war billboard Iraq Suzanne Opton photograph

Thousands of American soldiers are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We may wonder what they saw, what they did and how their war experience has affected them as they return to civilian life. These are the questions posed by an artist’s billboard appearing in Albany featuring the photograph "Soldier Williams 396 Days in Iraq."

The national Veteran’s Day holiday was established to invite us as a nation to contemplate “the cost of war” and to “honor the cause of peace.” To that end, The Sanctuary for Independent Media sponsored a number of events beginning with the mounting of a “soldiers face” billboard on the west side of I-787 near the Port of Albany/South Pearl Street exit, part of a national campaign by internationally-recognized photographer Suzanne Opton.