(click for alternate pic)
In mid-December, I posted a photo of a female US soldier with an Iraqi woman on Murdoc Online. I also posted it here at Winds under the title "Just two women changing the world". A few commenters at WoC and in other places acted predictably lame, and the soldier, PFC Janelle Zalkovsky, happened to notice and respond. I contacted her, and she agreed to do a little "email interview".
Here's a relevant excerpt from the Q & A, edited only slightly for readiblilty (All the words are there and no words have been added.):
3. How long have you been in Iraq?
Since September 17th, 2005. Basically four and a half months.
4. Now that you've been deployed to Iraq, do you feel differently about being in the military?
Definitely.
5. How so?....
....19. When you were on leave, did you spend any time looking at mainstream media coverage of Iraq?
No, not at all. Even here in Iraq we get CNN but we choose to turn it off.....
....23. How do you feel about your picture and name being "out there" for the whole world to see?
I don't really mind it at all. I want everyone to see a female out their doing the job well. I want them to see a different side of what the Army and what this war is really about. I know that there will be many different opinions about what my picture portrays to them, but all I can say about that is that they have no clue as to what is going on out here.
24. After I posted the photos on Murdoc Online and Winds of Change, a number of commenters said things like "yeah, but she can also kick down doors and arrest that woman" and "it's a feel-good picture of US girls handing out cosmetics and chatting about glamour" and comparing your humanitarian aid mission to a Tupperware party. Should we just go beat those commenters up?
No, because they are just uneducated.
24a. Scratch that last question. Question #24 was supposed to be "What's your response to people who say things like that about what you do?"
The media I believe is the one doing that and just the fact they are so closed minded. If they were out here maybe they would understand. To me it feels good to give to those women who don't have the same lifestyle we are given or the same luxuries. What some of the commenters said was to me just plain ignorant....
Thank you very, very, much.
That is a great picture. Not to mention the best-looking Screaming Eagle I ever saw.
Great photo - I saw it last week and used it in composite photo on my site. I could not find the original source of the photo until now. I hope this is okay with you and the soldier. If you are offende by this let me know and I will remove it. I use the photo merged with a back-drop of Santa Fe new Mexico - an image tied to a song about a soldier from NM now fighting in Iraq.
You can see what I've done with it by going here:
http://www.onlytheunusual.com/UArt/GrayMadder/GrayMadder.htm
Again, if it's a problem. Just let me know.
Manny YTuarte
Outstanding.