A former Marine, he left the Corps in 2004, but found civilian life boring. In the military, according to Dorsey, you stayed active and saw the results. Back home, he says, "I felt like I was standing still."

"I wanted something to do with my hands," he says, "something people could relate to." He had an interest in nature (from family camping trips as a kid) and in the expression of emotion. "I also wanted something technical."

A few people suggested photography, so he brought his camera along when he was deployed for a month to Poland after joining the National Guard in 2007. He organized the shots in an album and received so many compliments, he thought, "Dude, I think this is your thing!"

After a three-month "workup" (intensive training) in Fort Bragg, N.C., the 1-178th Infantry Battalion out of Chicago arrived in Afghanistan in November of 2008, right after the presidential election.

"The people there were cheering more for Obama than we were," he recalls.

Stationed in Laghman Province in central Afghanistan, he worked two jobs. As an infantryman, he sat in the turret of an armored Humvee, operating a 50-caliber machine gun while patrolling the surrounding towns and countryside. His other job, as the Unit Public Affairs Representative (UPAR), was to document each mission and produce a "good news" story for the newsletter they published to ease the minds of families back in the States. He also produced "morale videos" (slide shows with musical accompaniment) to give members of the unit a psychological boost.

"You need it," he says. "Afghanistan is a crappy place to be."

And whenever the media came by, he acted as the liaison, leading the tour and persuading them to wear a helmet and protective jacket. There weren't many media visits, Dorsey says, until Obama announced the troop build-up.

"They started pouring in just as we left," he says.

There was a lot of downtime, but it was still stressful. Taliban attacks were frequent and the situation always felt "out of control." They were armed even when they slept.

"On missions," he recalls, "I would pucker up pretty good."

But his Canon 50D camera turned him into more than a soldier.

"You look deeper when you take photos," Dorsey says. "You don't forget the people. They inspire you because of their need. Many didn't even have shoes.

"They have families and pets just like us," Dorsey observed. "The bad ones are a small portion. The media doesn't do their society justice." The Afghanis are good-looking and smart, he notes, and many of the kids speak English, which they learn in school.

But the kids have seen and been through a lot. The Taliban uses public executions to intimidate the population. Roadside bombs leave charred scars and gashes throughout the area.

Cobras, scorpions and spiders are a constant scourge, he says. And the weather can be extreme.

"It was 127 degrees the day we left Afghanistan," he recalls.

Dorsey says the troops are trying to win hearts and minds by building roads, wells and schools. They held "shuras" (meetings) with residents to discuss ways to improve local agriculture. And they acted as the de facto police force, providing as much security as possible in a chaotic environment.

But it was looking through his lens that won Dorsey over.

"It kept my heart soft," he says.

After he returned to Oak Park in August, his photos have served as his calling cards. In October, Jeff Cappel met Dorsey as he was showing them to the clerk at the UPS store. Jeff and his wife, Catherine, offered to host an exhibition at their house in River Forest. They removed the art from the walls and put up his framed photos. The event raised money to buy school supplies for the kids back in Laghman Province. Dorsey titled the exhibition, "My Trigger, My Shutter."

Dorsey will also be making a presentation at an Oak Park Photography Club meeting in the Veterans Room of the Oak Park Public Library.

If you can't wait that long, go to Jason Dorsey's Web site at www.
jd-photographic.com to view more of his work.