Army National Guard soldier PFC Aaron Mondie salutes with the American flag prior to a funeral at the Orange County Veteran’s Cemetery in Goshen, NY on Friday, October 10, 2008. The Newburgh unit of the Military Forces Honor Guard of New York provides funeral services for active duty and former military personnel. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON
*This is the kind of story that reminds me why I became a photojournalist. Access. Observation. Truth with a camera. All buzz words in the business, sure, but this is what it’s all about for me. Nothing comes even close. I spent the day yesterday with soldiers in an Army National Guard unit that provide formal military funerals for active duty as well as prior service members (like me). This is part of a larger piece I’m working on with audio and hope to attend another funeral with full honors with this unit, as I have full behind the scene access into their preparation, rehearsals, etc. Stay tuned. Here’s a slideshow from the day with audio. “Semper Fi.” -cg.
*(Click the image above or click the arrow at the lower left of the player to start the slideshow. Enable full screen viewing by clicking the 4-way arrow icon above the captions button at lower right of the player. Remember to turn up your audio for the 2-minute piece. -cg.)
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
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