Bedrooms of the Fallen

In his 2007 book "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot," the photojournalist Ashley Gilbertson documented some of the most harrowing episodes of America s war in Iraq. Years later, Gilbertson was still struggling with PTSD and with his guilt over a young marine, Billy Miller, who, he felt, had died in his place during the battle for Falluja. "Bedrooms of the Fallen" grew out of Gilbertson s need to come to terms with the human cost of war. It is composed of wide-format, black-and-white photographs of forty bedrooms left behind by soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan (and, in one case, the victim of suicide on his return). Left intact by families of the deceased, these bedrooms are filled with milestones of lives cut cruelly short: a framed high school diploma, photos from prom, sports medals. There are also unique souvenirs: shot glasses from Hooters, a copy of the Constitution from a class trip to Washington, DC. Some photographs also hint at these young soldiers purpose: a Bin Laden wanted poster, a photograph of the smoldering twin towers. Included are not only US soldiers but others from Canada and several European countries. These forty imagesa number corresponding to the size of a platoonconvey the anguish of war more eloquently than any battlefield photograph and serve as a lasting memorial to the troops who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is dedicated to Billy Miller."