New movie showcases AF OSI Airmen

  • Published
  • By Office of Special Investigations
  • Detachment 806 staff
ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. --  The newly released movie 'Eagle Eye' is an action/thriller directed by D.J. Caruso and starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. The two portray a slacker and a single mother, respectively, both of whom are framed as terrorists. Actress Rosario Dawson portrays Zoe Perez, an Air Force Office of Special Investigations agent. 

In the movie, Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, the mysterious woman pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situation, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. 

"The movie was based on a potential or perceived threat to the country," said Special Agent Jeffrey Anderson, Office of Special Investigations. "Part of OSI's job is to provide information to the leadership to make sound decision regarding these threats. Once we have identified the threats, we work with other federal, state and local authorities to neutralize the threat. This was represented very well in the movie." 

To prepare for her AFOSI role in the film, Ms. Dawson visited AFOSI Detachment 810 in Los Angeles in October 2007. She spent one-on-one time with Special Agents Sarine Arisdakessian, Stephanie Lee, Bridget Davis and Marjorie Ayers Israel. If you watch the movie closely, you may catch a glimpse of SA Arisdakession, who plays a background part as an assistant partner.

Ms. Dawson also visited AFOSI headquarters at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., in Nov. 2007 to talk with selected AFOSI agents and senior leaders about her plans to portray a female AFOSI agent.

During her visit, Ms. Dawson toured AFOSI headquarters, attended a working luncheon where agents helped her with script corrections, visited members from the 33rd Field Investigations Squadron and the 3rd Field Investigation Region. Additionally, she received combat arms training which she definitely uses in the film.

Ms. Dawson also visited the Pentagon, the 1st Helicopter Squadron and attended a private dinner with special agents during her visit to the base.

Although the story is not specifically about AFOSI, the Air Force's participation afforded the opportunity to positively highlight the dedication and professionalism of the AFOSI mission through the character Special Agent Zoe Perez.

"It is important to highlight OSI in the mainstream because it is the premier federal-level investigation agency for the Air Force and it has been since 1948," Agent Anderson said. "Our mission is to identify, exploit and neutralize criminal, terrorist and intelligence threats to the Air Force, Department of Defense and U.S. government. Being able to let people know who we are, what we do and that we are working hard to protect and defend the interest of our country is an important message."

In addition to the AFOSI character, the Air Force also featured the following aircraft in the film: The C-17 Globemaster III, KC-135 Stratotanker, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and C-130 Hercules. An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter was also used for both aerial and ground photography in San Pedro, Calif.

Aerial filming included a UH-1N Huey landing at the Pentagon and the filming of a MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on location at Creech AFB, Nev. The Air Force also provided Airmen as extras in several military-related scenes in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles.

'Eagle Eye' is the third blockbuster movie the Air Force has supported recently and comes off the heels of the blockbusters 'Iron Man' and 'Transformers.'

Air Force officials said they will continue to take advantage of opportunities to build awareness and inform the American public about the Air Force through movies when the characters and Airmen portrayed reflect our core values.

For more information on how you can become an AFOSI agent, contact AFOSI Detachment 806 at 731-3558 or DSN 632-3558.