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CNN Live At Daybreak
Photographers Capture Moments in Afghanistan
Aired January 04, 2002 - 05:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The conflict in Afghanistan is brutal, and it is deadly. But there are also moments of incredible beauty.
CNN's Bill Hemmer spent some time with photographer, Rob Curtis, of the Associated Press.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): How many photos do you think you have taken out here in the Afghan desert?
ROB CURTIS, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER, ARMY TIMES: I must have taken thousands of pictures of these Marines.
HEMMER: From those thousands, we have chosen 14 to kind of tell the story of the Marines and their mission here. This first one here -- hold that up, Rob -- the "Binladinator".
CURTIS: Yes. It just shares the sense of mission they've got out here. They want to get -- preferably, they want to get this guy, and they want to go home.
HEMMER: This next one, or they going or coming here away from the southern conflict?
CURTIS: They're coming back from a mission. They were guarding a helicopter that had an accident out in the desert. They had been out in the field for a couple of days. They are dirty and tired. They just want to get a hot shower.
HEMMER: They're not going to get a hot shower out here, are they? The next one, a similar mission?
CURTIS: This photograph, I wanted to show how much gear these guys had to haul up and down this terribly, terribly difficult terrain -- terribly difficult terrain for these guys.
HEMMER: In this next photo, take a look at how dirty this man's hand is. Hygiene out here is critical, and it's difficult to get clean on a daily basis.
CURTIS: Definitely. And it's one of the things that the Marines are really trying to take care of. The Russians didn't learn that lesson, and it caused them a great deal of problems out here. HEMMER: There's a mosque here at the airport in this next photo. It shows that mosque, bullets riddled throughout. It was the last headquarters for the Taliban here at the airport. There's a few American-Muslim Marines trying to clean it up, aren't they?
CURTIS: These guys were thrilled to find a mosque they could clean up and do a good deed. And you know, they wanted to clean it up, not only for themselves but for the people that were going to use it after them.
HEMMER: Next photo is guarding the perimeter 24 hours a day. It shows the vigilance out here, doesn't it?
CURTIS: Definitely. And even though there hasn't been a heck of a lot of action immediately around the airport, those guys are ready for anything.
HEMMER: This next photo has a helicopter in it. We have seen so many here at the base, but this shows a brownout. Why is that dangerous?
CURTIS: As far as I can tell, I mean, it's just that there is so much sand in the air around here, and the helicopter pilots are really at a disadvantage when they can't see what's going on.
HEMMER: Good looking picture, but it can be dangerous. This next one is Christmas Eve and a small package from home.
CURTIS: Yes. These guys are just so happy. They know that people are thinking about them back home.
HEMMER: A couple of weeks ago, you had the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders come in here. They loved it here, I am sure.
CURTIS: Oh, gosh. They were a real eye opener for these guys. The Marines really just had a great time with them.
HEMMER: Yes, and they behaved themselves I'm sure too, right?
CURTIS: Yes. In fact, I'm sure it got close.
HEMMER: Wayne Newton was here too. He's dressed in cammies in the next photo.
CURTIS: Yes. And you know, everybody knows Wayne, but the Marine on the left just -- it's just a great picture, because he made the picture for me.
HEMMER: This next picture shows a Marine writing a letter to home that will get there eventually, and so too will he, hopefully.
CURTIS: That's what these guys are all hoping, but while they're here, they just want to keep their loved ones back home informed that they are safe and ready to continue doing their job.
HEMMER: This next photo shows the beauty of Afghanistan often overlooked through the conflict. But every night, Rob, we have seen a fantastic sunset.
CURTIS: And it's kind of a standing joke with all of the photographers that have come through here that it's just, hey, you've got your beautiful sunset silhouette shot yet?
HEMMER: This next photo is back in the foxhole with an American flag on top. It kind of tops it off.
CURTIS: Yes, these guys have dug in for days, and now they've just got to sit and watch the lines, and they want to remind themselves of what they're out here for.
HEMMER: And reminding of what they're out here for and the final thought of a flag flown at the World Trade Center in New York came here a short time ago.
CURTIS: Just to be at that flag raising was just -- there was a lot of emotion here, and it brought home for a lot of Marines why they're out here.
HEMMER (voice-over): Bill Hemmer, CNN reporting Kandahar, Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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