A State of Permanent War

“This image shows the exhaustion of a man—and the exhaustion of a nation.”
—Gary Knight, chairman of the World Press Photo jury

This picture of a U.S. soldier in the Korengal Valley in the Eastern province of Afghanistan shows the traumatized exhaustion felt most acutely by soldiers in the field in Afghanistan and Iraq after years of war—but also by the American public. This image by British photographer Tim Hetherington won the prestigious World Press Photo Contest (chosen best among 80,000 entries). Photo for Vanity Fair / Panos Pictures.

The image below shows American troops under fire at the Restropo bunker in Afghanistan. A sergeant and a medic drag a wounded comrade to safety. Click here to see more war photos by Tim Hetherington.