allowing photography in all public spaces unless clearly marked at the boundaries or upon entering the Installation.

I was on the other side of this as a Air Force Cop back in the 90’s, when a dependent family member was stopped by a security patrol a mile or so away from a restricted radar site. The photographer was not taking photos of the site, just in the vicinity and she stood up for her rights. I took her side and started a fight up the Judge Advocate General’s office at 6 PM on a Sunday evening. My Shift Commander was highly pissed not only because I dared to quote the law (which I knew better because I was an actual cop, not a solider pretending to be a cop) and for being RIGHT about it. He was way more pissed that I was right than anything else.

I refuse to obey someone I know to be wrong, I had a LOT of fun in the military, hard to imagine why I separated.

No, the “Restricted Area” signs were not posted at the entrance. No, it’s not post-9/11. It’s a pair of REMF E8s with nothing better to do with their time. Consider White Sands Missile Range which is adjacent to Ft. Bliss. It has big signs saying no photography allowed, then at the museum it has signs saying photography is allowed in that area only. Compare this to Ft. Bliss where at the 1st Armor Div. museum there is a sign at one of the displays that says no flash photography allowed. Furthermore, Ft. Bliss is an open post. The public is allowed on post any time. The MPs were probably thinking to themselves, “I got pulled off my lunch break for this?” I generally prefer to fight the man about regulations, but I know when to pick my battles. I was investigating officer in Kosovo regarding an incident where a civilian news crew was filming some EOD soldiers, and I’m my company’s Unit Public Affairs Representative (this is why some of my photos have U.S. Army credits), so I know a bit about the rights of photographers regarding military activities.

So, anyone care to guess the age of the post office based on its architectural style? My guess is mid ’60s, but I have the unfair advantage of knowing that Ft. Bliss was a large basic training base in the ’60s.