xepherys sort of inspired me with his photos from The 'Stan, so I feel just barely confident enough to post a few of my own (although it's not a contest!).
Someday, I aim to sit down and make photography a serious hobby, but until then I'll go around taking random snapshots with mediocre cameras. These were taken during my last tour, Feb. '07 through last month.
One of our little patrol bases was far enough out that they could get away with violating the 'no pets' rule. I stopped by every chance I got to visit with my 'girlfriend'.
Sunrise, Camp Ripper/Al Asad.
Looking south across the Euphrates from atop Haditha Dam.
The dam itself - completed in 1972, built mainly by Yugoslavian contract workers and engineers.
The Chaplain's office at the dam. Couldn't resist a shot of that one...
Isn't this a snapshot from pretty much any American conflict since the early 50's?
Eating lunch during a day patrol, at the homeowners' invitation. DAMN, that food was good - every single time it was offered.
The inaugural match at the Haqlaniya municipal soccer field we funded & built. We didn't provide any of the equipment, but it was odd to see two teams have matching, fitting uniforms that mysteriously fell out of the sky...
One of the railroad station managers I worked with. He spoke English quite well, so he understood whenever I called him "James Bond" or "Mr. Connery".
My favorite of all that I took. I sort of wish the scale was better on the minaret of the mosque, but I like the elements of the former car bomb, the damaged building, the beautiful weather, and the date palm. I rotate this shot through my desktop background pretty regularly.
I've got a bunch of other very nice shots, but most of them are of me goofing off with crowds of mostly children (which would violate the forum rules). I had a blast during this deployment, primarily because I could always get out on a patrol and visit with people whenever I wanted. Less stress to be outside the wire than it is to be sitting on base, oddly enough.
Anyway, there you go. Hopefully I'm not wasting a bunch of space with this thread...
