Section 60

A woman stands among the headstones of Arlington National Cemetery's Section 60, an area where war dead from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest.

A small memento painted with the personal note, "American Hero," is left on a grave marker.

A woman sits and weeps in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Nicki Bunting sits with her children, Connor, 2, and 7-month old Cooper, at her husband and their father, Captain Brian Bunting's grave at Arlington on Father's Day. Bunting, 29, of Potomac, Md., died February 24, 2009 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Four days after he died his wife found out she was pregnant with Cooper.

Janae Morrison, 2, gets a helping hand from Eleanor Davis, 78, to put a stone on top of her cousin, Justin Ray Davis' grave. The grandmother and cousin joined other relatives of Davis, who was killed in Korengal Outpost, Afghanistan (near Kunar Province), on June 25, 2006, when he came in contact with indirect fire while on patrol during combat operations, to clean his headstone and place fresh flowers on his gave.

Isaiah West, 10, of Frederick, MD., cleans the headstone of 1st Lt. Forrest Ewens while his cousin, Justin Ray Davis' grave. Ewens was killed in the Pech River Valley, Afghanistan, on June 16, 2006, when his all terrain vehicle struck an improvised explosive device during combat operations.

A young girl writes a Father's Day card for her father she sits on his grave.

Rick Tieman, 51, of Waynesboro, PA., leaves a note to his son, Staff Sgt. Richard Tieman, 28, also of Waynesboro, PA., who was killed on May 18, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered in a suicide car bombing.

Elizabeth Belle, 55, of Fairfax, VA sits at her son, Lance Cpl. Nicholas Cain Kirven's grave. "It is an awful beautiful," she says of Arlington. Her son, Lance Cpl. Kirven, 21, was killed on May 8, 2005 as a result of enemy action in Alishang, Afghanistan, while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Brooke Nyren, 13, kisses her father, Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Nyren's headstone at Arlington on Father's Day. Staff Sgt. Nyren was killed in Iraq in December 28, 2004.

These are some photos from Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery. Section 60 is reserved for the war dead of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and has become a place where families and friends gather to remember, reflect, and mourn the loss of their loved ones.

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
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