The Army released photos taken by a Army combat photographer and her trainee just milliseconds before a mortar round detonated unexpectedly.
22-year-old Spc. Hilda Clayton and her trainee died instantly in the blast.
Clayton was attached to the 4th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division on maneuvers in Afghanistan in July 2013.
The photos show Afghan soldiers being trained by US troops during a live-fire training exercise in Afghanistan.
Clayton and her trainee were snapping photos of the live-fire exercise at the exact moment when a mortar shell unexpectedly detonated in its launcher. Also killed in the blast were three Afghan soldiers.
The photos were taken from the perspective of Clayton (who was standing) and her trainee, whose camera can be seen in the lower left corner of one image.
Clayton, a visual information specialist, was documenting the war in Afghanistan.
The tragic incident marked the first death of a Army combat documentation in Afghanistan.
Clayton’s family approved the release of the photos.
