Here’s another one of the new portraits that was created on the recent trip to the east coast. This one is of Iraq War veteran Chantelle Bateman. I was lucky enough to spend about 1 week with Chantelle in Pittsburgh, PA during the G20 protests. It was truly great to get to know her and be inspired by her enthusiasm for creating peace and radical change in our world. After Pittsburgh, Chantelle, myself and Jason Hurd (another Iraq war veteran that I have done a portrait of for this series) made a late night drive over to DC in order to get up early and create the portrait below in front of the White House. It was a bit of surreal experience- I had forgotten ( I think because the only time I’m usually any where near the white house is for a protest) that there are always bus loads of tourists mingling around the front gates, getting their photos taken, etc. I had this idea it would just be Chantelle, Jason and I with no distractions. The intimacy of my work hinges upon my ability to connect with those I photograph on an emotional level during the shoot and bus loads of curious tourists makes that slightly more difficult. However, it wasn’t long before Chantelle and I were able to forget that anyone else was around and were able to really connect and focus on what it was we were there to do.

Here’s Chantelle’s story. I hope it moves you as much as it did me. In peace, Jon O.

“I enlisted through the Delayed Entry Program during my first month of college in January 2003 and graduated from boot camp in August 2003. A year later I deployed to Al Asad, Iraq w/ Marine Aircraft Group-49 as an Aviation Supply Clerk in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II August 2004 - March 2005.

I never saw direct combat, but what I did see still haunts my thoughts. I felt guilty even then; on the nights when I would stand watch with my weapon loaded trying to exude the most menacing posture I could over people who looked like some of my own family. Even our leadership used racial epithets like “haji”. I never talked to anyone from Iraq, I never asked the boy who reminded me of my brother if he had a sister at home. I just stood there with my freedom bullets making sure they didn’t make any false moves while crammed into their crappy tents.

It’s been said that “war is long stretches of boredom punctuated by moments of shear terror” so I spent most of my deployment hopped on caffeine or adrenaline. When I came home I replaced that rush with whatever I could. I don’t even remember a lot of it. But then I lost a job, I couldn’t stay in school, and the party fund was tapped out. I had to be alone with myself but I didn’t know who I was anymore. I couldn’t handle being alone in my head with a stranger.

I began to search for answer and long story short I came up with more questions than I did anything else. I joined the Marine Corps because I believed in all of the things I said when I took my oath of enlistment. I believed that despite some mistakes my country’s government genuinely sought to do good things in the world. And I once believed those things without question. Now I question EVERYTHING…and so should you.”
Chantelle Bateman, Iraq War veteran from Washington DC

Introducing “Drew Cameron”

Sorry it’s been a while.  Been a bit overwhelmed as of late.  I’ll be posting several of the new portraits here in the next week or so along with the stories that go with them.  These were all done on a recent two week long trip to the east coast.  The first one was done in Burlington, VT and is of Iraq war veteran Drew Cameron.   Drew served with the U.S Army in Iraq in 2003 as a Field Artillery Soldier.  After returning from Iraq and getting out of the military Drew co-founded an organization called Combat Paper Project, which works with returning veterans to turn their uniforms into hand made paper, which is then used to share stories, emotions, art, etc.  Drew and other members of the Combat Paper Project have been touring nationally and internationally both showing their art and leading workshops for veterans and others who are interested. The poem below was one of Drew’s first projects.  It was originally published in the book “Warrior Writers” which was created by another amazing project called the Warrior Writers Project, which works with returning vets to help them share their stories through art, poetry, essays, etc.  Definitely check them out.

“You are not my Enemy
my brother my sister
but I have done something wrong
and perhaps I am now yours.
I went to your home
I went inside
soiled your rug and
bullied your children.

You are not my enemy
my father my mother.
I drove on you
threw garbage into your window
burned your garden
and spit in your water.

You are not my enemy
my grandmother my grandfather.
I built walls between us.
Rubble made sound
sand scattered plastic bags all around
rifles and checkpoints
bright lights into your eyes.

No, you are not my enemy
my partner my friend.
We were betrayed.

You are not my enemy
my child my self.
Our blood is the same.

You are not my enemy
my memories and rage.
Re-making sense now together.

You are not my enemy
you never were.
You are a part of me
as I am with you.

You are not my enemy
we will stay true.

You are not my enemy
we will change this
with you. ”

Drew Cameron, Iraq War Veteran, Burlington, VT.

“No one is being liberated.” William Stewart-Starks deployed to the Anbar Province of Iraq as a medic in 2004 in full support of the war. He soon began to wonder though, why he was even there and what they were really fighting for. “We knew we weren’t fighting Al- Qaeda, we were fighting civilians who were fighting back and we were just perpetuating the violence.” William Stewart-Starks, Iraq War veteran. Lawrence, Kansas

As the continued occupation of Iraq falls from the news and the escalation in Afghanistan is overshadowed and hardly debated (even as this August has become the deadliest month in the eight year occupation), it seems as important as ever to bring the stories of veterans who are resisting war and working for peace to a larger audience.  Not only to question war but to highlight the amazing potential that lies within radical self-transformation.   I will be spending the last two weeks of September trekking all over the northeastern U.S documenting these stories for my Warriors for Peace series.  Plans are still being hashed out but include stops in Burlington, NYC, Pittsburg, hopefully Toronto and more.  I will be sending out more info as I get closer to the departure date.
Your support for these efforts is greatly appreciated.  Please consider:
- Providing a car that I can use/rent for cheap for all or a portion of the trip ( I will be flying in and out of Newark, NJ)
-  Making a tax deductible donation through the Blue Earth Alliance.
- passing on the website etc.

Other Upcoming News
- Warriors for Peace in a group show at Camera Obscura Gallery in Denver
- A trip to Iraqi refugee camps in Jordan with Iraq war veteran Phil Aliff.