"Images by Max Becherer" (by Max Becherer)

Contest of the Panjshir-Emerging for a Fight A horseman emerges from the dust in a contest for a dead calf on Friday, October 26, 2007 in a rare respite from the rigors of their work in the emerald mines in the mountains high over their village or from workshops and business, the men of Khenj, Afghanistan, compete in a game of Buzkashi.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:28 +0000

Contest of the Panjshir-Emerging for a Fight A horseman emerges from the dust in a contest for a dead calf on Friday, October 26, 2007 in a rare respite from the rigors of their work in the emerald mines in the mountains high over their village or from workshops and business, the men of Khenj, Afghanistan, compete in a game of Buzkashi.
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Emerald Miners of the Panjshir Valley-Moment to Exhale After setting off dynamite charges in the mine Rahimullah, age 27, takes a smoke break as he waits for the dust to clear the shaft of a mineral mine on the slope of the Hindu Kush mountains towering over the Panjshir Valley near the village of Khenj, in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 25, 2007. Rahimullah is a hired hand who works for a team of young men who blast and drill holes in the mountains looking for emeralds and precious stones. The young men who work the mines were boys when the Taliban fell six years ago. The mines were a way to fund the jehad most of their father�s participated in but now the young men dig, hoping to find a rock large enough to feed their families or to give them enough money to escape the work of the mines.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:28 +0000

Emerald Miners of the Panjshir Valley-Moment to Exhale After setting off dynamite charges in the mine Rahimullah, age 27, takes a smoke break as he waits for the dust to clear the shaft of a mineral mine on the slope of the Hindu Kush mountains towering over the Panjshir Valley near the village of Khenj, in Afghanistan on Thursday, October 25, 2007. Rahimullah is a hired hand who works for a team of young men who blast and drill holes in the mountains looking for emeralds and precious stones. The young men who work the mines were boys when the Taliban fell six years ago. The mines were a way to fund the jehad most of their father�s participated in but now the young men dig, hoping to find a rock large enough to feed their families or to give them enough money to escape the work of the mines.
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The Surge-Moment of Light At dawn, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, make their way through farmland to a number of target houses looking for a car bomb making cell just west of Lutifiyah, south of Baghdad, in Iraq on Friday March 9th 2007.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:28 +0000

The Surge-Moment of Light At dawn, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, make their way through farmland to a number of target houses looking for a car bomb making cell just west of Lutifiyah, south of Baghdad, in Iraq on Friday March 9th 2007.
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Farewell to Staff Sergeant Darrel Griffin. Friends and family watch as United States Army honor guard and pallbearers fold the flag over the coffin of Staff Sergeant Darrel Ray Griffin Jr., at his grave site at the National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California on Friday April 6, 2007. Pastor Rick Kasel, second from right, and Brigadier General Robert W. Cone far right watch.Staff Sergeant Darrel Ray Griffin Jr., age 36, was born in Stockton, California and killed in Iraq on March 21, 2007. SSG Griffin deployed to Iraq with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Oct. 2004 to Sept. 2005. Staff Sergeant Griffin was killed during his second tour in Iraq with the Strykers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment during a patrol of the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. Staff Sergeant Griffin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a V for Valor during his service in the Army.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:28 +0000

Farewell to Staff Sergeant Darrel Griffin. Friends and family watch as United States Army honor guard and pallbearers fold the flag over the coffin of Staff Sergeant Darrel Ray Griffin Jr., at his grave site at the National Cemetery in Los Angeles, California on Friday April 6, 2007. Pastor Rick Kasel, second from right, and Brigadier General Robert W. Cone far right watch.Staff Sergeant Darrel Ray Griffin Jr., age 36, was born in Stockton, California and killed in Iraq on March 21, 2007. SSG Griffin deployed to Iraq with the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division from Oct. 2004 to Sept. 2005. Staff Sergeant Griffin was killed during his second tour in Iraq with the Strykers of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment during a patrol of the Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. Staff Sergeant Griffin was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with a V for Valor during his service in the Army.
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Abandoned on the Home Front-Home with the Future July 11, 2007, Marina del Ray, California: Chris Sipe lives in a beach side apartment and spends as much time as he can with his girlfriend Julie Passino. Sipe deployed to Iraq three times with the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, including the battle for Fallujah in November of 2004 with Fred Lambert and Ricky Mayer. After his third deployment Sipe risked having his relationship with Julie fall apart. Sipe decided to leave the Marines and picked up a job with a Los Angles personal security company that provides security to Hollywood stars. Sipe joined the Marines after attending college and has found a life for himself after the Marines with the help of Julie and his job. Not a day goes by that Sipe does not think about the war and he often thinks of returning to active duty. ÒI've been getting the itch on more than one occasion to maybe get back in the game. I feel like I've taken a 6-month break and it is time to deploy again. Some days are better than others ya know. I'm enjoying civilian life as much as one can. But I still have marine blood running through my veins,Ó says Sipe.

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:28:28 +0000

Abandoned on the Home Front-Home with the Future July 11, 2007, Marina del Ray, California: Chris Sipe lives in a beach side apartment and spends as much time as he can with his girlfriend Julie Passino. Sipe deployed to Iraq three times with the 3rd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment, including the battle for Fallujah in November of 2004 with Fred Lambert and Ricky Mayer. After his third deployment Sipe risked having his relationship with Julie fall apart. Sipe decided to leave the Marines and picked up a job with a Los Angles personal security company that provides security to Hollywood stars. Sipe joined the Marines after attending college and has found a life for himself after the Marines with the help of Julie and his job. Not a day goes by that Sipe does not think about the war and he often thinks of returning to active duty. ÒI've been getting the itch on more than one occasion to maybe get back in the game. I feel like I've taken a 6-month break and it is time to deploy again. Some days are better than others ya know. I'm enjoying civilian life as much as one can. But I still have marine blood running through my veins,Ó says Sipe.
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