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Military photographers do a great job of capturing scenes of “war and peace.”
While for some it may be difficult to see any beauty or artistry in images of soldiers, tanks, fighter aircraft or aircraft carriers, sometimes it is difficult not to acknowledge a certain aestheticism.
Here are some photographs that may fit in that category.
Enjoy!
A U.S. Army Stryker armored vehicle splashes through a swampy area as it moves to an objective during a combined live-fire exercise with Latvian land forces as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve in the Adazi training area in Latvia, March 6, 2015. The soldiers are assigned to Mortar Platoon, Headquarters Troop, 2nd Cavalry Regiment.
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Griffin Forrester stands watch from a fighting hole during amphibious squadron and Marine expeditionary unit integration training in Camp Pendleton, Calif., March 6, 2015.
Note how the camouflaged battlefield uniforms blend in with the scattered snow ground cover in the photo below.
Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay sits still in the middle of Lake Erie as its crew takes a short break to view the ice, March 8, 2015. The ship is on ice-breaking duties as part of Operation Coal Shovel. The ship and crew are working along with the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Griffon, escorting another vessel through a frozen Lake Erie.
An F-22 Raptor soars above spectators during the 2015 Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.., Feb. 28, 2015.
The Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship USS Hurricane leads other coastal patrol ships assigned to Patrol Coastal Squadron 1 in formation during a divisional tactics exercise. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Charles Oki.
Even mundane scenes such as our sailors scrubbing a flight deck can be beautiful — but don’t ask the sailors scrubbing — when captured with the right lens, camera, light conditions and by an expert photographer:
Sailors assigned to the Golden Falcons of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 scrub the flight deck of the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) as the ship pulls in to Victoria Harbor. This goodwill port visit allows the crew to experience cultural exchanges and to enhance the relationship with the people of Hong Kong. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Joshua Karsten.
Lead photo: U.S. soldiers move under the cover of smoke during a combined exercise with Estonian soldiers as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve in Estonia, March, 13, 2015.
All photos and captions: DOD
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.