Blown to Hell by a Roadside Bomb
A war photo a day #37
Eight years. Seven wars. More death and destruction than I care to recount. I’ve been covering armed conflict since 2005. Every battlefield has its stories … and its unforgettable images. Follow me through my career at war, one jarring, haunting or sublime photo a day until I run out.
In early 2011 I returned to Afghanistan—my fourth trip to the embattled country in the 10th year of the U.S.-led war. Riding with the U.S. Army into Pakhab-e-Shana in Logar province, I was finishing off a small bag of Doritos when a 200-pound roadside bomb exploded next to our armored vehicle. One of tens of thousands of explosive devices that have targeted American troops.
The 19-ton vehicle had been wrenched in half. There were seven of us inside. Five were hurt. Myself and a medic, sitting farthest from the blast, alone escaped unscathed. Troops from untouched vehicles reached in to pull us from the wreckage as helicopters waited to take away the wounded.
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