The Eyes of Dying Men

One of the things the Afghans are known for is laughing constantly. Sniper fire would come in or a shell would land nearby and I’d hit the ground. The soldiers would be wandering around laughing, and when I’d get up, they’d say, “Why are you so dirty?” And they’d all come over, clean me off, and say, “Don’t be so dirty around us!” They’ve always been at war, and unless things are incredibly dangerous, their attitude is, Whatever. But in this situation nobody was laughing. There I was, stuck in a ditch with these guys. As he was dying the commander looked straight at me; I think I was the last person he saw alive. It’s odd – I photographed him before he was shot, and he was happy that journalists were covering the fight against the Taliban, so I knew he didn’t mind that I was there. He was very proud, very helpful, and now he was looking at a photographer taking a picture as he was dying.