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Afghanistan

Afghanistan 3

Australia's War

by Ian McPhedran and Gary Ramage
Hardback
Publication Date: 21/07/2014
5/5 Rating 3 Reviews

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Featuring the stunning images of photographer Gary Ramage, and the words of Ian McPhedran, this book is an emotional, graphic, very moving and comprehensive record of the ten years of Australia's war in Afghanistan.



Australia's War in Afghanistan is an extraordinary visual record which recognizes and celebrates the significant contribution that Australian troops have made to the conflict in Afghanistan over the past ten years. Featuring the stunning images of award-winning photographer Gary Ramage, and the words of best-selling defence writer Ian McPhedran, this book is a stunning, moving and comprehensive record of the war. Over the course of the last ten years, Gary Ramage has travelled extensively with both the United States and the Australian Army in Afghanistan as a civilian and news photographer. Living alongside the soldiers, he has captured images of the battles, the men, and the landscape. His photographs are stunning - powerful, moving, gut-wrenching. they speak of the dirt, blood and the grit of war, of comrades-in-arms, the power of mateship. they also show many unexpected moments of tenderness: a malnourished baby in the arms of a soldier; a child's hand pressed to a window as soldiers march by; a soldier and his dog sleeping together on the ground for warmth. these are the juxtapositions which make his photographs so memorable. He photographs the whole war - not only the battles and their bloody aftermath, but the landscape, the towns, the people, the patrols, the barracks, and the bases. this is Australia's war in Afghanistan.
ISBN:
9780732299132
9780732299132
Category:
Photographic reportage
Format:
Hardback
Publication Date:
21-07-2014
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
Country of origin:
Australia
Pages:
256
Dimensions (mm):
227x341x26mm
Weight:
1.62kg
Ian McPhedran

Ian McPhedran is the award winning bestselling author of five books. Until 2016, he was the national defence writer for News Corp Australia and during his extensive career as a journalist he covered conflicts in Burma, Somalia, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 1993, he won a United Nations Association peace media award and in 1999 the Walkley award for best news report for his expose of the navy's Collins class submarine fiasco. McPhedran is the author of several bestselling books including The Amazing SAS and Too Bold to Die.

He lives in Balmain with his journalist wife Verona Burgess.

Gary Ramage

After five years as an infantry soldier, Gary Ramage trained as a military photographer and he is now the News Limited Group’s chief photographer at the National Press Gallery in Parliament House in Canberra.

Ramage won the prestigious Nikon Walkley Award in 2012 for his images of the war in Afghanistan.

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3 Reviews

It tells the story, but I should warn that some images were even a bit too gritty and real for me., It shows the real war and would suit any person who wants to see how Afghanistan really is for the Australia armed forces. Ramage and McPhedran have some great images. The book in commendable for not filtering out the harsh reality of war.

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Most Australians would rarely think about the more than 20,000 Australian soldiers who served (some still do) in Afghanistan. Afghanistan: Australia's War is a book that in no way seeks to glorify that war, but will give an insight into some of the experience of Australian troops there.

Launched at the Australian War Memorial where there is now an Afghanistan gallery, this is a big, landscape format hardback which features hundreds of stunning images by award-winning photographer Gary Ramage, in which he captures images of battle, life in bases, the towns, the people, the harsh landscape, and above all the soldiers and their experience there, both distressing and uplifting. Text is by journalist and bestselling defence writer Ian McPhedran, giving both chronology and thoughtful insight to events, while retired Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston provides the forward.

Dedicated to the families, this book is an eye-opening and touching account of the contribution of Australian troops to the Afghanistan conflict.

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There have been precious few books published regarding Australias contribution to the war in Afghanistan over the last thirteen years. Afghanistan: Australia's War perhaps speaks on behalf of the 26,000 plus who have served there since 2001. While about 400 soldiers still serve there, this book is well timed after Australias main force withdrawal from Oruzgan Province late last year.

Afghanistan: Australia's War is printed in a coffee table format and seeks to recognize and celebrate the significant contribution that Australian troops have made to the war in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Australia's War features hundreds of stunning images by award-winning photographer Gary Ramage, and the words of best-selling author and defence writer Ian McPhedran. Over the course of the last ten years, Ramage has travelled extensively in Afghanistan with both the U.S. and Australian militaries as a civilian and news photographer. He has also covered conflicts in Somalia, Kosovo, East Timor and Iraq. McPhedran is the national defence writer for News Limited. He has been a journalist all his working life and has also covered conflicts in Burma, Somalia, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor and Iraq.

Ramages images cover a wide range of subjects. His photographs are stunning - powerful, moving, gut-wrenching. They show the dirt, blood and the grit of war, comrades-in-arms and the power of mateship. They also show many unexpected moments of tenderness: a malnourished baby in the arms of a soldier; a child's hand pressed to a window as soldiers march by; a soldier and his dog sleeping together on the ground for warmth. These are the juxtapositions which make his photographs so memorable. Ramages photographs include not only the battles and their bloody aftermath, but the landscape, the towns, the people, the patrols, the barracks and the bases.

McPhedrans text provides a brief chronology of the shifting Australian contribution over the years as well as thoughtful observations about the nature of Australias involvement in Afghanistan and how it was being portrayed and understood by the Australian public.

The book is arranged into six thematic parts including first impressions, on patrol and blood and honour. In the last part titled the end, McPhedran reflects on the human and financial cost of Australias involvement in the war but refrains from making any personal conclusions. He reflects on Ramages images as to which might be considered emblematic of the venture, but I suspect the image selected for the cover is perhaps the sub-conscious choice - two anonymous soldiers labouring up a hill towards an unclear objective and with an anonymous Afghan soldier, half hidden and seemingly reluctant, poised to press on up the hill past the weary Aussies.

Afghanistan: Australia's War achieves its aim of recognizing and celebrating the significant contribution that Australian troops have made to the war in Afghanistan. The authors and the publisher should be congratulated for producing such a record. Afghanistan: Australia's War will have prime appeal to those that have served there and to their friends and family.

Not surprisingly, the book also includes an honour roll of the forty members killed in Afghanistan at the time of publishing, but perhaps the recent death of Lance Corporal Todd Chidgey on 1 July 2014 tells us that the story of Australias contribution to the war in Afghanistan might not be over just yet.

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