Inside the M88A2 Hercules, the smothering heat and the noise outside press inward as much as they surround the crew. The sound never stops, the heat never relents, and the steel walls make every thought feel confined. Constant listening becomes necessary—listening for changes in the engine, for voices over the radio, for any sound that might signal unwanted attention. There is no space to breathe, no place to set the anxiety down. Hour after hour, functioning continues alongside it, until the tension no longer feels like an emotion at all, but a constant weight that never fully lifts.

This was image was made in an attempt to highlight and convey the stress and unease during the battle of Baghdad for author Arron M. Grant to help promote his memoir, Taking Baghdad: Victory in Iraq With the U.S. Marines.