[Heie]

CONTENT REMOVED

Not anymore

Alex Jansen Photography | Afghan Deployment Series, Update Nine

A link to the index of the published updates (as they are being re-uploaded in sequential order) can be found at the above update.

-Heie

I won't be making any other "bumps" to this thread, I just wanted to update the initial post and let those who were subscribed to this be made aware.

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Last edited by Heie; 02-07-2016 at 06:22 AM. Reason: CONTENT REMOVED

[Alliecat]

Interesting as usual. Thanks for sharing your story. With the kids, & the campfire pix, it's nice to see you are having some fun moments to contrast the serious work.

[pickles]

As Usual.....very informative......nothing like your images, & "story", is ever seen in the Press.
I note that there are never any comments relative to your ongoing "story" from some of the "Anti U.S." Brigade, on this forum.
Thank you again,.... for your work, enthusiasm, beliefs, & dedication. Keep safe, Pickles.

[mtansley]

Once again, thank you for the time & trouble to give us these images.

I learn more from your photos and descriptions then I learn from any media service.

And as others say, so I say, please keep safe.

[JinDesu]

Heie, you are just awesome. The picture of the flare and the helicopter are amazing.

[Fries]

I really enjoyed these photo's. Thanks for showing!

[Unsinkable II]

Thanks for sharing. As said earlier, your posts convey more information than the popular media. Very interesting.

Stay safe.

[Clicker]

@ #8...you've preserved the privacy of his closet

Keep posting those updates so we can get "cultured", it's wonderful that you're able to share from your eyes to ours.

As before stay safe and thanks for sharing.

[usn ret]

Alex, good to see your fresh post/update. Again an exceptional series of pics. Hope no one was injured in the mine encounter. The kids are a blank slate as far as making a lasting impression on the local natives, hoping the adults will see the allied/coalition troops through the eyes of the children and that you are there to make their lives better. Your immediate reward from the children is their smiles, and that has to make a lasting impression on you.....Be safe, looking forward to your next update...........Cliff

[Heie]

Interesting as usual. Thanks for sharing your story. With the kids, & the campfire pix, it's nice to see you are having some fun moments to contrast the serious work.

As Usual.....very informative......nothing like your images, & "story", is ever seen in the Press.
I note that there are never any comments relative to your ongoing "story" from some of the "Anti U.S." Brigade, on this forum.
Thank you again,.... for your work, enthusiasm, beliefs, & dedication. Keep safe, Pickles.

Once again, thank you for the time & trouble to give us these images.
I learn more from your photos and descriptions then I learn from any media service.
And as others say, so I say, please keep safe.

Thanks for sharing. As said earlier, your posts convey more information than the popular media. Very interesting.
Stay safe.

I really enjoyed these photo's. Thanks for showing!

Thank you all very much! Since I embarked on this amateur stint of photojournalism almost 5 months ago (has it really been that long already?), that has been my intent since the start - for better or worse, convey an unfiltered (as best I can without violating OPSEC) portrayal of my experience over here. Because I am not in a "catch 'em or kill 'em" job, I felt it was even more important to share my experience because this is the exact non-glorified, unsexy, "cold" side of the war that you'll never see. And this is where there isn't enough emphasis in our current war effort - mentoring and empowering the Afghans to be self-sustaining. Besides, haven't we all seen enough pictures of human remains after a bombing or raid?

But again, thank you. I really appreciate it.

Heie, you are just awesome. The picture of the flare and the helicopter are amazing.

Thanks! I was really afraid for a few minutes (while the rotor wash was settling) because I wasn't sure if I had turned in time to guard the lens lol. But, all is good, and it's still as fantastic as ever. And, like I said, I could have made the flare photo better had I had some tactical patience. But alas, a missed opportunity is a learning opportunity

@ #8...you've preserved the privacy of his closet
Keep posting those updates so we can get "cultured", it's wonderful that you're able to share from your eyes to ours.
As before stay safe and thanks for sharing.

Haha yea he was pleased when I showed him the LCD screen being pure white lol. And same as my shpeal above - I'm glad it's being appreciated and not going in vain

Alex, good to see your fresh post/update. Again an exceptional series of pics. Hope no one was injured in the mine encounter. The kids are a blank slate as far as making a lasting impression on the local natives, hoping the adults will see the allied/coalition troops through the eyes of the children and that you are there to make their lives better. Your immediate reward from the children is their smiles, and that has to make a lasting impression on you.....Be safe, looking forward to your next update...........Cliff

Hey Cliff, as always thanks for your comments. Unfortunately there were some injuries on that encounter. No one was killed, which is the most important thing. One suffered some pretty bad shrapnel, and I was the one to reach the scene first (I actually ran really quickly considering I'm still healing from when I was a jackass and fell of that wall lol). It was actually pretty surreal because it was my very first experience treating a real casualty. You can train every day, but it really doesn't prepare you for the real thing. Food coloring and water or ketchup just doesn't have the same effect as actual blood. I didn't have to apply a tourniquet, however it wasn't until a week later that I was informed both his eyes were there - there was so much blood and "shredded" flesh that I legitimately believed that he had lost one of his eyes. In fact that was in my report. Something that I found comical was there were raving accolades for the competency of the Afghans because "they treated that casualty so well!" I was the one that treated him and ensured he was loaded on the helicopter, but I still found it interesting. The few Afghans I was with froze, and I remember doing so for half a second, however I remembered my role as their mentor: if I freeze up, then that's the example they will follow." Hopefully the next time there is a medical emergency, they will remember that and be inspired to treat the casualty themselves (as it's all a continual learning process for them, and a test in patience for me lol). But it'll probably still require a few generous helpings of "boot-to-ass"

*Disclaimer - OPSEC was not violated because 1) it was a mine left behind by the Russians - no insurgent meddling, and 2) location and time of the event has still been withheld.

And to be honest, that's part of my motivation and the "covert war" that I'm waging - prove to the kids that we are here to help and not rape and kill the innocent as the Taliban are trying to have them believe. Kids are honest - they remember lasting impressions of kindness, as well as cruelty. Shower them with kindness and gummy bears (because I'm eating too many of them myself, so it's a win-win here ) as well as notebooks and pens, because most don't have the supplies they need for school, especially in the rural areas where we tend to find ourselves. On that note, if anyone has come across a large stack of small notebooks, index cards, pens, pencils, etc, and you would like to send them to me so I can I distribute them to Afghan children, please pm me and I would be honored to. But yes, the smiles are the reward. It's a small dream of mine to return to that same exact village and give that kid a hard copy of that picture. I think that would really go far, especially when he looks back on it as he gets older. I fear I won't get that opportunity, however.

Well, that turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be. I very much appreciate all the comments and feedback (and likes ), and I am very happy that I have acquired such a positive following from these updates. Thank you all again.

Oh, and Pickles, I dare them to try and hijack these threads

Very Respectfully,
Heie

[Alizarine]

Awesome pano's there, nice take also by the fireplace and the helicopter! #11 reminded me of a video game, just couldn't place which.

And that terrain... I agree. It looks so surreal! Coming from a place surrounded by water though, I guess I'll probably die within days being left out in such a place... You guys are really tough... with danger not just from the environment but also man-made ones. Hope the injured folks are OK by now, and recovering quickly.

Thank you once again for the time and effort you place on making these updates, which aside from giving the world a clearer picture of the current situation there, also educates us on things not everyone understands: that war is not all about guns and cold-hearted politics, but of conflicts arising from different human interests.

Looking forward to Update Ten! Cheers!

[RichardS]

Great photos as usual and thanks for showing. It's a beautiful, wild place. Another thing: those kids may look cute but, based on my experiences not far away when I was 7 and 8, do not play marbles with them. You'll lose your shirt and probably everything else you own. They were little bandits

Richard.

[Heie]

Thanks everyone for the comments and continued support - just wanted to share that we are back in business!

See the initial post in this thread

I won't be making any other "bumps" to this thread, I just wanted to update the initial post and let those who were subscribed to this be made aware.

-Heie