|
May/June 2006 Review Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq
reviewed by Bob Fitch "This book is really critical! Telling people about civilians being killed in Iraq…not one incident, it happens all the time…people just don't believe it when you tell them." – Camilo Mejia When I opened Unembedded, I knew I could comment on the photography but could not adequately review the content of the photos: the war in Iraq. I showed it to Camilo Mejia, with whom I had just completed a 241-mile Guerrero Azteca March for Peace from Tijuana to San Francisco. Camilo completed a half-tour of duty in Iraq before declaring the conflict "illegal." He refused to return to duty, applied for a conscientious objector discharge, did eight months in the brig for desertion, was discharged, and is now focusing on counter-recruitment work. (Road From Ar Ramadi, Camilo Mejia's story about his war resistance experience, is planned for release by New Press in June 2006.) When I showed Camilo Unembedded, he immediately embedded himself in the pages for a long and thorough read, peppered with occasional comments and exclamations. "I was there!" he shouted. "I was baptized there by a military chaplain." He was viewing an image of boys swimming in the Euphrates River. "The cities are full of trucks and death," Camilo murmured, viewing city vistas and scenes of hospitals, psychiatric wards, and street slaughter. "In addition to American military fire," he said, "IEDs [improvised explosive devices] are put right on the median of the roads, with devastating consequences." Not depicted in photos of people crawling over destroyed vehicles, Camilo noted, is that "all U.S. military vehicle armor plate is made with depleted uranium. When penetrated, it is immediately pulverized. People breathe that dust. It gets into the air, food, and water. Soldiers, and civilians who climb on the wreckage, don't realize they are killing themselves." We discussed whether people would buy the book. He observed, "It is so strange how Americans love graphic horror movies, but when horror is real, they can't handle it." The book price ($29.95) seems high, but is not more than the ticket price of a single musical concert. Furthermore, the book endures and can be shared. We agreed that Unembedded is a "must" for any group doing GI counseling, counter-recruitment, or anti-war work. Buy several copies and have them available for all events and counseling sessions. Additionally, urge local libraries to buy and distribute multiple copies. A few comments on the photography. Robert Capa, the famous war photographer, declared that "if your photos aren't good enough, you are not close enough." This books reeks with close! Lots of wide-angle lenses: the photographer a few feet,sometime inches, from fire, blood, destruction, play, dance, death, grief, and courage. The foundation of "close" is trust. While these photojournalists are unembedded with the U.S. military, they are embedded with the culture and the people. They are present, have made friends, participated in community, and demonstrated courage and compassion. Consequently, they are trusted to be close enough to document the historic moments and the intimate, frighteningly human, life-impacting moments. Technically and aesthetically, most of these images are superior. It takes a great deal of skill and tenacity to manage the technical dimension of image-making in emergency conditions, under fire and with limited supplies. The graphic layout of most photos exposes four image makers who have extraordinary intuitive aesthetic expertise. This book is a gift of truth. Buy it. Most important, share it. Bob Fitch is a freelance photojournalist based in Santa Cruz, California.
©2006 Fellowship of Reconciliation
|
By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Kael Alford, Thorne Anderson, and Rita Leistner