Alan Dooley has more than 30 years of experience in military public affairs. But when he volunteered last summer to go to Iraq, Dooley found he still had plenty to learn about his craft and the country whose future is now closely tied to our own.

Dooley shared insights on both topics June 16 during PRSA-St. Louis's monthly luncheon at the Junior League of St. Louis. Dooley, who is currently head of public affairs for the St. Louis District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, went to Iraq in August 2003 to assist Task Force - RIO (Restore Iraqi Oil) in its mission to reboot Iraq‚s oil production industry following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Dooley said his first challenge was to communicate the mission's intent. "We had to convince [the Iraqis] that all we wanted was a regime change. We weren't after their oil." Among the other obstacles he faced:

1) Dooley didn‚t know a thing about oil production or the oil industry before going to Iraq.

2) His press audience had the opposite advantage - most of the reporters Dooley dealt with were from oil industry trade publications.

3) Due to an eight hour time difference between Iraq and the U.S., 1 a.m. press calls were common.

4) Security concerns often limited the amount of information Dooley could release regarding production problems and other issues.

5) Because the oil being pumped belonged to the Iraqi government, Dooley didn‚t have the authority to answer questions about production numbers. Instead, he was forced to refer journalists to the Iraqi Oil Ministry, even though its officials never returned reporter phone calls. (Dooley eventually developed an "off the record" relationship with reporters that allowed him to confirm or invalidate information without being quoted.)

Dooley left Iraq in December with a new respect for the Iraqi people, especially those who work in the country's oil industry. Dooley described the Iraqis as having a strong work ethic and a more modern society than many Americans give them credit for. He also believes Iraq will recover and re-build once sovereignty is handed back to the Iraqi people. According to Dooley, "The young people are the future of Iraq. I think they'll be fine."

^{Write-up - Brenda Madden Kimberlin, PRSA Board Director}