During his time in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, Tim Hetherington observed, “The formation of a strong brotherhood consolidated over a period of one year, underpinned by themes including sexuality, alienation/isolation and the sense of loss and fear.” The brotherhood created in these types of environments grows out of necessity as a way to combat the overwhelming loneliness, stress, and fear of combat. As many of the veterans interviewed for this exhibition discuss, in the brutal environment of combat, all that these soldiers have is each other. The bonds formed among them are arguably tighter than those of an average friendship, since having one another’s backs can be the difference between life and death. In a military context, almost all aspects of individual identity are stripped away in order to further the common aims of the unit. The idea is to create a cohesive, tight-knit group in which each member is fully devoted to both the other members and a common goal.
