That's happened to me as I've spoken to thousands of officers and future military leaders on behalf of The Freedom Forum and ASNE. Credit also is due to the editors of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who have been generous in releasing me for these duties.

The topic: The relationship between the military and the news media. On the military side, at least, I can report that there's a solid effort under way to improve it.

The news side should do their part, as well. Lacking the top-down structure of the military to mandate change, they need to do more coverage of military affairs and provide education in military matters to every journalism practitioner. More on that later.

Since January, I have spoken at West Point in New York; the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.; the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn.; the Air Force University in Montgomery, Ala. (twice); the Marine Corps University in Quantico, Va.; and at assorted other military-media conferences at the Pentagon, Langley Air Force Base, the Freedom Forum Pacific Coast Center in Oakland, Calif., and an Air Force public affairs conference in Leesburg, Va.

The genesis of this activity was a report I did with retired Vice Adm. William P. Lawrence at the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The report, titled "America's Team: The Odd Couple," covers the modern history of the military-media relationship, with emphasis on recent conflicts. It contains a series of recommendations that both news organizations and the military can use to improve coverage and better inform the American people.

This was the first time two professionals from both camps worked together on the relationship, and Lawrence's stature helped immeasurably, both in getting access to top military officials and in enhancing the report's credibility.

Lawrence, a decorated naval aviator, spent six years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam and later served as superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, commander of the Third Fleet and chief of naval personnel. He would have been with me on the tour, but he's been recuperating from a stroke.

Despite that, the "America's Team" report has been well-received by the services, which have ordered thousands of copies and promoted it as must-reading among military public-affairs personnel. It is distributed free and is in its third printing.

Clifford H. Bernath, deputy to the assistant secretary of defense for public affairs, was recently quoted as saying the report is "becoming the standard text for public affairs throughout the U.S. military."

That's a great testimonial, but the timing was right, too. It came at a time of what rightly can be described as a sea change in the attitudes of military leaders toward the media.

Everywhere I speak, there appears to be a new emphasis on the role of the news media in American democracy - even with all of its new, and sometimes excessive, manifestations.

Part of it is self-preservation. With the end of the draft in 1972 and the downsizing of the military in the post-Cold War world, fewer Americans - and certainly fewer reporters and editors - have understanding or appreciation of the military.

Military people realize that they must tell their story, which is overwhelmingly good, to maintain support. As part of that, they also realize that they will have to take their lumps when things go wrong. Though there is animosity toward the press - sometimes fed by the now-debunked myth that the media caused the loss in Vietnam - it is suppressed at the top levels and is dwindling elsewhere.

Tensions will continue between the two institutions, fed by incompetence and misunderstandings on both sides, along with a need to continue to massage the relationship because of the arrival of fresh crops of young reporters and military professionals. But there is an obvious willingness on the military's part to understand and work with the press.

Journalists must do their part, too. One way to start is in journalism schools, and the First Amendment Center has taken a step by offering "The Odd Couple" for use by students.

Newspapers and broadcasters also can do more by covering local Guard and Reserve units, and sending reporters to briefings and exercises, even when they are not hot news.

The media and the military are the two most important institutions in American democracy. Moreover, the military spends billions of taxpayer dollars. On those grounds alone, it deserves scrutiny.

The military should be a regular beat in every newsroom. That alone will increase understanding and appreciation on the news side - and produce solid stories to inform the public as well.

Aukofer is Washington bureau chief of the Milwaukee (Wis.) Journal Sentinel.