Army Sgt. John Crosby swore into the Oregon Army National Guard in January 2005 and began his career as a combat medic. He volunteered for deployment with a public affairs unit and soon discovered his love of photography.

“Watching the war unfold through a camera viewfinder can make you feel a bit detached from the reality of what you’re facing," Crosby said. "The soldiers living, working and fighting in front of you have no distraction. Their story deserves telling.

"What better way to tell it than through a picture, freeze-framing a moment in history and capturing their story for the world to see? Photography is my profession, telling the soldier’s story is my passion. Who better to tell the soldier’s story than a soldier?”

Crosby has produced and released more than 500 images while deployed, depicting these large scale operations. His work has been published in the Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune and several other print and web publications.