Arin Yoon

Photographer and Visual Artist

arinyoon.com

Happy Anniversary from Afghanistan

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Location: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Nationality: Korean American

Biography: Arin Yoon is a Korean American documentary photographer, visual artist, and arts educator based in the greater Kansas City area. Her work focuses on the military, families, and women and issues of representation and identity. Arin is a... MORE

Teo holds a doll that has a pho...animal. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Teo holds a doll that has a photo of John inserted in a sleeve, while Mila takes care of her stuffed animal.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Happy Anniversary from Afghanistan (2010-Present)

John doesn't talk much about his combat experiences with me. I don't know if he doesn't want to relive it or doesn't want me to experience them, too. I piece together what it must have been like for him by looking through his photos. I learn his story without him having to talk about it. On our anniversary, he holds up a sign from Jalalabad. I send him a photo of my dinner without him. We start to feel a little more connected.

Published in National Geographic.

I met John through mutual frien...an. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

I met John through mutual friends in 2011, shortly after he returned from a combat deployment in Afghanistan. John, who was his unit's unofficial photographer, took this photo of Private First Class Michalik taking in the view in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Military families move to new i...eorgia. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Military families move to new installations every two or three years. Often, spouses raise children alone during deployments. Here, military children climb onto a battle tank on Family Range Day in Fort Stewart, Georgia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

A lightning strike hits the tra...ing by. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

A lightning strike hits the training area in Fort Irwin, California. When I first moved into John's apartment I photographed soldiers doing early morning physical training and military vehicles rumbling by.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

LEFT: Jiyeong Laue and her daug...me. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Jiyeong Laue and her daughter, Serenity, pose in their backyard in Fort Irwin, California. Meeting other military spouses made me realize how much the war affected the families of service members.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

RIGHT: Armored personnel carriers protect a tactical planning, command and control post at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. Moving from a vibrant arts community to a super militarized environment was a shock for me.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

I take a self portrait through ...y life. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

I take a self portrait through John's night vision goggles. The objects of war I began to photograph in California soon became everyday parts of my life.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

John and Teo observe tanks firi...eorgia. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

John and Teo observe tanks firing on Family Range Day in Fort Stewart, Georgia.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

A memorial service is held in 2...re. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

A memorial service is held in 2010 on Forward Operating Base Kunduz, Afghanistan. Army Specialist Brian "Bucky" Anderson was killed in action by an IED three days before.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Soldiers build a checkpoint wit...me. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Soldiers build a checkpoint with dirt while under fire outside of Kunduz, Afghanistan, in 2010. The region was heavily controlled by the Taliban at the time.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Terry Twitchel, a first sergean...an. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Terry Twitchel, a first sergeant in John's unit, prepares meat for a special barbecue given to soldiers prior to major combat operations. The sign in the background reads "DO NOT BURN ACU'S" (Army Combat Uniforms). Soldiers would occasionally burn the uniforms, releasing toxic chemicals at the forward operating base in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Soldiers watch over their.... PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Soldiers watch over their unit's movement in Kunduz, Afghanistan. John didn't often talk about his experiences, but I learned his stories through the photos he'd taken.

RIGHT: Soldiers rest when they can. Here, a kitten curls up on an exhausted soldier's shoulder in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

A soldier receives a saline inf...10. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

A soldier receives a saline infusion to combat dehydration and overheating in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in 2010.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Afghan villagers greet U.S. sol...10. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Afghan villagers greet U.S. soldiers from outside a bakery in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in 2010.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Soldiers conduct weapons mainte...10. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Soldiers conduct weapons maintenance in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan, in 2010.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Months after John deploye...OTOGRAPH COURTESY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Months after John deployed again in 2015, he celebrated Teo’s first birthday, a milestone in Korean culture, on FaceTime with us.
SCREENSHOT BY ARIN YOON

RIGHT: In 2015, John celebrated our anniversary with a message from Jalalabad, Afghanistan, during his first deployment as a husband and father. While he was away, I moved from Fort Leavenworth into my mom’s house. I soon realized I’d formed a deep bond to the military community, who truly understood what I was going through.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY JOHN PRINCIPE

In Hinesville, Georgia, John pa...n 2018. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

In Hinesville, Georgia, John paints Mila's nails using a headlamp. He had just returned from a nine-month deployment in 2018.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

LEFT: Moving trucks and U-Hauls...ation. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ARIN YOON

LEFT: Moving trucks and U-Hauls line the streets of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Within a few weeks, everyone on this block had moved to a new duty station.

RIGHT: Teo and Mila are now old enough to realize when they have to leave their friends, or if their friends are moving away. Here, our neighbor, Alexandria, waves goodbye to her friends as her family drives away to a new duty station.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ARIN YOON

Soldiers use a winch to get a M...n. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Soldiers use a winch to get a M-ATV out of the mud during a road test in 2010 in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

John poses for portrait in 2011...;rdquo; PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

John poses for portrait in 2011, a few months after a combat deployment to Afghanistan. When I first met John, he had nightmares. He’d shout things like “release the helicopters” and “we have to find an escape route.”

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

LEFT: Military spouse Dana Abel...oy. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

LEFT: Military spouse Dana Abella opens the blinds as her son, Nathan Abella, plays for the last time in their home in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Each move means making a new set of friends for both parents and kids.
PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

RIGHT: Soldiers at Fort Irwin practice conducting a clearing operation in an urban environment. Fort Irwin is the National Training Center for U.S. Army units before they deploy.
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Teo and Mila run to embrace Joh... media. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Teo and Mila run to embrace John when he returned from his 2018 deployment. Homecomings are a milestone in military life, though the day-to-day often gets ignored by the media.

PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

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Thumbnail of Teo holds a doll that has a phot_ animal. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of I met John through mutual friend_tan. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Military families move to new in_Georgia. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of A lightning strike hits the trai_ling by. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of LEFT: Jiyeong Laue and her daugh_ me. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of I take a self portrait through J_my life. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of John and Teo observe tanks firin_Georgia. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of A memorial service is held in 20_ore. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Soldiers build a checkpoint with_ime. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Terry Twitchel, a first sergeant_tan. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of LEFT: Soldiers watch over their _n. PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of A soldier receives a saline infu_010. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Afghan villagers greet U.S. sold_010. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Soldiers conduct weapons mainten_010. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of LEFT: Months after John deployed_HOTOGRAPH COURTESY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of In Hinesville, Georgia, John pai_in 2018. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of LEFT: Moving trucks and U-Hauls _tation. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of Soldiers use a winch to get a M-_an. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of John poses for portrait in 2011,_p;rdquo; PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Thumbnail of LEFT: Military spouse Dana Abell_loy. PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN PRINCIPE

Thumbnail of Teo and Mila run to embrace John_e media. PHOTOGRAPH BY ARIN YOON

Public Story

Happy Anniversary from Afghanistan

Copyright Arin Yoon 2024

Updated Sep 2021

Location USA; Afghanistan

Topics Children, Combat, Conflict, Documentary, Family, iPhone, Journalism, Military, Motherhood, Photography, Photojournalism, Portraiture, Relationships, Veterans, War, War and its effects

National Geographic: A military spouse reflects on life over two decades of war and what comes next. In the dark about life as a military spouse, a photographer began documenting what it means to go to war.