Predator spotlighted in national news Published March 10, 2004 NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (ACCNS) -- FOX News gave America an inside look at the mission of the Predator recently as reporter Trace Gallagher spoke with several members of the 11th and 15th Reconnaissance Squadrons live from Indian Springs Air Force Auxiliary Field. The interviews began just after 5 a.m. from there, nearly every hour included a short segment with an Air Force face telling the Predator story to America. The hardest part was knowing it was live. I was pretty nervous, said Staff Sgt. Holly Hess, 11th RS sensor operator and flight evaluator. I was asked about a mission where I fired a hellfire missile. Firing a missile and taking out a target is an intense experience and I had less than 30 seconds to describe it on live TV. It was a pretty tough challenge. Sergeant Hess was one of several 11th RS members interviewed. She and Capt. Matt Herbert got their 15 seconds of fame during the segment on the Hellfire missile capability of the Predator. Other 11th RS interviewees included the squadron commander, director of operations, assistant director of operations, pilots and sensor operators. Maj. Michael Beavin, 11th RS assistant director of operations, was interviewed about the value of the Predator as an intelligence asset. Being on live television was a new experience for him. It felt like a large scale debut, said Beavin. We had media training that really prepared us and de-mystified the whole thing. It was still nerve-wracking building up to it, but once we got on camera, it was just a conversation with the reporter. According Major Beavin, the FOX visit provided an enormous opportunity to get the Air Force word out. Many Americans across the country have little idea about how hard the men and women of the military work to support their freedom, the major said. This gave them a look into that and showed them the kind of impact we have.