On Memorial Day I asked FB and Twitter users to submit pictures of themselves serving. These are what I received. I don’t have time to set up a fan vote (travelling to Arizona), so everyone argue which picture is the best in the comments.
From Facebook:
"Muscle Beach, OP Restrepo, Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, 2007
Ryan E., Iraq, 2007
CONTINUE READING
Ryan, circa 1750?
Mateo E., Croughton, UK RAF base, 2007
From Twitter:
@paleonow, Ball gazing in Iraq, 2009
@whitemtncf, Korengal Valley, 2007
@jerkmotel, Sangin River Valley, Helmand Province
@stevekane77 -- Free girl scout cookies at Camp Anaconda, Iraq
Muscle Beach, OP Restrepo or Girl Scout cookies get my vote. I’m a man of extremes I guess……
Is that a chrome AK in the first Twitter picture? If so, that one gets my vote.
OP Restrepo followed by that sweet AK.
Guy reading the book looks chill as fuck.
these are all great, but i love the last two, especially the one with the guy reading, sniper rifles by his side, ipod in. just relaxing.
I’ve got to go with the sniper hunkered down reading short stories. I imagine Mozart on his ipod and a wide glass of brandy sitting on a coaster in the sand just out of view of the camera lens.
Muscle Beach is a close second, especially since the tarps on the right side sort of look like the turquoise water of the gulf.
My vote is for the sniper as I have a soft spot for both the Best American Short Stories series and the Barrett M82/M107.
To all who submitted: thank you for your service!
Hey Justin, thanks for posting my picture EVEN THOUGH I’M THE ONLY ASSHOLE NOT CARRYING A GUN/DEPLOYED IN SOME SHITHOLE.
Muscle Beach all the way. Were y’all there when Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger were there? And yes, thank you for your service.
Good stuff on shoulder issues and mobility here: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/my_shoulder_hurts_the_finest_whine
first things first, you guys have to watch that documentary Restrepo, saw it a couple of months ago, amazing and heartbreaking.
the girl scout cookies and ‘ball gazing’ are good, but how do you compete w/ a chrome ak?
Thank you all for serving.
sniper with short stories. solid pic, finding solitude in chaos.
I’m going with muscle beach, those guys lived in some shit. Amazing and heartbreaking, like becker said, are the best ways to put it.
Closely followed by the sniper with the book. Pretty awesome picture also.
1750s Ryan is pretty clever!
I like the muscle beach one, though I think a Free T-Shirt for all of them is the least these boys deserve for serving.
Muscle Beach, followed very closely by the reading sniper.
Yeah, I have to vote for the chrome AK. Send that Iraqi guy a shirt too.
I have a lot of respect for my military brothers that are out there pounding sand. I never got a chance to go, but my mission in the UK was directly supporting you guys, so I got to play my part.
Nothing wrong with that, echo. Everyone plays their part.