Remembering

May 30

Ellen Davies, 75, of Indiana, PA, sits by her husband, Charles Davies, grave at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, PA on Sunday afternoon, May 30, 2010 before the start of the cemetery's Memorial Day program. Davies says she is proud of her husband's service. He served in the US Army and fought in the Korean War. "My life goes on, but I wish it was with him," she said as she sat by his grave. "We were married 53 years, but we'll meet again," she says with a smile.

(From right to left) J.C. Carter, Robert Timet, and Bill Howrilla, United States Marine Corps veterans, and members of the Three Rivers Leatherneck Detachment 310, salute during a service on board the USS Requin along the banks of the Ohio River on the North Side on Sunday afternoon. The memorial service remembered those sailors who lost their lives aboard submarines by tolling a bell for each submarine that is on "Eternal Patrol."

Colonel Gordon H. Elwell Jr., commander of the 911th Airlift Wing, shakes hands with members of the Patriot Guard at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, PA on Sunday afternoon, May 30, 2010 before the start of the cemetery's Memorial Day program.

Karen Shoaff of Beaver Falls kisses her hand before she touches her father's headstone at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies in Bridgeville, PA on Sunday afternoon, May 30, 2010 before the start of the cemetery's Memorial Day program. Shoaff's father, Edward Ellefson was a veteran of the Air Force and served in Vietnam and Korea.

Justin Merriman

Justin Merriman is a freelance photojournalist, commercial photographer, licensed drone pilot, and filmmaker based in Pittsburgh. His career began in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where he worked as a newspaper photographer dedicated to community storytelling and politics. Since then, his work has been recognized with regional, national, and international awards and has appeared in publications around the world.

After covering the crash of United Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, Merriman committed to documenting the U.S. military’s War on Terror, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and across the United States. His international assignments have also included life in Fidel Castro’s Cuba, India’s campaign to eradicate polio, the aftermath of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Cuba in 2012, the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis in Rome, the second anniversary of Egypt’s revolution, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea, and the uncertain future of Guantanamo Bay in 2015. That same year, he traveled the full U.S.–Mexico border to document immigration issues.

In addition to photography, Merriman works as a director and filmmaker, creating recent films on refugees in Turkey, Jordan, India, and South Africa.

Closer to home, he frequently covers stories across Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, focusing on the intersections of economic, environmental, and political life. Most recently, he reported on the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and its impact on the community.

Born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Merriman graduated from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg with a B.A. in English Writing. In 2009, the university awarded him its prestigious Alumnus of Distinction award. He is a founding member of Argo Collective, a group of photographers sharing diverse visions of America. He lives outside Pittsburgh with his wife, Stephanie Strasburg, a photojournalist with PublicSource.

http://www.justinmerriman.com

Remembering

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Madden

Justin Merriman