Any words I can think of would only subtract from the poignancy of this photo.

This photo appears at 18:22 of the video he showed when he accepted the TED prize in 2007. He has taken images of the suffering of humanity in a way that nobody else ever has, or likely ever will. Compare the list of where he has been to the list of where the CIA is also known to have been, doing what they do best; creating the death and heartbreak that is portrayed in the diary photo.
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“James Nachtwey’s searing photos of war ”

http://www.ted.com/talks/james_nachtwey_s_searing_pictures_of_war.html

“For the past three decades, James Nachtwey has devoted himself to documenting wars, conflicts and critical social issues, working in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil and the United States. ”

http://www.ted.com/speakers/james_nachtwey.html

Jacob,

I recc’d your diary, as usual.

I also left a comment earlier, which someone deleted. I’m guessing because he or she thought it was in bad taste.

To that person: war is in bad taste. Want a pretty, noble, sobering, sentimental, or brilliant war? Go see a movie.

We have not noticed that both our civilian leaders, and military seem to think it doesn’t matter how many die as long as we live up to the mission and keep thinking we can win.

All of this is done with our money, our troops, our support, and ends up on our backs. We killed those people, and our troops both the same as if we pulled the trigger, by allowing our Government to be in these wars.