The February Journalist of the Month, Sgt. Ken Scar, captures the frosty side of a deployment to Afghanistan. Scar, who is deployed with the 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, uses his photography to bring life to his news articles more

The February Journalist of the Month, Sgt. Ken Scar, captures the frosty side of a deployment to Afghanistan. Scar, who is deployed with the 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, uses his photography to bring life to his news articles about soldiers serving during winter in Afghanistan.

"Sgt. Ken Scar serves as one of the 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment's print acquisition team members supporting Regional Command-East in Afghanistan. Through the lens of his camera, he has captured some of the most vivid imagery I have seen of Soldiers performing their duties here, which has been shared throughout the Army's command information channels and civilian media as well," said 1st Sgt. Joe Thompson, 7th MPAD First Sergeant.

His photos were viewed more than 5,000 times and have more than 400 downloads just in February. At least one national media outlet used one of his photos.

Scar's photos show a side of life for soldiers in Afghanistan that is not always covered, like the photo of U.S. Army scouts piled up in a small room to rest in "TF Spartan scouts aid AUP on Gardez presence patrol [Image 4 of 9]." Without reading the caption, it is clear the soldiers are trying to stay warm. A second photo in the gallery includes the small wood-burning stove that was used to provide some heat for the room.

Some of Scar's photos almost let you feel the chill the soldiers must have been experiencing. He further illustrates the frigid terrain that the soldiers must navigate by snapping a close-up of their boots with an attachment for walking on snow and ice in "AUP takes the reins from US Soldiers in Gardez [Image 5 of 7]."

Scar's skill at using lighting also helps capture the winter landscape. One example is "Winter scenes with Task Force Spartan [Image 6 of 8]."

The light-hearted side of the chilly weather is not lost in his photos, however. He shows how some service members had fun with the snow in his photo gallery, "TF Gold Geronimo soldiers, Paktya PRT wage epic snow fight at Gardez."

Frosty fun aside, Scar also documents the progress being made in Afghanistan with news articles about the Afghan National Security Forces and Afghan Uniformed Police working without coalition forces involvement.

Scar doesn't just rely on imagery to carry readers to the "Snow-capped mountains" and "past the bustling markets, gurgling streams and scenic canyons" in news articles like "Paratroopers rack up productive days in Khowst." The use of his pen also helps the reader visualize the "unassuming settlements in the hills and valleys surrounding the base" that the soldiers frequently patrol.

His writing and photography skills and the resulting interest generated by his content are the main reasons Scar was selected as the Journalist of the Month.

As exampled above, Scar effectively combined his journalism skills in February to document the terrain, icy temperatures, missions and mood some troops encounter in Afghanistan.

"No mission is too hard for this stellar Soldier who outpaces many of his brethren-in-arms that are half his age," said Thompson. "Sgt. Scar's dedication and work ethic are characteristics that any Soldier can model themselves after. My command team and our Soldiers are very fortunate to have Sgt. Scar as a member of our team."  less