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.

An Afghan commander shares chai, a traditional Afghan tea, with his soldiers at a base near the village of Khakaran, Zabul Province, Afghanistan. Sharing chai is an essential part of Afghan culture and friendship. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An Afghan soldier pauses during a mountain patrol near the village of Kesay, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan while searching for weapons caches and Taliban hideouts. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

Afghan soldiers sweep for mines and IEDs in the Chimbarak Pass, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An elderly Afghan removes his artificial leg to show injuries sustained during a mine explosion while on patrol near the village of Tarin Kowt, Oruzgan Province. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. (Photo Copyright 2007:\: Scott Kesterson)

Utah Army National Guard soldiers practice carrying a coffin in preparation for a ceremony for 2LT Scott Lundell at Kandahar Air Field, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An Afghan soldier, at right, sweeps for mines during a patrol near Terin Kowt, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. Even in small villages, the presence of soldiers and the continuing threat of Taliban attacks have become part of daily life. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

US Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Gladwell scans the horizon through a rifle sight as locals watch during a patrol near the village of Kakrak, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. In a country ravaged by decades of war, chaos has become part of daily existence. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

An Afghan boy tending his goats watches a patrol of Afghan soldiers with Canadian advisors during operations in Panjawi, Kandahar Province. Though early education is compulsory for youth, economics, tradition and threats from Taliban keep enrollment to less than 55%. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

A US Army National Guard colonel grieves the loss of one his soldiers during a memorial service at Kandahar Air Field, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. The fallen soldier from the Utah Army National Guard died during combat operations outside the village of Terin Kowt, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

US Army National Guard soldiers prepare for a ride to Kabul International Airport and their flight home. The soldiers, along with 3,500 other guardsmen from 49 states, were deployed for 15 months as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo Copyright 2007: Scott Kesterson)

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