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.
Subscribe to War is Boring: medium.com/feed/war-is-boring.
