Liam Kennedy introduces the reader to solider photography with his article Soldier photography: visualizing the war in Iraq. Often, the photos the public receive from wars and conflicts will come from the soldiers themselves. Though the use of primary and secondary resources, Kennedy explains the importance of these images.
Early on in the text, Kennedy states his thesis. He claims “This digital generation of soldiers exist in a new relationship to their experience of war; they are now potential witnesses and sources within the documentation of events, not just the imaged actors – a blurring of roles that reflects the correlations of revolutions in military and media affairs” (817). Soldiers are not only participants in the war, but now some play the role of reporter as well. Kennedy writes that these soldiers “provide alternate imagery of the war zone” (819). He speaks of these “Blogs of War” where some will go to share their everyday experiences. This primary source shares the personal stories of the soldiers. These sites such as villegazette and Millblogging.com serve as public diaries for the soldiers to share their experiences. Although many soldiers blog, not all blog for the same reasons. Specialist Kevin Thompson primarily set up his blog so that his family can see him. ” It’s a place family and friends can go to see us and they can and do post comments” (819). Others however, such as Captain Danjel Bout use the online blogs as a way to express grief. Blout described his use as an “online therapy session” that has helped him come to terms with his experiences.
While Kennedy makes great points in his article, he overlooks other concerns as well. There are signs of bias considering that he rarely speaks of the negativity of having raw images of war exposed to the public. Yes, the soldiers provide a certain sense of intimacy that many will appreciate but on the other hand that sense of intimacy might offend others. He speaks of the abuses in Abu Gharib where soldiers were posting images of detainees but he claimed that it just caused a sense of uneasiness among the military.The connotation of “uneasiness” does not do the situation justice. It is almost as if he is sweeping the situation under the rug. The line does need to be drawn somewhere. It only takes one man to compromise the safety and security of others. While the blogs do make for a good stress reliever for some it may be harshly abused by others in the future.
jaredab14 