Documentary filmmaker, Scott Kesterson, began his career as an embedded journalist with the Army National Guard 41st brigade in Afghanistan. His one year spent with troops brought the world an inside look at the forces of war in places few had seen before.

His combat footage, aired on both Frontline and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and through the internet has been viewed worldwide creating an iconic image of a war that only those who have “been there” could know.

Kesterson was the first full-time embedded news blogger and captured the first footage of Canadian troops in combat since Korea. In May 2007 he earned a regional Emmy Award for his combat photography.

US Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers watch as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter lands at the forward operating base near the village of Terin Kowt. The US soldiers were heading back to Kandahar to prepare for their return home following a 15-month deployment in Afghanistan. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

A NATO C-130 Hercules drops needed supplies to the US Army Special Operations forward operating base near the village of Oshay, Oruzgon Province, Afghanistan. Air resupply is often the only way to deliver supplies due to difficult terrain and limited road access. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

A US Army National Guard advisor listens to an Afghan commander talk by radio from his forward operating base in Khakaran, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. The commander was trying to find out why critical supplies were not delivered with the recent helicopter re-supply. The base in Khakaran could only be re-supplied regularly by airlifts. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An Afghan soldier climbs through a window during a search for weapons near the village of Sera, Oruzgon Province, Afghanistan. Weapons cache searches are a regular part of the daily operations for both US and Afghan soldiers in the area. On this day, no weapons were found. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

Afghan soldiers along with their Canadian advisors conduct a routine “presence” patrol in the Panjawi Valley, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Patrols such as this are part of the strategy of stabilization in the region, by attempting to maintain a visible presence in local villages. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

A man accused of rape hears the charge A man accused of rape hears charges against him read by an Afghan police constable near the village of Khakaran, Zabul Province, Afghansitan. His swollen feet are the result of an interrogation the night before that included a beating with a truncheon. He now awaits an unknown fate as the constable functions as judge and jury. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

A US Army advisor grabs an Afghan soldier to advert him from danger as a rocket propelled grenade misfires during a training exercise at the forward operating base near Oshay, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. The grenade landed on the ground several feet ahead of the soldier but did not detonate. No one was injured. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

1st Lt. George Leverton, an Army advisor, rides a donkey along with two Afghan soldiers during operations in Zamburay Valley, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. Due to the rugged terrain, much of the operations in Afghanistan prevent use of modern transportation. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

Villagers struggle over radios given out by US Army 10th Mountain Division soldiers near Ghazni, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Humanitarian assistance is a regular part of the US Army’s mission in Afghanistan. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An Afghan soldier sits watch above the Chimbarak Pass, Oruzgon Provence, Afghanistan. The pass, a critical trade route for Afghan commerce, has been a target of Taliban attacks. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

---