Despite looting and recent neglect, evidence of opulence in the palace was obvious.
I feel sorry for them for what they’ve gone through.”īest toured one of Saddam Hussein’s presidential palaces.
“I have a place in my heart for the Iraqi people. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be part of this team and see the people of Iraq,” he said. This is “probably one of the coolest assignments I’ve ever had,” Best said. Regarding the team specifically, Best said he and his colleagues are capturing images to help “tell the air component story from OIF.” The end product of this assignment will be visual images that “show whether or not the weapons worked as designed for their intended targets,” he said.īest recently took photos of several facilities including a bridge across the Tigris River, a radio relay communications station in downtown Baghdad, an intelligence headquarters, a Baath Party stronghold and surface-to-air missile launchers in farmers’ fields. “We record for history and for our leadership what our forces actually do.” “(Combat-camera photographer’s) primary mission is to capture images wherever U.S. Its findings, along with the photographers’ images, will be used to assess the performance and to improve weapons and tactics in the future, according to team officials. The team visited the complex to assess whether the air component achieved its desired effects.Īs experts in weapons, targeting, structural engineering and other disciplines collected data at the site, Best captured digital images of the damage, weapons fragments and other sights of interest to the team. Coalition forces targeted buildings in the complex during OIF to undermine Saddam Hussein’s regime and disrupt its ability to direct its military. Chris Stone, from Langley AFB, Va.īest looked for snipers as he stood at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense complex in Baghdad - the Iraqi equivalent of the Pentagon. Carla Kippes, also from Charleston AFB, and Tech. Central Command this fall.īest is one of three combat-camera photographers traveling with the team. Central Air Forces and will report its findings to U.S. In the next several weeks, the team is scheduled to visit up to 500 impact points where bombs dropped during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The team of nearly 100 experts from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia began traveling in Iraq in early June. A black professional-grade digital camera hung around his neck, and a black 9 mm pistol was strapped to his side.īest, from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., is a combat-camera photographer traveling with the Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team. “I’m sure the force-protection guys have that in mind, but we all have to be vigilant,” Best said.Īs he spoke, his eyes - hidden behind tinted goggles designed to protect him from the sun and blowing sand - scanned high-rise buildings easily within rifle range.
The past 20 years, he has made his living taking photos for the Air Force.īut on a sunny, sultry day in mid-June in Iraq’s capital city, he is looking for more than just photos. Michael Best has taken photographs for 28 years. Combined Weapons Effectiveness Assessment Team Public AffairsīAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) - Master Sgt.
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