Weekends, for me, are usually a time to reflect and what a better way to reflect than to remember what our troops are going through — and doing for us — both at home and abroad, especially in the killing fields of Afghanistan.
As I have done in the past, I will be posting — in two parts — a set of photos that I find not only beautiful but which also capture the essence of the mission our troops are engaged in, their character, their professionalism — the hardships they often endure, the little pleasures they sometimes enjoy.
But before anyone brings it up: I am not a neocon; I don’t find war “beautiful;” I don’t find the weapons of war “beautiful.” I do find the photography beautiful and I admire how it captures all of the aforementioned.
Title Photo: The optic lens on a U.S. soldier’s weapon shows view of an old Russian observation point from the Marawara District Center in Kunar province, Afghanistan, Feb. 7, 2013
All images and captions: Department of Defense
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.