Since 2003 I've had a few friends serve tours of duty in Iraq. On their return I've met them for beers and listened to them about the places they've been and the things they've seen. It's weird sometimes knowing that the guy who once played guitar in that band of ours from highschool now has stories about taking automatic weapon fire and using his Humvee as cover. Nevertheless, it all does help me build a better picture of what it's like over there. A picture that would be nearly impossible to get from the 30 second news reports on cable tv.
But now I know a different kind of person in Iraq. Late last year I met an amazing photographer named Toby Morris who has (just last week) crossed the border into Iraq and is stationed with a Marine division just outside Falujah.
His Iraq blog is undoubtedly going to be filled with some pretty amazing photos and his first hand accounts already seem pretty well thought out. In anycase, my first hope is that he stays safe and beyond that I hope he can keep posting uninhibited photos of the things he's experiencing.
The blog is here:
Toby Morris Iraq Blog