Thursday 15 May 2014

Peter Van Agtmael photography capture the emotional trauma of war on soldiers

By

Jessica Jerreat



Published:


02:59, 15 May 2014




|
Updated:


11:44, 15 May 2014



It is widely said that the first casualty in war is truth, but that is not the case with this series of striking images by Magnum photographer Peter Van Agtmael, which have a brutal honesty to them.


The award-winning photographer, who was raised in Washington DC, has captured the horrors as well as the surreal and sometimes humorous moments experienced by U.S. troops as they fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. 


With the last troops due to be withdrawn from Afghanistan, 13 years after the post 9/11 conflict began, Van Agtmael’s images are as timely as they are haunting.


War games: A drill sergeant watches recruits practice battleground first aid in 2011. Their efforts are clumsy but for most injured in the line of duty, the chance of survival is good


War games: A drill sergeant watches recruits practice battleground first aid in 2011. Their efforts are clumsy but for most injured in the line of duty, the chance of survival is good



Shell-shocked: A Marine looks overwhelmed after a gunfight with the Taliban in Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2009


Shell-shocked: A Marine looks overwhelmed after a gunfight with the Taliban in Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2009



Supply line: Troops scramble through the debris thrown up by a Blackhawk helicopter as they gather up the supplies it has delivered to their remote Afghanistan outpost in 2007


Supply line: Troops scramble through the debris thrown up by a Blackhawk helicopter as they gather up the supplies it has delivered to their remote Afghanistan outpost in 2007


The photographer was drawn to war from

an early age, developing a fascination in Fifth Grade with the military

hardware and ‘fight against good and evil’ being played out in the Gulf

War.


‘I was scared of war, but also comfortable in it,’ Van Agtmael said. ‘I had felt it in me from the beginning of my consciousness. I didn’t know what form it would take, but I always knew I would go.’


From 2006 he has covered the realities of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, showing not just the explosions and confusion of conflict, but also the strained efforts of soldiers trying to fit back into their civilian roles as husbands and fathers.


His striking images, which feature in his book Disco Night Sept 11, are made fuller by the anecdotes and snatches of conversation that Van Agtmael provides next to them.


Tension: An Iraqi boy leans against the wall with his head bowed as troops chat while searching an adjoining room in his home


Tension: An Iraqi boy leans against the wall with his head bowed as troops chat while searching an adjoining room in his home



Out of place: The domesticity of an Iraqi home jars with the presence of a platoon sergeant, as he sits on a stool while his troops search the house in 2006


Out of place: The domesticity of an Iraqi home jars with the presence of a platoon sergeant, as he sits on a stool while his troops search the house in 2006



Surreal: In a moment of lightheartedness a soldier tries to ride a donkey as wary Iraqis look on in the Biblical city of Nineveh


Surreal: In a moment of lightheartedness a soldier tries to ride a donkey as wary Iraqis look on in the Biblical city of Nineveh



The book provides a full narrative of

war, taking the reader from training to the battlefield, before

returning to civilian life and the fallout that death and serious injury

has on the soldier’s family.


In one particularly moving image, Van Agtmael captures a search of a house in Mosul, Iraq in 2006. As soldiers rifle through the closets in one room, a young boy can be seen leaning against the wall of the adjoining room. His head bowed, and concern etched on to his young face.


The photographer says the soldiers stormed the house after suspecting two men may have contraband or explosives inside.


‘The soldiers had already searched hundreds of houses during their deployment, and the banter was casual as they swept the family’s possessions on to the floor,’ he wrote.


‘In the next room they were questioning a boy … [He] muttered noncommittal answers and stared at the ground.’


The horrors of war are also accounted for. Blood-spattered walls after suicide bombings in Iraq; the drained face of a young soldier after surviving a firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan; graffiti showing the boredom and fears of troops far from home; and the burns and devastating injuries of troops who have survived IED attacks. 


In

a moving set of images contained in a gatefold page, a mother wakes her

child in their Mississippi home on the day they are due to view the

body of his father, Seth Ricketts, who was killed in Afghanistan.


After

his body was returned to Dover Air Force Base on May 2, 2010, he was

buried in Corinth National Cemetery, which has been receiving the bodies

of those killed in action since the Civil War.


Moving on: Veteran and Star Wars fan Raymond Hubbard has a light saber battle with his children in Wisconsin, after losing his leg in battle


Moving on: Veteran and Star Wars fan Raymond Hubbard has a light saber battle with his children in Wisconsin, after losing his leg in battle



Survivor: When the reality of his injuries sank in, Bobby Henline says he prayed that he would die so he wouldn


Survivor: When the reality of his injuries sank in, Bobby Henline says he prayed that he would die so he wouldn’t become a burden to his family



Grief: Mom and war widow Rosie Ricketts tries to lift her son Aiden from his bed on the day they are due to view her husband


Grief: Mom and war widow Rosie Ricketts tries to lift her son Aiden from his bed on the day they are due to view her husband’s body


There are moments of lightness in the book too. Marines cool off in a pool in Helmand, Afghanistan; a soldier

tries to ride a donkey in an Iraqi village, and troops enjoy the fun of

Fleet Week in New York City.


As well as documenting soldiers in the thick of war, Van Agtmael shows their assimilation back into regular life.


Star Wars fan and amputee Raymond Hubbard is pictured having a light saber battle with his children in a Wisconsin field; a military couple watch an Ultimate Fighting Championship event; and children race across an airfield in Fort Hood, Texas, to welcome back their fathers.


The book also includes emotive images of the site of Ground Zero, and Times Square moments after President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden had been captured and killed.


With more than a decade of conflict drawing to a close, Van Agtmael’s images are a timely reminder of the sacrifices made on behalf of the American people.



Buddies: A soldier pets stray dogs that have wandered on to a base in Kunar, Afghanistan. Van Agtmael says that although most welcome the animals, there were also cases of cruelty against them


Buddies: A soldier pets stray dogs that have wandered on to a base in Kunar, Afghanistan. Van Agtmael says that although most welcome the animals, there were also cases of cruelty against them



Risks: A cloud of dust and smoke engulfs Marines as they patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan in 2009. IEDs are a constant danger for troops, though none of those caught by this one were killed or seriously injured


Risks: A cloud of dust and smoke engulfs Marines as they patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan in 2009. IEDs are a constant danger for troops, though none of those caught by this one were killed or seriously injured


Striking: Disco Night Sept 11 documents Magnum photographer Peter Van Agtmael


Striking: Disco Night Sept 11 documents Magnum photographer Peter Van Agtmael’s experiences of war





























Comments (108)


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Old Chap,


Caribbean, Grenada,


7 hours ago


I’ve just been going through the documentaries of the Vietnamese War and the Korean War on YouTube to remind myself of the sheer waste of human life on both sides. But what is obvious is that it is the Socialist countries (Communist) who are starting the wars. And that is as true today as Russia and now China are flexing their territorial muscles.





Chris,


Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom,


5 hours ago


Don’t be so daft. The US/EU and UK are the ones picking a fight with Russia. Take the blinders off and open your eyes for God’s sake.





Aenflex,


Noneya, United States,


8 hours ago


From a purely evolutionary standpoint, war is necessary for survival of species. Coming with our intelligence is the responsibility to do better, but it doesn’t mean we will.





John Cross,


Birmingham, United States,


5 hours ago


The problem with the theory of a constant struggle for survival among organisms is that symbiosis contradicts it.






Lottie89,


Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom,


8 hours ago


My partner is currently in Afghan he will remain there till they pull out. He always brings home loads of pictures or emails them to me and i honestly dont know how they do it. The sooner we are out and away from there the better.





HunterJohn,


Stockport,


8 hours ago


Thank you, to all who risk their lives for a political whim. Too many good people died for no good reason.





Skippy,


SF Bay Area,


6 hours ago


True … and they are Obama’s war dead and maimed.





rebel chick,


booger county, u.s.a.,


8 hours ago


‘greater love hath no man…’





Me,


Sin City, U.S. Virgin Islands,


9 hours ago


War is hell when the innocent people and animals are involved. It is also sad to see stray dogs world over. Hope people will have compassion towards animals and leaders of nations will have the brilliant brains to avoid war





AdMan,


Dublin, Ireland,


9 hours ago


So we should feel bad for these soldiers because they are pawns in a rich mans game. The real victims are the civilians who suffer at their hands. Anyone who has any knowledge of history would know that nearly every war since the beginning of time has been to fill the pockets of the rich. This disgusts me.


2 of 3 repliesSee all replies





whitty,


SD,


7 hours ago


Lets all play the victim card, are we not victims of survival and reality? War is never pretty, but its a part of life that many of us don’t ask for.





Robert,


Atlanta,


3 hours ago


The left is proud of you for hating. Keep that programming going strong.





Tee,


Fareham,


9 hours ago


Tell the fat ‘soldier’ to get off the donkey.





go52zuXV,


Londond, United Kingdom,


8 hours ago


That’s exactly what I was going to write.


What a prat !





whitty,


SD,


7 hours ago


Fat? Uniforms are not an item of fashion and pretty ill fitted if you want some breathing room. I’d like to see you out in the desert for a 1 1/2-2 years in 140F+ weather, without a little bit of entertainment. Anyway, with your comment I’m sure you don’t travel much or get outside tourist areas to see different sides of other countries. Mules, donkeys, and buffalos are working animals, used for hauling and packing.





andyshandy,


London, United Kingdom,


9 hours ago


The poor luvs!,all that killing civilians and torturing prisoners is so stressful,blub,blub!






Unbeliever,


Mission,


6 hours ago


Oh yes, they line hundreds and thousands of civilian’s up each day and just gun them down, day after day, week after week, month after month. They only stop when they run out of ammunition. By any chance have you taken time out to research and see how many civilians have been taken out by sectarian attacks in Middle Eastern countries by the various religious groups? Syria for example? I thought not.





Robert,


Atlanta,


3 hours ago


If America was a tenth as bad as leftist make us out to be every single person in the middle east would be dead 20 times over.





OSSI,


Berlin, Germany,


10 hours ago


Britain sold off most of there transport , so that is maybe a british soldier on the donkey lol





Hoof Hearted,


Perth, Australia,


7 hours ago


The only donkey is the person who can’t differentiate ‘their’ from ‘there’.






thumbsy,


gorey, Ireland,


3 hours ago


Hey Ossi, you can come out of the bunker now, the war is over,LOL!



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Article source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/hardware/camera-companies-eye-smart-comeback-with-phone-like-features/articleshow/16962654.cms


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