"Think About the War in Afghanistan"

Photos unveil physical, mental rigors of Afghan war

A soldier with Abu Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, takes a nap at Combat Outpost Margah, Paktika province, Afghanistan.

January 26, 2011 - While you go about your daily routine, Bill Putnam wants you to remember something: Sometime during the day, between breakfast and your commute, between sitting at your desk and tucking your children into bed, he'd like you to think about the war in Afghanistan and the troops serving there.

"We as a republic can't forget that we've sent thousands of people to do something in our name. And the people we send are us. It's our responsibility as citizens to remember that."

Mr. Putnam, a Washington, D.C.-area-based photojournalist, spent last summer embedded with Abu Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, in the Bermel district of Paktika province, Afghanistan. Because the base's outpost is just 21/2 miles from the Pakistan border, Mr. Putnam observed that the local people seemed to consider themselves more Pakistani than Afghani. {continued w a few more photo's}