"Since the war in Iraq began three years ago, more than 17,000 American soldiers have been injured; an average of 109 soldiers per week." A staggering statement in 2006, and still remains so today. The Lifeline was a photo story captured by Rick Loomis, where he overlaid ambient background noise such as helicopters in Iraq arriving at helo pads with injured American soldiers. The story tells of the dangers of deployment to the war zone of Iraq at the height of military-guerrilla warfare.
It details the stories and injuries to three American soldiers: Lieutenant Geiger and Specialists Griffin and Foster. Voiceovers from some of the emergency room physicians explains that chances for survival of American soldiers who make it to the ER are 90 percent. Some soldiers, like Griffin, suffer such devastating injuries they cannot even call home to their families once they've been stabilized without the aid of hospital personnel. So, Loomis provides another voiceover with a medical physician assisting Griffin with placing a call home while he dictates his physical state to his family through a writing pad.
The combination of sobering photography with natural sound of the environment of Iraq places the viewer in the situations that some of the soldiers go through during time of war. Even though people might not truly be able to understand, the strength of the voices of the people accompanied with natural sound allows viewers to become more sympathetic.
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