During October of 2010 I went on assignment for the New Hampshire Union Leader to cover the combat missions of our National Guard soldiers in Charlie Company of the 172nd Mountain Infantry. Part of the perspective I wanted to provide our readers was the interaction between our troops and the people who they are trying to protect. The Afghan culture is ancient and varied among its distinct regional and tribal characteristics. All societies change and evolve over time and circumstance.
An influential village elder from the Bagram District
Much of Afghanistan still follows the traditional ways. Traveling in the remote mountainous countryside that is unlike anything in America takes one back in time, sometimes seeming like the Middle Ages. The interaction between the modern and ancient is fascinating to observe. As a side project I decided to make portraits and candid photos of the many Afghanis I was able to meet. With much of the assignment involving covering the Guard conducting combat patrols and searches for weapons and insurgents the interaction with the local inhabitants was often tense. The courtesy of gesturing for permission to make a portrait most often produced a pleased expression and direct contact with photographer and ultimately the viewer. Throughout my 40 + years as a photojournalist I’ve felt these types of images provide the viewer with a strong empathy with the subject.
This collection of images came out of a much larger exhibit that chronicled the 18 months of Charlie Company’s deployment to Afghanistan and its return home. Some of the captions refer to the storyline of the previous exhibit. It is a rare opportunity to share a distant and disappearing culture through the medium of photography and I am very pleased to share these images with you.
Bob LaPree April 2013
