Things We Need

I've always wanted to take The Box photographs one step further. My attempt to get soldiers to write from Iraq failed miserably. What, are they busy fighting a war or something? Then I began to email back and forth with one soldier's mother who took interest in the project. After consulting her son, they both agreed to send me all the letters they had exchanged during his first deployment to Iraq in 2003. ( He is currently serving in Iraq again). I am humbled by their generosity, and as I sit here sifting through this pile of letters I am struck by the banality of fighting a war. Obviously, there are things that this soldier omits from his experience. Not only are there strict rules within the military about what can be discussed, but I have to assume that this soldier is also sheltering his family from some of the more difficult moments. Click image above for an excerpt from one soldier's letters home.