It’s old news, so maybe you’ve already read it, but if you haven’t, David Leeson’s essay on his experience in Iraq as an embedded photojournalists is very good. It’s about the importance of the journalistic mission and what he learned along the way.
I am a cynic of war. But cynicism did not prepare me for this war. I was not prepared to actually become fond of soldiers, but I did. More than that, I found myself in admiration of their discipline and their simple understanding of mission. For them, each battle was merely another step closer to home. These were not warriors in the true sense of bloodlust. They were lethal, yes; but killers, no.
