I took these photos in Iraq between 2009 and 2010. I was young, fresh out of high school, serving as a gunner. I carried a camera with me and photographed what was around me because it felt important, even when I didn’t have the words for why. These images aren’t about firefights or missions. They’re about being close.
Kids moved freely through spaces built for protection and control sandbags, weapons, uniforms like it was just another part of the street. A boy shares a drink. A girl accepts it. No hesitation, no drama. Just something small and human happening in a place shaped by conflict.
At the time, moments like this felt normal. That’s what stays with me now. How quickly things that shouldn’t feel ordinary start to. How easily tenderness exists alongside violence without either one announcing itself.
I’m sharing them not to explain, justify, or resolve anything. Just to let the moments sit as they are. To acknowledge that life kept moving in places built to stop it. And to remember that even in the middle of conflict, people especially kids still find ways to be human.
