These searing pictures capture the tragic consequences of the war in Iraq

[rug]

Elsheba Khan at the grave of her son, Spc. Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, 2008. Spurred by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Khan, a Muslim, enlisted immediately after graduating high school in 2005 and was sent to Iraq in July 2006. He was killed a year later.

Jeremy Bender
3h

Although the US officially completed its withdrawal of troops from Iraq by December 2011, the years of war and deployment to the country left a significant and lasting effect on both the US military and Iraqi society.

The effect of the US' role in Iraq has been captured beautifully by photographer Platon. In the exhibit SERVICE, currently on display and open to the public from June 22 to July 24 at Milk Gallery in New York, Platon shows how anyone, regardless of background, can serve and be of service.

Additionally, SERVICE shows how the long lasting effects of war can affect all who serve.

Mazdack Rassi, the co-founder and creative director of Milk, noted that "Platon’s captivating photography documents men, women and children as they have served this country."



Airman 1st Class Christopher Wilson greets his fiancée, Beth Pisarsky, after returning from a six-month deployment in Iraq. Wilson is a member of the 305th Security Forces Squadron of the 305th Air Mobility Wing. McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 2008.

http://www.businessinsider.com/iraq-war-platon-photos-2016-6

[demmiblue]

1. Millions of lives shattered... most don't seem to care.

Detailed tattoo on the arm of Adam Kokesh, a member of the 3rd Civil Affairs Group. After being discharged, Kokesh became an outspoken member of Iraqi Veterans Against the War. IVAW fights for the withdrawal and reparation of US military action in the Middle East. Philadelphia, 2008.

This one has always haunted me:

Todd Heisler/The Rocky Mountain News, via Associated PressThe night before the burial of her husband, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the coffin, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her.

[rug]

2. Powerful.

[hibbing]

3. George W. Bush

While he sleeps like a baby in his gated mansion.

Peace