article_snippet.sent: A New York-based documentary photographer has spent three years traveling the U.S. photographing and interviewing gay veterans and servicemen to share gay veterans and servicemen stories of suppression, sadness and silence in a moving photo essay.
article_snippet.sent: Vincent Cianni, 63, said A New York-based documentary photographer embarked on the project, Gays in the Military, to better understand why homosexuals would enlist in the Military to begin with; voluntarily signing up for a system that did, and in many ways still does, oppress homosexuals. '
article_snippet.sent: It seems I spent most of my life uninterested in knowing about the Military because I supported peace, the fight to end violence and injustice, and the sanctity of life,' A New York-based documentary photographer told Vice. '
article_snippet.sent: Pieced together, Cianni's photos show commonalities between the subjects despite the subjects different journeys, from a 92-year-old WW2 veteran to young soldiers who recently returned from Afghanistan.
article_snippet.sent: In many cases, the people I interviewed and photographed had no recourse to the people I interviewed and photographed discharge,' Cianni said. '
article_snippet.sent: At times, the people I interviewed and photographed entire record of serving in the military was expunged as if their entire record of serving in the military never happened. '
article_snippet.sent: Participating in the project served to regain the people I interviewed and photographed dignity and the people I interviewed and photographed history of serving. '
article_snippet.sent: During the interviews they revisited difficult experiences, sometimes experiences they had forgotten about. '