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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2017)
Wallowa County Chieftain News wallowa.com February 1, 2017 A7 Photographer focuses on soldiers’ stories By Tammy Malgesini EO Media Group Jim Lommasson has no- ticed a disconnect between the American public and sol- diers who have fought in the recent confl icts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Portland-based free- lance photographer and writ- er is on a mission to change that. Lommasson’s 2015 book, “Exit Wounds: Soldiers’ Sto- ries — Life After Iraq and Afghanistan,” is about United States soldiers who served in the wars. The book features Lommasson’s photographs and interviews, as well as pho- tographs by the participants. The project includes a travel- ing exhibit. Lommasson also has been active with the Oregon Hu- manities Conversation Project. He will facilitate a discussion titled “Life after War: Pho- tography and Oral Histories of Coming Home.” As part of The Big Read, the free event is Thursday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at Wallowa City Hall. In ad- dition, his exhibit will remain at City Hall through the end of February. Lommasson shares about the words of a Marine scrawled on a wall near Bagh- dad: “America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war; America is at the mall.” Statistics, he said, indicate 100 percent of the Ameri- can people knew a soldier who fought in combat during World War II. And, nearly 100 percent knew someone who fought in Vietnam. As far as the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Lommasson said the statistics are staggering — maybe two or three percent know some- one who was involved in com- bat. “We don’t know the sol- diers that we send to war,” he said. “They need to tell their stories and we need to hear their stories.” More than 60 years after the Battle of the Bulge — the Lommasson Contributed by Jim Lommasson Contributed by Jim Lommasson “Growing up, my dream was to be in the Army. All I ever wanted to do was to be in the Army and lead men into combat. I got 30 seconds of my dream, I’d give my other leg to live it again.” – Lucas Wilson bloodiest battle experienced by U.S. forces during World War II — Lommasson’s father fi nally began to share more in- depth about his painful experi- ences on the battlefi eld. Lom- masson’s conversations with his father the last couple years of his life served as motivation to document oral histories of recent war veterans. Conversations with veter- ans, he said, need to take place sooner rather than later. It pro- vides a better opportunity for soldiers to move forward in their lives, Lommasson said. Starting the project in 2007, Lommasson connected with soldiers at Veterans of Foreign Wars meetings, college cam- puses and social media. “Sometimes one vet would lead me to a pool of veterans,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect when I started this — it started with a basic interest.” Initially, Lommasson envi- sioned the project as focusing on veterans’ homecomings. However, as the conversations progressed, the soldiers kept “The convoy killed a girl and two goats. I went out with Civil Affairs and we paid off the family. The going rate for the goat was twice that of the daughter. I think they got $2000 for the whole package. It was horrible.” – Ash Woolson coming back to sharing about their war experiences, even showing him and giving him pictures. “I thought, ‘I just need to shut up and start listening better.’ The stories and photos fl ooded in — that’s when the project took off,” Lommasson said. During the Conversation Project event, Lommasson will show slides and share sto- ries. The audience is invited to join the dialogue and share their thoughts and experiences. Wallowa County “I try to make it so that we sit in a circle instead rows of seats,” he said. “We want to encourage conversation.” For more about Lom- masson’s project, visit www. lifeafterwar-soldiersstories. blogspot.com. 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