Wounded Warriors

Written By Justin Merriman
At Fort Riley in Kansas, home to the First Infantry Division, two out of every three soldiers in the Warrior Transition barracks have been diagnosed with mental or substance abuse ailments, often after the soldiers underwent repeated combat deployments. Lt. Col Andrew Price, the commander of the Fort Riley unit, (center) calls to attention his wounded warriors.

Soldiers in the Fort Riley, Kansas, Wounded Warrior unit line up in formation.

Patti Gallion Katter, looks over a mountain of paperwork compiled in her efforts to help her husband, Ken, heal from his wounds.

Lt. Col Andrew Price, commander of the Fort Riley unit, (right) talks with Capt. Kathleen Ryan, 36, of Murrysville, PA (left) before the wounded warriors are called into formation.

Ken Katter, a former sergeant who was wounded leading Army scouts in Iraq, recovers at his home in Saginaw, Mich. He called his previous stay in a Warrior Transition unit a "nightmare."

U.S. Army Lt. Col Andrew Price (left) talks to Maj. Robert Stinson, a soldier with the Kansas Army National Guard's transition office.

With little electricity in her dilapidated home, Sgt. 1st Class Diana Clark cooks dinner by window light and a piano lamp.

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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