In fall 2017, Ken Burns and Lynne Novick aired their eighteen-hour series The Vietnam War. It was clear over the ten-part story not only that an unfathomable number of lives were lost, but also that the war went on for an excruciatingly long time. Matt Zoller Seitz reviewed the series on Vulture, writing, “As you read this, the War on Terror has been going on longer than the totality of America’s involvement in Vietnam: Next week marks the 16th anniversary of U.S. troops entering Afghanistan, a conflict that’s been fought for so long that sons in uniform are walking the same trails that once bore the bootprints of their fathers.” And yet, in contrast to the protest and outrage of the Vietnam era, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan is largely unseen; it has slid off the front page and out of America’s consciousness, especially since November 2016. This is where photographers and photographs can, and should, help redirect public attention away from the most sensational and toward the most important.
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New Year's Eve, Kandahar Airfield
That’s just what Philip Cheung’s series The Thing About Remembering accomplishes. Cheung’s work draws the viewer into the daily life on the Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, reminding us that the United States is still in the midst of a war. From 2008 through 2014, Cheung examined the landscape and subculture on the base. He avoids the visual tropes of war photography, focusing more on the administrative duties of those managing combat operations and infrastructure. His portraits are surreal, as are the product pictures of ordinary objects he found on base. A knockoff Hard Rock Cafe Afghanistan mug sold in a gift store at “The Boardwalk,” the social center of Kandahar Airfield, is presented as if it’s an artifact worth close examination.
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Wounded child, Helmand Province
Such images of T-shirts and souvenirs offer evidence of a military that has, quite literally, set up shop. They are included alongside portraits of soldiers, who often appear either frozen in the lethargy of administrative tasks or shell-shocked, stiffly going through the motions of war—we’re not sure which. A figure stands in front of a photocopier, in a darkened room, while pink light illuminates her blank face. A young woman looks determined as she works on her service rifle, reading the manual as if trying to assemble IKEA furniture.
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Subway Kandahar, Kandahar Airfield
The core of this work—and the connection between the images—lies in its overarching sense of calm, one rarely associated with war. The very banality of the tasks, the people, and the objects hints at how this conflict has become routine to society. We are bored and disconnected when we should be concerned and engaged. And yet, carried within each image is Cheung’s subtle reminder that this everyday is currently happening, today.
By Amelia Lang / Aperture Portfolio Prize 2018
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Weapon Maintenance, Kandahar Airfield
Camp Nathan Smith, Kandahar City
Sick parade, Kandahar Regional Medical Hospital
ANA, Kandahar City
Sleeping Marine, Helmand Province
Transfer cases and shipping containers, Mortuary Affairs Collection Point, Kandahar Airfield
Helmand Province
Detainee, Helmand Province
Chapel, Kandahar Airfield
US Marine, Helmand Province
Administration, Kandahar Airfield
Afghan interpreter, TGI Fridays, Kandahar Airfield
IED strike, Helmand Province
Role 3, Kandahar Airfield
Cashier, Kandahar Airfield
Civilian casualty, Helmand Province
SSG Jeffrey Holden, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“I want to let the families know that the soldiers were taken care of from the time of the incident to the return to the final resting place.”
PV2 Ruslan Shulman, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“I was a volunteer emergency medical technician as a civilian...Mortuary Affairs sounded like an interesting job and I get to know that the soldiers are getting back to their families."
SPC Nicholas Hulsey, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“I do it for the honour and dignity of the job, to give closure to their unit and families back home, to get them through their sorrow.”
SPC Richard Hartley, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
I dealt with death at a close age, my friend died in front of me, he drowned and I had a survivors guilt from that. I didn’t go back and get my friend, I’m not turning my back on the soldiers that have fallen...I’m making sure that they get home.
SPC Michael Young, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“The most challenging part of the job is to separate yourself from the fact that another soldier was lost, and to be able to complete the mission and get them home to their loved ones.”
Stacked in a small room at the Mortuary Affairs Collection point in Kandahar Airfield are the transfer cases for civilian adults (left), children (centre) and US soldiers (right). During a 24-hour span, a mortuary affairs team can process up to 12 remains in the facility.
Sgt Joseph Shartz, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“I chose to be in Mortuary Affairs so I could do something different and it seemed interesting. I like dealing with people, I like the people that come here. The most rewarding part of the job is that I’m helping people in the worse days of their lives.”
Cpl Maurice Fowler, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“The most challenging part is trying to do your job without letting your emotions take the best of you. Cause it’s hard sometimes seeing people your age and they may have a family just like you do and always knowing that could have been you there, but I think it’s just handling the emotions.”
SPC Theodore Schrock, Mortuary Affairs Specialist
“The most rewarding part of the job is knowing that the families are able to have their soldiers returned home to them.”
Maj Adam Vonbartheld, Mortuary Affairs Officer
“The most challenging part is the emotional side of it, knowing that these soldiers have paid the ultimate sacrifice and they have families back home, loved ones, parents, grandparents and children that they will never see again.”
The American flag is always clean and ironed before being placed on a transfer case.
A knockoff "Hard Rock Cafe Afghanistan" coffee mug sold in a gift shop at "The Boardwalk", the social center of Kandahar Airfield which offers Western style cafes, gift shops, restaurants and sports fields.
A "Taliban Hunting Club" T-shirt sold in a gift shop at "The Boardwalk", the social center of Kandahar Airfield, which offers Western style cafes, gift shops, restaurants and sports fields. The shirt has become popular with soldiers on the front line and their supporters back home.
Shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade fired by the Taliban at coalition troops during Operation Medusa in Kandahar province in 2006. At the time, it was the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO.
Safe Conduct Passes are typically airdropped by Psychological Operations units into populated areas prior to a military operation.
The leaflet reads:
"Insurgent, Taliban, Member of Hezb-e-Islami, Al-Qaeda:
By approaching Afghan and coalition troops with this pass and following the procedure on the back you will indicate to the soldiers that you wish to stop fighting. My soldiers will treat you with dignity and you will not be harmed.
Afghan Soldier, Coalition Soldier:
The person who carries this pass is using it as a sign of his genuine wish to stop fighting. He comes in peace and is protected by law. He is to be well treated and is not to be harmed."
Tim Hortons camouflage cap - a highly coveted souvenir by soldiers and contractors serving at Kandahar Airfield.
Since opening in Kandahar Airfield in 2006, the popular Canadian coffee shop Tim Hortons has served four million cups of coffee, three million donuts and half a million iced cappuccinos and bagels to 2.5 million customers. After five years of serving customers from 37 different nationalities, the Tim Hortons outlet in Afghanistan closed in 2011.
A "Major League Infidel" velcro patch that replicates the Major League Baseball logo was sold in a gift shop at "The Boardwalk", the social center of Kandahar Airfield, which offers Western style cafe's, gift shops, restaurants and sports fields. The patch is often worn on a soldiers sleeve or body armour on the battlefield.
A Soviet-era pistol holster found on a Taliban position during Operation Medusa in Kandahar province in 2006. At the time, it was the most significant land battle ever undertaken by NATO.
A handmade Afghanistan war rug sold at Kandahar Airfield's weekly bazaar.
The bazaar was introduced so coalition troops could shop from local traders within the safety of the base, and to provide a small cash injection to the local economy. The vendors sold many items, from counterfeit DVD's, jewelry, daggers, traditional clothing to crafts.
Operation Enduring Freedom Afghanistan Challenge Coin.
A military challenge coin usually bears a unit or organization’s insignia and/or the title of a military operation.
The use of challenge coins in the military is nuanced. Challenge coins are typically presented by unit commanders in acknowledgement of special accomplishment, or to prove membership in a particular unit or to those who had served as a part of a military operation.
Members traditionally "challenge" each other by slamming the coin down on the bar. If a member doesn't have their coin, he or she has to buy a drink for the challenger and for anyone else that has their coin. If all members have their coins, the challenger must buy everyone drinks.
"Afghanistan Rod & Gun Club - It’s better to give than to receive" T-shirt sold in a gift shop at "The Boardwalk", the social center of Kandahar Airfield, which offers Western style cafes, gift shops, restaurants and sports fields. The shirt has become popular with soldiers on the front line and their supporters back home.
A letter sent to a soldier in Afghanistan as a part of a care package. During the holiday season, the Army postal operations in Southern Afghanistan receives packages and letters that average between 70,000-125,000 pounds a day.
A "Laser Guided Democracy" velcro patch that was sold in a gift shop at "The Boardwalk", the social center of Kandahar Airfield, which offers Western style cafe's, gift shops, restaurants and sports fields. The patch is often worn on a soldiers sleeve or body armour on the battlefield.