Sergeant Major Phillip R. Prater
Sergeant Major
of Public Affairs
Sergeant Major Phillip R. Prater became the Sergeant Major of Army Public Affairs on August 14, 2001.
As the Army Public Affairs senior enlisted Soldier, Prater advises the Chief of Army Public Affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Army on enlisted-Soldier matters affecting the Public Affairs career field.
Prior to his selection as Public Affairs Sergeant Major, Prater served as the V Corps Public Affairs Sergeant Major United States Army V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany. He also served four years as the Public Affairs Adviser to the Sergeant Major of the Army. Throughout his career Sergeant Major Prater held many leadership positions, from team leader to platoon sergeant. Other duties included supervisory and journalist assignments with United States Army Japan, IX Corps, and 17 th Area Support Group, Japan; SOLDIERS Magazine Photo Editor, Alexandria, VA; editor/journalist at the 59th Ordnance Brigade, Pirmasens, Germany; and editor/journalist at 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.
His military schools include Basic Journalism Course, Newspaper Editors Course, and Intermediate Photojournalism Course at the Defense Information School. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Photojournalism Course at the University of South Carolina and a graduate of the Department of Defense Communications Course in Oklahoma City, Okla. Prater was an honor graduate in his 1-91 Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course and in the top ten of his 1-92 Air Assault Class. He is also a graduate of the Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga., and a graduate of the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy Nonresident Course Class 26.
For his photo coverage of Army actions in Panama during Operation Just Cause, he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Other photography awards include: Keith L. Ware 1993, 2nd place Pictures Stories, Headquarters U.S. Army Pacific; 1992, 2nd place single stand alone photo, Headquarters Department of the Army; 1990 Keith L. Ware, Army Military Photojournalist of the Year; 1990 second place Department of Defense Thomas Jefferson Photojournalist of the Year; 1986, first place Military Picture of the Year, Feature Category; 1986 first and second place awards for Army picture story from U.S. Army Europe; and second place award from Forces Command black and white news photo competitions. His photos have been published in three Time Life Books , a special issue June 8, 1991 Desert Storm Homecoming Magazine , Newsweek Magazine , Army Times Newspaper and the covers of several Department of Defense publications and Army Posture statements.
His military decorations include: Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (3 awards), Army Commendation Medal (4 awards), the Army Achievement Medal (3 awards), the Good Conduct Medal (7 awards), the National Defense Service Medal (w/bronze star), the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal (w/2 bronze stars), Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon (number 4), the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon (3 awards) the Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait), and the Army Staff Identification Badge.
Before joining the Army, Prater was a freelance photographer and the associate editor of the Tennessee Farm Bureau News newspaper in Columbia, TN. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications from Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN.
