RIP- Veteran Daniel Davidson survived two tours in the military, one tour in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan. He says that the trials of daily life on the front lines brought him closer to God. Davidson reflected upon feeling the presence of God, in the still of the night, while on guard duty in the mountains of Afghanistan. When he talked about those nights, his voice trembled. I could see him sitting there, in my minds eye, as he told me his stories. Often people just want to be heard, sometimes people tell me things they can't tell other people. Sometimes people don't want to hear what they have to say. I have thought of David many times after we talked, he was so open, so deep and so spiritual. He was extremely tender for such a tough guy. He talked about how hard it was to sit at his family's table, after all he had seen. He knew so personally of a world that they would never know. He was not proud of some of the things he did, in the name of war. As a photojournalist, many times I have photographed people who have died shortly after I photographed them. I am glad that I was able to tell a piece of Daniels story. He died a year ago this month, while working as a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter. I will remember him, and his family, this Memorial Day.
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