“Charles Battle‘s voice, gentle and soft, is little more than a whisper when he recalls his time at war. No visible scars give testimony to his tour in Vietnam, but when he talks about his combat experiences, his eyes glaze with tears. He pauses as another resident of the North Carolina veteran’s home in which he temporarily lives ambles past the picnic table where we talk.
’I saw so many awful things I can’t forget. I don’t want to burden you. Are you sure you want to know what war is?’
Battle was one of 65 participants in a photographic series I have worked on for three years in which I asked combat veterans and those who have worked with them a single question: ‘What should we know about war?’ I asked each person to write a brief answer.
Some took months to put their response on paper as they struggled to answer the question. Every response came from a deep place in the heart and mind of the participant. Some spoke of the politics of war, others of personal experiences. Some looked back on their military service, still trying to make sense of their time in combat. Some have spent their lives protesting wars and advocating for peace when their time in the service ended.
I think of comforting Battle, telling him there’s no need to relive trauma. But I do need to hear his answer. We all do. Being ignorant of the horrors of war makes us complicit. And so I listen.
All of the project participants still grapple with events that changed them forever. Here are the things they want us to know. …”
(Nancy Hill, “Combat Veterans Tell Us What We Need to Know About War”)
www.yesmagazine.org
@Wrangler @Armour of God @NayborBear
Will you hear their answers? Will you listen to them?
’I saw so many awful things I can’t forget. I don’t want to burden you. Are you sure you want to know what war is?’
Battle was one of 65 participants in a photographic series I have worked on for three years in which I asked combat veterans and those who have worked with them a single question: ‘What should we know about war?’ I asked each person to write a brief answer.
Some took months to put their response on paper as they struggled to answer the question. Every response came from a deep place in the heart and mind of the participant. Some spoke of the politics of war, others of personal experiences. Some looked back on their military service, still trying to make sense of their time in combat. Some have spent their lives protesting wars and advocating for peace when their time in the service ended.
I think of comforting Battle, telling him there’s no need to relive trauma. But I do need to hear his answer. We all do. Being ignorant of the horrors of war makes us complicit. And so I listen.
All of the project participants still grapple with events that changed them forever. Here are the things they want us to know. …”
(Nancy Hill, “Combat Veterans Tell Us What We Need to Know About War”)
Photo Essay | Combat Veterans Tell Us What We Need to Know About War
“Enough of the horror.”
@Wrangler @Armour of God @NayborBear
Will you hear their answers? Will you listen to them?


