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In his 2007 book "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," the photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson documented some of the most harrowing episodes of America s war in Iraq. Years later, Gilbertson was still struggling with PTSD and with his guilt over a young marine, Billy Miller, who, he felt, had died in his place during the battle for Falluja. "Bedrooms of the Fallen" grew out of Gilbertson s need to come to terms with the human cost of war. It is composed of wide-format, black-and-white photographs of forty bedrooms left behind by soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan (and, in one case, the victim of suicide on his return). Left intact by families of the deceased, these bedrooms are filled with milestones of lives cut cruelly short: a framed high school diploma, photos from prom, sports medals. There are also unique souvenirs: shot glasses from Hooters, a copy of the Constitution from a class trip to Washington, DC. Some photographs also hint at these young soldiers purpose: a Bin Laden wanted poster, a photograph of the smoldering twin towers. Included are not only US soldiers but others from Canada and several European countries. These forty imagesa number corresponding to the size of a platoonconvey the anguish of war more eloquently than any battlefield photograph and serve as a lasting memorial to the troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is dedicated to Billy Miller."
Info autore
Ashley Gilbertson's photographs have appeared in the
New Yorker, the
New York Times Magazine, Stern and other publications. His work is included in collections of major museums throughout the United States, Europe, and Australia. Among numerous honors, Gilbertson won the prestigious Robert Capa Gold Medal for his photographs of the battle of Fallujah and in 2012 was awarded a National Magazine Award for the
New York TimesMagazine feature of
The Bedrooms of the Fallen project.
Riassunto
Over the years, the US has been fighting wars so far from the public eye as to risk being forgotten, the struggles and sacrifices of its volunteer soldiers almost ignored. This book features images that depict the bedrooms of forty fallen soldiers - the equivalent of a single platoon - from the US, Canada, and several European nations.
