War Photographer's Personal Account

The war in Afghanistan was equally real. On my first mission with the medevac unit we picked up a bloody stretcher carrying a dead American soldier covered by a blanket. His buddy, shot in the chest in the same ambush, faded in and out of consciousness on the frantic flight to the nearest hospital.

Now I'm back in the United States, photographing the recovery of wounded soldiers. They are men of all backgrounds, reflective on the wrenching changes the war has inflicted on their lives, and determined to move on.

I don't know if Peter van Agtmael's photograph will make you flinch, but both his story and works are well worth a look, strong reminders both about what it means to have these lotteries of death continuing at insurgent, Taliban, and, undeniably, Iranian hands in conflict zones that remain stubborn and well supplied in the way of Kalashnikovs and assorted ordnance and weapons systems.

# # #

---

1. van Agtmael, Peter.  "War Uncensored -- On the Ground in Iraq and Afghanistan."  ABC News, October 3, 2007.

2. van Agtmael, Peter.  "Unseen War: Raw Photos from Iraq & Afghanistan -- You Will Flinch."  ABC News, October 2007.

---

Correspondence and Permissions: James S. Oppenheim

---