Photo By Mass Communication Specialist Senior Chief Gary Ward
NORFOLK, Va. – A 2001 Spruce Creek High School graduate and Port Orange, Florida, native is serving at Expeditionary Combat Camera, as a member of the Navy’s last Combat Camera Unit in Norfolk, Virginia.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Kolmel served as a mass communication specialist. Kolmel was part of a unique Navy team that operated from the air, land and sea to create multimedia products that recorded military events for operational commanders in support of combat, information, humanitarian, special force, intelligence, reconnaissance, engineering, legal, and public affairs missions. Kolmel’s most memorable combat camera mission was when he deployed with SEAL teams documenting anti-piracy operations.
“It gave me a chance to document something important to combating the global war on terrorism and making the sea safe," Kolmel added. "I'm also proud to say that I was the first Navy sailor to attend the Army psychological warfare course which gave me a key skill set to take into my career.”
Navy combat photography began its roots during World War I when the Navy organized its first photographic division to capture aerial reconnaissance photographs. During World War II, the Navy added Combat Photographic Units and sent them to the Pacific and European theaters of war to document major campaigns including Normandy and Iwo Jima.
After the onset of the Korean War, the Navy established the Pacific Fleet Combat Camera unit, and subsequently established the Atlantic Fleet Motion Picture Unit, which would become Atlantic Fleet Combat Camera Group in 1966 and deployed teams to document the war in Vietnam.
The unit became Expeditionary Combat Camera in 2010 and continued documenting all branches of the military during major U.S. conflicts, operations and exercises.
Kolmel credits success in the Navy to many of the lessons learned in Port Orange.
“My dad was a small business owner and taught me the value of a strong work ethic and my mom worked two jobs while I was younger," Kolmel said. "They both taught me the importance of respecting others.”
Kolmel has military ties with family members who have previously served and is honored to carry on the family tradition.
“My father served during the Vietnam War with the 25th Infantry Division and my stepfather served with the 101st Airborne during the Vietnam War," Kolmel said. "They both had a positive impact on my decision to join the Navy.”
Members of Combat Camera perform unique and highly specialized missions with visual information documentation capabilities supporting all phases of a military operation. Personnel maintain qualifications enabling them to operate with air crew, special operations forces and military divers. Combat Camera teams have the technological capability to rapidly transmit imagery during fast-moving operations around the globe.
Expeditionary Combat Camera held a disestablishment ceremony Sept. 21 on Naval Station Norfolk. The ceremony honored the history, heritage and legacy of the command. Navy's combat camera units officially disestablish on Oct. 1, 2018, ending 67 years of service to the Navy and Department of Defense.
“All of those who have served at combat camera, have conveyed everything they’ve had to give; creative vision, a drive to excel, and a willingness to sacrifice,” said ECC’s final officer in charge Lt. Michael Larson, during the Norfolk ceremony. “Many have done the best work of their careers here, and that imagery has made a legacy that will live on, and inspires us to carry on.”
Kolmel represents thousands of U.S. Navy combat photographers who have recorded historical events from the land, air and sea spanning from World War II to Operation Enduring Freedom.
As a member of the Navy’s last combat camera unit, Kolmel and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
“It is an honor to serve as a combat cameraman, especially now because I get to close the doors on such an important legacy," Kolmel said. "Over the last 67 years, our imagery has been at the forefront of informing the world on what our military does, and to be included with that legacy is something very special.”