A mortar tube accidentally explodes on July 2, 2013, during a live-fire training exercise with the Afghan National Army. The accident killed four ANA soldiers, as well as U.S. Army Spc. Hilda Clayton, an Army photographer who took this photo. Photo by Spc. Hilda Clayton/U.S. Army
The last photo taken by an Army combat photographer just a fraction of a second before her death illuminates the dangers of the little-known mission to document military action on the ground for planning and public relations purposes.
Combat photographers may take as many risks as their fellow soldiers. Many civilian journalists have been killed documenting conflicts, from Ernie Pyle in Okinawa during World War II to Chris Hondros and Tim Hetherington in Libya.
Army combat cameraman Spc. Hilda Clayton, whose final image was released by the Pentagon on Monday, was part of the military's Combat Camera operation. The photo depicts the explosion that killed her on assignment on July 2, 2013.
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