The Veteran Portrait Project
The Veteran Portrait Project is an ongoing series documenting veterans and the objects they carried home from war. In their own words they describe the story behind their object, be it a cherished family heirloom or an enemy helmet, and why it was something they considered important enough to bring back from a war zone.
Ryan Bizahaloni, Sgt. USMC Scout Sniper Iraq: 2006 Afghanistan: 2011 “My cousin had an old arrowhead that has been getting passed down in my family. He gave it to me before I went to Afghanistan for protection. I wore it everyday I was out there and came back home safely. One day, I will be giving it to my son.”
Jonny Ford, Sgt. Army Infantry Iraq: 2005,2006 “It was June 1st of 2005 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. We were sent on a surprise recon mission of route Wildcat. About 30 meters after turning onto this route, we were hit by 3 anti-tank mines. We were in a Bradley, which has a combat load of around 36 tons. The Iraqi insurgents put propane tanks under the mines, for overpressure. It blasted through the bottom of the Bradley, lifting us, from what I was told, about 5 to 6 feet in the air. Long story short, this piece of shrapnel hit the back of my helmet splitting it open and rendering me unconscious for about 2 minutes. The blast took the life of one of my best friends and another, his legs. The reason I brought this piece home was to remind me of lost friends and to help remind me why I don’t take any day for granted.”
Joel Fleeman, Cpl. USMC Infantry, Military Police Iraq: 2003, 2004, 2006 “I brought this helmet back after the initial invasion of Iraq. I brought it home for a number of reasons but the main reason was that, frankly, I did not have the foresight to see beyond the invasion, I could not fathom having the opportunity to volunteer to go back to that country again and again. At the time I thought that “this is it,” my only shot at war, my only shot at plunder. So I picked up an item that is synonymous with war, an enemy Kevlar helmet complete with Camo netting, blood and gray matter. Ooh-rah!”