BAGHDAD, Iraq — When the New Hampshire National Guard's 114th Public Affairs Detachment deployed in February, experienced veterans told the unit its deployment to Iraq would be unlike anything they had expected.

Eight months later, they are learning just how different it has been.

"It hardly seems like the same war," said Staff Sgt. Luke Koladish of Manchester, print journalist team leader, from his base in Iraq. "The last time I was here, with Charlie Company, we were patrolling main supply routes and conducting convoy security. This time I am working as a military journalist, and training and partnering with Iraqi military journalists. I am fighting in the information war this time."

Public affairs soldiers are responsible for telling the Army story. Trained both as soldiers and as journalists, they bridge the gap between civilian journalists and professional war-fighters, enabling the media to more clearly and accurately tell soldiers' stories.

As the complexity of counterinsurgency operations has grown alongside the role of the media in the military, the challenge for public affairs soldiers has increased as well, said Master Sgt. Mike Daigle of Andover, the unit's detachment sergeant. Public affairs soldiers must understand the basics of Army operations, as well as the strategic context of those operations, and be able to communicate both clearly.

"The American people, through their taxes, are paying for everything we are doing over here," Koladish said. "They have a right to know what we are doing. We have an obligation to tell them the how and why of what we are doing."

As the unit trained in New Hampshire, Vermont and New Jersey, their preparations focused on basic combat skills. Once in Iraq, the mission turned to writing stories, taking pictures and producing video. Products from the 114th reach from the base newspaper to media markets throughout the Unites States.

Using satellite technology, 114th products are sent back to the United States for distribution to soldier's hometowns as soon as they are completed and edited. Stories produced by the unit have made it into hometown newspapers and television stations from Alaska to Florida, and Hawaii to Maine.

Seeing the results of their hard work in print and on television has been a thrill for everyone in the unit, most of all for the newest journalists on the team, Daigle said.

But the training the 114th received couldn't completely prepare them for the dynamic environment they've found in Iraq, said Spc. Rick Frost of Pittsfield, a video journalist.

"I was expecting more of 'here is the assignment, go cover it'," he said. "Instead, it has been more like 'go find the story, make the contacts and cover it.' It has been a challenge, but when we make the good contacts and meet the soldiers, they appreciate the interest we're showing in what they do and that is gratifying."

Living at Camp Victory, day-to-day life has challenged the unit's expectations as well. The soldiers live in housing units that most closely resemble trailers. Enormous concrete barriers surround their housing units, protecting them from shrapnel.

"We have it good compared to some soldiers in Iraq," Selig said. "We sleep on beds, not cots; we have the internet in our rooms. We may have it better here than some people do back home."

The work day is long, but bearable.

"Some days are longer than others," Selig said. "We work hard, we have fun — the 114th knows how to have fun — but when it comes down to meeting a deadline, we work however long we need to work to get the story finished."

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