Afghanistan-- It's Iraq, only dustier!

If you like yellow-brown, and if dust is your thing, you'll love Afghanistan!(Imagine-- they actually say, "One day, son, all this will be YOURS!")

I recently returned from a short deployment to Afghanistan, to collect and create images for the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

I have many sketches from my time there, as well as more than 1500 photographs, from which I'll create paintings and sculptures for the Museum's Collection.

So More Posts to Come-- in the mean time, here are some photos and video from Afghanistan:

I went on patrol with 2nd Bn 3rd Marines up near Delaram, with some members of the Afghanistan National Police as well. This video is of the patrol just leaving the town and heading out to a farm in the outskirts... we actually had to ford a river (though we'd have called it a creek back home...). I honestly never thought I'd get my boots wet in Afghanistan!

A Marine from 2/3 watches alertly as fellow squad members check out the other corner of a compound on the outskirts of Delaram, Afghanistan.

Here I am at the flight line at FOB Dwyer, as Marines from 2nd Bn 8th Marines load up on helos and start out on Operation River Liberty (I had to be satisfied with photographing their departure, as they wouldn't let us get onto the helos and go out on the push...)



Me on patrol in Garmsir, Afghanistan, with Marines and Police advisers who are maintaining good relationships with local townspeople.

Here I am, about to get on a flight back to Camp Leatherneck, posing in front of one of the guard posts at Patrol Base Jaker, where elements of the 1st Bn 5th Marines live and work, along with a detachment of the British Army & the Afghan National Army. I had to get a photo of this place, because it looks like something out of Fort Apache or the Battle of Rorke's Drift!