War Photos

"To take pictures of the war is to be against the war"

I got really upset when I heard this statement in class because it implies that every aspect of the war is bad and the military is only there to kill people and cause destruction. If a photographer focuses only on the actual combat situations, obviously people seeing the photos will be saddened at the loss of life. But its all about the staging of the photos and telling a story. What if the photo was of a wounded American soldier being further injured by a terrorist? Than no one would be against the war. How about some of the iconic images of soldiers persevering through battle to raise the American flag? I don't think anyone looks at that photo and says how horrible it was. They look at that and feel pride for their country and the brave men who were there fighting for their country. No one likes fighting and death, but that does not mean we should ignore the effort of these American heroes who are sacrificing everything to preserve our country and keep us safe. Pictures should inspire people and commemorate our heroes, not condemn what they have been called to do. Yes, there are horrors in war ethat could be easily photographed, but does that mean everything about the war is terrible and convinces every person who looks at them to be against it?
 Combat is just one aspect of the war. My father spent a little over a year in Afghanistan doing wonderful things such as teaching a law class at the University of Kabul that boasted 10 women graduates, the first women to ever attend the university. He worked in the embassy helping to write the Afghan National Constitution and was present went it was voted on and accepted as the country's governing document. He supervised one of the first elections ever held by the people of Afghanistan and saw that it ran smoothly and had no violence in this transference of power. He spoke with real diplomats and ate with their families, learning about their way of life and teaching them about the American way. He helped women gain some more rights like attending college and law school and being seen as something other than a burden to their fathers and brothers. He brought one of his female students to the US to attend school and eat dinner with our family. After, she then went back to Afghanistan to work in the government and help other women be successful. Why are there never pictures taken of real stories like this one? If we had some photos of all the good things happening in Iraq and Afghanistan, maybe everyone would change their mind about it and not say things like the above statement.