The book shows day-to-day life of the troops, as well as the situation on the ground in Iraq at the end of 2007 and the start of 2008. It is not a book on combat photography, rather an exploration of the 99 percent of time that isn't news. It also serves to show the progress and hope at that time, in contrast to the situation as it currently exists today.
The previous books in this series were pretty much in a chronological order. This book is in some ways almost in reverse order. Doura was my first stop on this journey, but I wanted to share both where things stood in late 2007/early 2008 and so started with Arab Jabour. The enemy was, frankly, routed and desperate. It showed, and I hope I was able to share a bit of that with you.
I then shared Operation Puppy Love, both to share a good story and honor some very good men, and to contrast how much things had changed over the course of the year. Christmas in Iraq, seen here in the home of a family that had adopted some of our troops, further highlighted that, and I chose to end the book at the beginning so that I might share the amazing change and progress that was present in Iraq as the year ended.
“Blake Powers is an experienced combat photographer, and this is not his first trip to Iraq. He has an observer’s eye and can bring great meaning to what at first looks like an ordinary snapshot. If you want to understand our soldiers’ day-to-day existence in a foreign war, these photos do it in a way impossible for any other medium.”
Larry Bond, bestselling author of Shattered Trident , Red Phoenix, and co-author of Red Storm Rising
“What Powers has done in his most recent work is impossible to convey into words. Now more than ever, this book is a must read. The photos timelessly convey the struggle of valor and the American nobility of service at war. From the soiled faces of war weary civilians, to the bone tired appearance of the Warrior Class; these photos present every aspect of a deployment. The mission. The sector. Duty. Sacrifice. Fidelity. Holidays away from home. And the unsung service of those often times forgotten. If it is true that pictures are worth a thousand words, consider Blake Powers to have completed the complete annals of the true sacrifice of the Iraq War.”
David Bellavia, U. S. Army veteran and author of House to House: An Epic Memoir of War
“Blake Powers captures tender moments between troops and local Iraqi citizens in a dazzling array of clothing, uniforms, foods and the ever-present smiling, grubby faces of Iraqi children. In these photos and the accompanying descriptions, Powers deftly delineates the difference between citizens of Iraq who desire peace, against the face of insurgents who only want terror and violence. This is a brilliant effort to take us to a distant world, the land of Iraq and the people, citizen and soldier, who dwell there.”
S.D Kent, author of Firework, The Training of an American Firefighter
