Video Editor at TriWest Healthcare Alliance
Army cameraman transitions from combat to corporate video.
By Warren Duffie
 
Few things compare to the rush of being a combat cameraman in a hot zone. Bullets are flying, you and your comrades are fighting for your lives, and, oh yeah, you’re trying to film compelling footage. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating. So you could forgive Richard Gooding if he gets a little bored filming and editing corporate videos.

But that’s not the case.

“I love what I do,” said Gooding, a former Army staff sergeant. “For starters, it’s great not to get shot at. Sure, I miss the military, but my current job is very rewarding. I enjoy being able to work with and help military veterans and their families.” 

On the Job
Gooding, 31, is a video editor with TriWest Healthcare Alliance – a privately held company based in Phoenix, contracted by the Department of Defense to administer the TRICARE program throughout 21 Western states. He helps to produce training videos for TriWest employees and customers, public service announcements, instructional videos on TRICARE benefits and awareness/advocacy campaigns.

About 30 to 40 percent of his job is spent traveling to shoot throughout TriWest’s territory. “I’ve been to really cool places like Hawaii and Seattle,” Gooding said. “One of the great things about this company is that it’s always up to date on technology. We have the best video equipment available. I also love working with veterans. I recently had the chance to work with several Medal of Honor recipients. That was truly rewarding and inspirational.”

In Uniform
Gooding was inspired to join the military by his father, who served three tours in Vietnam. The younger Gooding enlisted in the National Guard in 1998 as an infantryman before switching to active duty the following year. He was trained as a combat cameraman at Fort Meade, Md., and served in Korea, California, Colorado and Iraq.

Gooding spent 2006 in Baghdad. Toward the end of his deployment, he was shot in the chest during a firefight. He was taken to Germany before recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In 2007, military doctors determined he should be medically discharged. 

The Transition
After completing transition classes, Gooding lined up a job as a video editor for a small TV station in Michigan and separated in November 2008. However, within a month, the station laid him off.

With nowhere to go, Gooding and his wife moved into Operation Homefront housing in San Antonio. While there, he heard about the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation, which educates disabled veterans from all branches of the military in the fields of media arts and entertainment, and helps them find work in the industry.

The foundation sent him to San Diego to complete a 10-week course covering areas such as screenwriting, cinematography and editing. Graduating at the top of his class, Gooding joined a film editors union and moved to Los Angeles to find work in Hollywood. Pickings were slim, though, and by December 2009 he was ready to give up hope when he received a call from a TriWest representative who had received his résumé.

“They said they were looking for a video editor and was I interested,” Gooding said. “I flew to Phoenix for the interview and, within two weeks, was filming at a job site in Seattle.

How’d You Get That Job?
After completing transition classes, Gooding lined up a job as a video editor for a small TV station in Michigan and separated in November 2008. However, within a month, the station laid him off.

With nowhere to go, Gooding and his wife moved into Operation Homefront housing in San Antonio. While there, he heard about the Wounded Marine Careers Foundation, which educates disabled veterans from all branches of the military in the fields of media arts and entertainment, and helps them find work in the industry.

Graduating at the top of his class, Gooding moved to Los Angeles to find work in Hollywood. Pickings were slim, though, and by December 2009 he was ready to give up hope when he received a call from a TriWest representative who had received his résumé.

“They said they were looking for a video editor and was I interested,” Gooding said. “I flew to Phoenix for the interview and, within two weeks, was filming at a job site in Seattle.” 

What Gooding Likes About His Job

• Working with cutting-edge video technology
• The travel
• Working with TRICARE beneficiaries
  

Gooding’s Advice:
Take detailed notes during your transition classes. “The instructors provide a lot of useful information that can make your transition much easier.”

Volunteer at local organizations. “You can make useful civilian contacts. Many times, when new jobs open up at these organizations, volunteers stand a good chance of getting hired.”