Photo By Spc. Douglas York | Spc. Morgan Habecker, a native of Warner Robins, Ga., who serves as a power generation...... read more read more
By Spc. Douglas York
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – There are many stereotypes in our modern world, many automatic assumptions about a person's ability and intellect formed strictly off of that individual's outward appearance or worldly classifications.
Time and again these stereotypes are proven to be unfounded and ridiculous, showing us that we should never judge books, or in this case people, by their covers.
Along those lines and looking through a narrow-minded spectrum, one would not generally think of an Army mechanic as having a passion and a genuine talent for photographic creativity – yet such a Soldier exists in the Ironhorse Division.
"I started taking pictures as a child with my father's 35-millimeter camera," said Spc. Morgan Habecker, a native of Warner Robins, Ga., who serves as a power generation equipment repairer with Headquarters Support Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad. "He just kind of let me run around with it," he added.
Habecker's daily duties while deployed, however, are vastly different from his hobby. He performs annual services on generators for the Ironhorse Division, and if anything breaks down, he goes out to the site, troubleshoots and repairs it.
In addition to being known as a being good at his military occupational specialty, Habecker is well known throughout his unit for his knack for taking thought-provoking, high-quality photographs.
"When you get seen carrying a very expensive camera, people tend to take notice," he said, noting that he spends his free time practicing photography.
His passion and talent is not lost on his peers or his leaders.
"When I need good photos of an event recorded, I want Spc. Habecker there because he takes a quality photo every time," said Capt. Charlesy Mahle, a native of Kingsport, Tenn., commander of HSC, DSTB, 4th Inf. Div. "I've been working with PAO [public affairs office] at division for two years now so I know when I see a good photo. So when I see his pictures, I'm like 'Yeah, he really does [have talent],'" she added.
How did Habecker go from taking photos as a child to the background that he has grown accustomed to during his time in the military – an 8 year career in which he's also spent five years in the Navy – to becoming a stellar photographer and a go-to person for recording events and memories?
"I lost interest [in photography] until I was in the Navy and started taking pictures of friends, and being at sea taking pictures of the sunsets and the helicopters, and it just kind of went from there. I started learning everything I could about it, and here I am," Habecker said.
"Capt. Mahle's asked me to go along on a recent PT [physical training] challenge, and I did that for her and a lot of promotions and reenlistments and things like that for the company."
Mahle further described what an asset Habecker's talent is for her unit-family.
"He has the ability to capture a concept with his photos. As opposed to just taking a photo of an object, you get a real vision of a thought," Mahle said. "I just think the unique thing is that you have a guy whose got experience in a whole lot of things – he's been in the Navy and he's now a mechanic in the Army – and while doing all of that and being in Iraq, he still keep's something that's his passion, keeps it close to him, and he's able to use it out here," she added.
Mahle was also quick to stress that she never wants his passion for photography to become burned out, and she does her best as his commander to help him foster his ability.
"I think it provides a little bit of sanity for him, something he can do in his off time," she said.
Habecker looks at his hobby through a much wider lens. Rarely seen in his off-time without his camera, it seems unlikely he would ever lose his desire to do what he enjoys.
"There is always something to take a picture of," he said. "Occasionally, I will roll through the motor pool with my camera and take pictures of people who won't hide their face, as I've wanted to get a picture of the guys welding for awhile."
Habecker recently captured the aforementioned picture, and it is indeed something to be enjoyed and something all involved in the shoot will cherish.
Despite the past accolades and the attention Habecker's talent might bring him in the future, it is obvious that photography is an extension of his being, nothing short of a part of him. Yet he doesn't take this natural talent for granted and is always striving to be better.
"It's just like everything else, if you are going to do it, do it well," he said. "Go the extra distance to actually know what you are doing and practice often."
When it is all said and done, however, Mahle said she feels that not only is Habecker a talented photographer, he is another in a long list of examples of people who have much more substance to them, more than meets the eye.
"It's like when you look at an Army specialist, you don't normally think of them as having been in the Navy, so it just blows away your little images of how things are," she said.
In all, Habecker and his talent remind us that no matter how certain we are about people, we can all take a step back, reposition our tripods so-to-speak and refocus on the whole view. Maybe, just maybe, we captured something or somebody wrong to begin with.
| Date Taken: | 10.01.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.01.2008 10:31 |
| Story ID: | 24368 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 195 |
| Downloads: | 178 |
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