Atlanta Photographer Captures Basic Training At Fort Benning

November 11th, 2015

Raymond McCrea Jones photographed recruits for 10 weeks. Here, recruits run during a field training exercise.

Raymond McCrea Jones

Atlanta photographer Raymond McCrea Jones did not have any personal connection to the military when he began a project that resulted in a book of photos called “Birth of a Warrior.”

In his family, only his grandfather had served in the military in some capacity, and, like a lot of children, he played with toy soldiers and fake guns as a kid. The military, though, had always fascinated him, so he spent 10 weeks documenting 162 Army recruits during basic training at the Georgia Army base Fort Benning.

Instead of focusing on the politics of the military, he said the photos tell a human story.

“You know, I want to be a friend – a fellow citizen first, photographer second,” he said. “I want to tell other people’s stories that are absorbable by the broadest audience … These are the people’s lives, these are their stories, this is what they do.”

“Birth of a Warrior” includes photos of important moments during training, including when the recruits arrive, when they receive their guns and their graduation ceremony. The book also delves into the small details of life on the base. Pictures of recruits waiting around and standing in line are peppered throughout.

There are also pictures of recruits falling asleep.

“The recruits’ brains are just working so hard, non-stop, that physiologically, I think that’s why a lot of them are having a hard time staying awake during these times that are physically less demanding like the classroom setting,” Jones said. “They fall asleep standing up, fall asleep in the field, waiting. They’re just hanging on.”

During the experience of photographing at Fort Benning, Jones said he was struck by the sense of community among the recruits. Looking over the entire collection, he said, “My biggest takeaway and what I hope to leave people with is the sense that the military is very complex. There are many complicated issues, but in the end, it’s people with real stories here that deserve respect.”