SE plunged into images of war-torn nations
by Kristen Johansen, Reporter

    SE Campus was filled with images of the war in Iraq Thursday, the two-year anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.
   Tom Pennington and Khampha Bouaphahn, two photojournalists who covered the military action in Iraq and Kuwait, presented Iraq-Images of War in the Roberson Theatre.
   Students, community members and dignitaries filled two rooms to watch and hear the presentation by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram photographers.
   Iraq-Images of War showed aspects of the War most people would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience.
   Pennington said he went to Northern Iraq for one reason.
   "I wanted to get pictures of the real smell of war," he said.
   Pennington was one of two men to get a visa for Iraq, an unusual accomplishment.
   Once in Iraq, he had to be smuggled into the north and into a no-fly zone. Barely into his second day in Iraq, Pennington said he was in Hussein's hometown being shot at.
    Pennington said he spent most of his time with the Kurdish peshmerga fighters, peshmerga meaning "those who face death." His pictures bring his experience to life for the viewer.
    Pennington illustrated how the culture of the Iraqi people differs from the American culture. Pennington's photographs detailed the role of violence in their culture and everyday life.
   Three of Pennington's photos, taken in a local mosque, describe the religious fervor of the area. In the mosque, one man is depicted slicing his tongue with a knife. Another is shown piercing his own tongue, and one image shows a man pounding a fork into his skull.
   "All three actions were done in the name of religion," he said.
   Two photographs show Iraqi people, mostly children, holding American flags and defacing pictures of Saddam Hussein. These Kurdish people celebrated V-day, April 9, 2003, when the United States took Baghdad. Years before, Hussein had used chemical attacks to kill thousands of Kurdish people.
   Bouaphahn's photographs give a more traditional account of the war in Iraq. Most of his photos reveal the American aspect of the fighting.
   Starting in Fort Hood, Bouaphahn said he then moved into Kuwait and Baghdad with the soldiers. His photos depict the conditions that U.S. soldiers faced.
   "Kuwait was a horrible place with dust storms every other day," he said.
    His photos range from the familiar intimidating American troops to Iraqi women confined to a prison-like refuge for being raped in past years.
   Having traveled to Iraq, Pennington's and Bouaphahn's photographs tell stories of a nation facing crisis.
   Photos of Iraqi people show eyes of sadness, hurt, joy and anger.
   These digital photographs will remain in the Art Corridor II on SE Campus through Oct. 11.