laporcupina:

This is a photograph of Army Specialist Hilda Clayton… and this is the photograph she took of the explosion that killed her.

A Fatal and Fiery Photograph Reawakens Memories of a Soldier’s Life

The
last photograph taken by Specialist Clayton, a combat photographer who
died during an exercise training Afghan soldiers, was made public for
the first time this week, appearing in the May/June issue of the U.S.
army’s Military Review magazine.

It
shows the moment that a mortar tube accidentally exploded, spraying
debris and shrapnel. Somewhere behind that lens was Specialist Clayton,
capturing the end of her life.                  

Now,
four years later, Specialist Clayton, one of the entries on the long,
small-print list of American military deaths, has been resurfaced from
history and thrust onto the national stage. Her photograph was widely
shared online and extensively covered, from Time magazine in the United States to international outlets like the BBC.