Vet Who Photographed Iraq Loses Some Sight

[Judi Lynn]

Vet Who Photographed Iraq Loses Some Sight
Army Sergeant Who Photographed Turmoil of Iraq Back Home After Partially Losing Sight in Bombing
By ANTONIO CASTANEDA Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. Oct 29, 2005 — Army Sgt. Walt Gaya spent his time in Iraq peering through the scope of his sniper rifle and through the lens of his camera, snapping black-and-white pictures of his unit and of life in the turbulent city of Mosul.

Becoming a professional photographer was his dream. Losing his sight was his nightmare, which he sometimes mentioned in long-distance phone calls to his wife, Jessica, in Washington.

Then on a routine patrol last July in Mosul, with his trusty Leica wedged among the gear in his backpack, a roadside bomb ripped open the hull of Gaya's Stryker combat vehicle, wounding all nine men inside.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1262092