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The individuals featured in Survivor Stories have lost limbs or loved ones as a result of U.S. air strikes. Their stories shed light on the personal experiences that are rarely reported in news stories of bombing incidents. The nature of bombing makes covering air strikes especially difficult and costly, so the lack of civilians' testimonies is not entirely the result of editorial decisions. Reporters usually have trouble sorting out the basic facts of the incidents, with conflicting accounts on all sides. By the time a journalist can reach a strike zone, the story is out of the news cycle. In this way, bombing not only physically removes us from the violence, but also distances us from its effects through ambiguity and lack of information.
Understanding the experiences of civilian victims is an important part of taking responsibility for our actions, but it is also important for war planners navigating the new and complex battlefields of the war against terrorism . Making well-informed military decisions means learning to see our weapons the way others see them and measuring the full consequence of every civilian death. Throughout the history of bombing, strategists have tended to underestimate the influence that air strikes have on the psyche of those affected, and in turn, the anti-American sentiment they leave in their wake.
The 12 people who are highlighted here represent a tiny sample of the thousands affected by US bombing each year. The AirStrike Tracker provides a database of incidents that been covered by major news sources, which is also an incomplete count. For every person killed by an air strike, scores are injured physically. Even more must suffer the loss of parents, siblings, husbands, wives, children, cousins, friends, and other relations.
Self-taught photographer Jason P. Howe was born in Ipswich, England and has traveled all over the world working on his own photographic projects as well as for major news agencies including The New York Times, The Times of London, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. He has also worked on assignments for Newsweek, US News & World Report, The Telegraph Magazine, and other international publications
You can learn more about Jason Howe and his work by visiting his website ConflicPics.co.uk, where you can order his book "Colombia : Between the Lines". Images from his project on the conflict in Colombia earned Jason an Award of Excellence in the 60th annual Pictures of the Year International contest.
