Email: daniel.woolfolk@patch.com
Phone: 760-237-0204 From Nogales, AZ I'm the local editor for Camp Pendleton Patch.     Before coming to Patch, I covered Fort Drum, N.Y. and the Army's 10th Mountain Division for the Watertown Daily Times, where I wrote a series on how the unit and the community changed after a decade of war. In 2010, I graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where I was a Pulitzer-Moore fellow while interning at Lens, the photojournalism blog of The New York Times.    My interest in military reporting comes from my own time in the Army. In 2000, I joined as a cavalry scout and deployed as a gunner to both Kosovo and Iraq. I studied German and Arabic at Arizona State University and spent summers in Germany and Egypt.     I'm a native of Nogales, Arizona y hablo Español.  Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics  How would you describe your political beliefs? I'm moderate and consider issues based on my personal beliefs, not a party affiliation. I have strong opinions on very few issues. Are you registered with a certain party? Democrat.  Religion How religious would you consider yourself? I'm not very religious. Local Hot-Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? The treatment of combat trauma for a service member and his or her family is huge. Many service members wait longer than they're supposed to in order to be seen. In addition, the professionals might have their hands tied behind their back because of funding problems.  Another huge issue is the high unemployment rates for veterans. The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." Where do you stand on each of these issues? With the wars ending, Americans will likely move on to focus on other issues and might forget about past and present service members who are entitled to proper care. Funding for care may be neglected in local, state and federal budgets if they're forgotten.  The best thing I can do for veteran jobs is to feature as many service members in my stories fairly. That then creates a mosaic and, hopefully, those who hire will have a realistic view of veterans that isn't based on hearsay or misconceptions.  I'm glad to see gay and lesbian service members serve freely from a legal standpoint. Too many are worried right now that there will be repercussions, so units should take a leadership role to ensure their members feel comfortable and safe. Those are my opinions. I welcome any opinions in Camp Pendleton Patch that are based on facts. I especially like hearing opinions that challenge my assumptions.