Wednesday, July 10, 2013

I'm glad I'm Beat

I have to tell you, it's been a grueling couple of days. Myself and two comrades made the trek to Prescott AZ yesterday, to attend the memorial service for the nineteen fallen Granite Mountain Hot Shots. Our journey started at 0330 yesterday and ended about midnight last night. It was a solemn, sobering experience and a grinding drive, but I, and the two firefighters that I went with felt it was worth the effort.

As I went as a firefighter and not a photographer I took very few pictures. The ones that I did take are not very good and are still in my camera.

This morning, I rose early and drove to Los Alamitos Joint Training Facility, located in Orange County. There, I photographed the arrival of a California Air National Guard C-130 transport aircraft and the unloading of it's cargo, the bodies of two of the young men whose memorial I attended the day before.

As I attended today's ceremony as a photographer, I took many images of the proceedings and of it's participants. They may or may not be any good and are still in my camera. There is a possibility that some may never be seen. Sometimes intimacy is a sacred concept that should not be violated by the likes of me.

Today's event, was for me, a far more intimate event and despite my purpose there, I may have had an allergy attack. The sight of a family bringing their boy home for the last time is a heart wrenching vision, one that occurs all to often these days.

It is going to be a little while before I get the images processed and cataloged for these two ceremonies.  Images and posts of them are to follow, I just need a little time to get my thoughts and my photos in order.

Thanks for reading,
Schome

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