Patriot newsletter goes digital

  • Published
  • By Lt. Col. James Bishop
  • 439th AW Public Affairs
WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. -- --  After 40 years of production, the hard copy of the Patriot will be going away next month, in an effort to save resources and better utilize limited funding. The Patriot magazine will continue with the same look and information online. 

In December, the Patriot will be available online at www.westover.afrc.af.mil, and through the base Facebook and Twitter accounts. 

The Department of Defense budget continues to be severely impacted by ongoing cuts. As of part of cost-savings here at Westover, our wing commander has directed public affairs to no longer print and mail the Patriot.

"This move will save Westover nearly $60,000 a year," said Col. Albert Lupenski, 439th Airlift Wing commander.  "And in this fiscal climate, every dollar saved translates to more funding to train reservists."

In addition to the cost savings, advantages to using the all-electronic format include having all color photos, flexibility in the page length, instantaneous printing, and the green aspect of saving trees. Readers will also be able to view the Patriot on smart devices.

"This will revolutionize the way we deliver news," said MSgt. Andrew Biscoe, public affairs superintendent. The shop will be able to produce the Patriot within about one week after the UTA.  And the e-format will allow room for supplements, such as extra pages of photos of the May 2015 Great New England Air Show.

The first issue of the Patriot magazine hit newsstands in November, 1974, seven months after Westover became the nation's first stand-alone air reserve base.

The first issue featured an interior shot of the large fireplace at Westover's newly-constructed consolidated open mess, which was opening Nov. 30, 1974.

The award-winning newspaper has covered most of the major military and humanitarian events of the past 40 years, including the Vietnam drawdown in the 1970s, the arrival of the first C-5s in the 1980s, Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, Operation Iraqi Freedom in the 2000s, and most recently Operation Enduring Freedom.

"Our newsletter has been the heart and soul (and pride) of our shop for 40 years," said Biscoe. "It's sad to see the hard copy go away, but the Patriot will continue to evolve and be visible - simply in electronic form."

The Patriot is now evolving into three electronic components: the website, Channel 50, and social media. As a sign of the changing information-delivery methods, the base Facebook surpassed 10,000 "likes" on Oct. 19 - more than any other Reserve Command unit or headquarters Facebook following by a wide margin.