It’s mid afternoon and the sun is struggling to find its way through millions of tiny particles kicked up in today’s sand storm, casting a yellow haze and ominous glow across Baghdad, Iraq. I am with a platoon of U.S. Army soldiers and we are gathering our flak vests, helmets, and protective gear and heading out to a group of armored vehicles.
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After a short briefing about the mission, threats we might face, and procedures should we be hit by rockets, IED’s, snipers, ambushes etc., we are loaded into a four vehicle convoy and headed into the heart of Sadr City. The mission is simply to visit several checkpoints along the recently completed Sadr City wall. This is reason I am in Iraq.
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The Sadr City Wall: a highly controversial project which has effectively walled two to four million Iraqis inside the planet's most dangerous neighborhood. The U.S. Military sees it as show of strength to the insurgents who call Sadr City home, as well as way to control who and enters and exits the city. The locals see it as another hostile move by the occupying forces, a major inconvenience for working and moving from place to place, as well as a potential danger since peaceful residents may not be able to escape when more rounds of fierce fighting erupt.
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Approaching the wall gives me an eerie feeling, a reminder of the wall separating Israel and Palestine, what I have seen of the Berlin wall, and of course other areas of Baghdad which are now also walled in. The wall project is nearly complete now, and the local Iraqis seem stunned and disconcerted by the new addition to their neighborhood. I see an elderly woman carrying what must be an extremely heavy package of vegetables on her head, and wonder how much longer her journey to the market is with the wall now in her way.
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My first impression of the wall assures me that I made the right decision in coming here to document this.
Hi...I have a fellow employee whose nephew was killed resently in the war. He had written a poem of a fellow friend who had been killed. His aunt asked if I would take his poem and put in a decorative layout. I ran across your photos on google and went to your website. I am requesting use of the photo of the desert scene where there is military trucks in the background and two soldiers walkaway from you in the foreground. The color of the photo is basically yellow...I am assuming because of sand in the air. I will put as you as requested the copyright symbol and zoria/www.zoria.com on the image for credit. I hope all of this alright with you.
Bonita McLarnan
Iowa
Posted by: Bonita McLarnan | June 02, 2009 at 15:30
My condolences to your friend. Yes, you may use the images, but if you use my name, please make sure it is spelled properly :)
Posted by: Zoriah | June 02, 2009 at 16:32
Hello I am a photography major at Appalachian State in NC and Im doing a research paper on the psychological effects on photographers who make their living by taking pictures of often brutal scenes. I must clarify that I am in NO way judging you and I think that your work is truly beautiful and must be put out there to educate us about circumstances in our world that we do not understand. However, as a war photographer, do you ever feel regret or sadness that you may occasionally make money from a picture of someone's pain or suffering? If you wish to not answer my question I understand completely given its personal nature.
Posted by: Jane G | November 19, 2009 at 21:31
hi so how do you get into this kind of photo journalism? i am a student in cincinnati ohio and want to after i graduate be a photojournalist documenting the war, and could really use some pointers. your work is great!!
Posted by: Amber Kersley | February 16, 2010 at 04:33
Very nice pictures!!and you will get some prises to sir!!But Want to ask all that people who are passes from this blogs and all them too who will see this photographs at exhibition,This photograph is not for your clapping,It is reality and Do something in life to help them,so you can say with proud that you have done something best in your past.
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Posted by: New Balance Shoes | August 03, 2010 at 10:44
day after day a lot of soldier die in the Iraq streets, is a total madness all the time is the same, you kill or be killed no matter if are or not a soldier, when you are a soldier in middle war you must face the insane and madness everyday.
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Thank you so much for writing this! I learned a lot and appreciate the perspective.
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