About a week before I was deployed as part of a mobility unit with the Air Force, I made a visit to a small Blackfoot Indian reservation. I went there with my friend and fellow soldier who is a native to the area. He suggested it was a great place to relax and gain a sense of peace with ourselves before departing.
Come with me on my journey of photos.
1. In the center of this picture you see a Mother in the hooded coat, with her child huddled close to keep warm. Yes, they are actually praying outside. They believe if they pray in adverse conditions, they receive greater blessings for prosperity and good health. I say, if they want good health; stay inside and they will remain healthy enough to be prosperous. (Grin)
2. This is the mountain valley where they live. Can you feel the quiet? It’s so peaceful. These Indians live on a reservation between the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountain ranges of Montana. They are a people barely known to the outside world. They still raise much of their own crops and animals for food. They have very simple homes or huts, and a more modern community building for gatherings. You can see the little huts to the right of the tree huddled tightly together. The corner of the community building is visible to the right. Take a breath of that cool, wintry air; so fresh and crisp. The cleanest air you will experience.
3. These pictures were taken at night because they are very superstitious about photos taken in daylight. They believe the spirit of light is offended at the use of a camera. Do you know why? They say photos aren’t needed and it’s offensive to the spirit. They believe the spirit of light makes all things clearly memorable, and only things hidden by the spirit of darkness need to be captured. It’s sincerely believed pictures taken in the light of day will bring the spirit of darkness for eternity: never to see the spirit of light again. They are fearful the camera is capturing light that will never again be released, resulting in a gradually darkening world. Can you imagine a world of total darkness? Could we survive?
4. My buddy was right. It was very peaceful, but our week of rest was gone. Now, it was mission time. It seemed like only moments had passed since we left the little village; and suddenly, there we were in the thick of it all. We were doing our load master duties aboard a C-17 Globemaster III airlifter when I snapped these next photos. It’s really wild being at the tail-end of one of these big boys while making drops of much needed equipment. Look at this shot. We are dropping supplies just above the clouds. Isn’t that incredible? That shiny object you see in the center is an armored personnel vehicle being dropped. It’s amazing how this technology age can have you in a small Indian reservation one moment, and in a few hours; you can be on the other side of the world. Truly breath-taking!
Ah you got me! I was pulled in, hook, line, and sinker. And you effectively make some great points in closing. This is nicely done! (But in my article about raising chickens, those pictures that look like chickens are really … um … chickens). 
For a start, a good title, and then you drove us to fantastic sceneries… doesn’t matter if they are real or not 
Welcome to Authspot, the spot for creative writing.
Read some stories and poems, and be sure to subscribe to our feed!
