The young photographer was only 22 years old …
It is a rather peculiar and touching story. Hilda Clayton, a US Army soldier photographed her own death. On 2 July 2013, this visual information specialist was in Afghanistan , in Laghman province when an explosion, with four soldiers. Except that at the time of the explosion, Hilda Clayton pressed the button of her camera, immortalizing the explosion in which she died.
“The death of Clayton symbolizes how women soldiers are increasingly exposed to perilous situations”
Four years after his death, the US military decided to make the photograph public. The army journal Military Review , said the young woman of 22 years was in that province to photograph a fire exercise. A mortar accidentally exploded, causing the death of the four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers and the young woman. One of the Afghan soldiers killed was a photojournalist with whom Hilda Clayton worked to train him. Despite her young age, Hilda Clayton, a native of Georgia in the United States , was already a seasoned photographer. The military magazine explains that “Clayton not only took pictures that illustrate the activities to form and strengthen this partnership, But has also taken its share of the risk by participating in these efforts. ”
“Soldiers fighting photographers are trained to take pictures and movies in any environment,” adds the magazine. “Their main mission is to accompany soldiers wherever they are deployed to document the history of combat operations. Clayton’s death symbolizes how women soldiers are increasingly exposed to perilous situations, training and combat, on an equal footing with their male colleagues. To pay tribute to the young soldier, her name was given to an annual contest of war photographer.
Culled from: 20minutes.fR
