These Soldiers Were Photographed Before And After War And The Progression Is As Startling As You’re Imagining

War is hell. Obviously. It’s hell on everyone involved, especially the soldiers.

Journalist, photographer and filmmaker Lalange Snow wanted to chronicle exactly what war does to a man. For her photo series “We Are The Not Dead” series, Snow took a series of photos portraying fourteen British soldiers’ faces before, during and after their operational deployment to Afghanistan.

The results are startling but expected. But here’s the scary part — the before and after photos are ONLY 7 MONTHS APART.

Snow’s reason for the series wasn’t just about the physical.

The photographer’s purpose was to show how these peoples’ faces started changing and how their expressions transformed into something completely different.

What was captured is a physical change, which is directly connected to the emotional burden experienced by the men. To be a soldier, men and women must learn how to not only be brave but how to be cruel as well. Oftentimes, a person on active duty is required to detach emotionally, and this is why rates of depression, alcoholism and suicide are high among those who have been deployed.

Lalange’s intention was not only to honor the soldiers’ courage but to also make the public aware of the psychological and emotional changes every soldier goes through.

Here are just some of the disturbing photos from Snow’s collection.

Check out all of Snow’s shots here.

[via True Activist]

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Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about running, parenting, and professional wrestling.