GRIOTS REPUBLIC - An Urban Black Travel Mag - Jan 2016

©CamaraClayton
L I F E
L I M B
L E N S
It usually occurs at the oddest
hour of the day. You’ve spent
the last eight hours of your
life waiting to board a plane
intended for a foreign country
you cannot pronounce
correctly. You are hungry,
uncomfortable, tired, and
anxious to start out on this
journey. You have trained for
months for this mission, left
family members behind,
missed a few birthdays,
anniversaries, and other
important events.
Nevertheless, this is what you
signed up for, an adventure
like no other to see the world,
interacting with people with
diverse values and cultures.
The adventure you are about
to embark on, even though
exciting, may cost you life or
limb; but despite it all, you
gather your courage because
you are an American Soldier.
For Soldiers across the world,
traveling to distant lands
becomes a modus vivendi.
We can visit countries or
places closed off to the
worldwide public. Since
we frequently operate off
of the beaten path, we see
things that the average
traveler does not. Our
view of the world may be
different from most; after
all, we see humanity at its
extremes, both good and
bad.
I joined the military over
twenty years ago for
patriotic reasons and to
witness history. I picked
up a camera with the goal
of narrating Soldier's
stories through the lens.
It was, also, my way of
safely bringing family and
friends with me on these
risky ventures.
Despite the hostile
environment, I tried to
capture its beauty, the
inwardness of the people
and their culture. I