Photograph 11 of 15
Tank and Palm
Landscape color photograph. A low tank sits in grass left of center, a palm rises to its right, and a road crosses the foreground.
Describe the photograph
Full visual description
A band of paved road crosses the lower foreground. Beyond it, green and yellow grass partly conceals the tank's lower body. Its long barrel extends toward the viewer's right, nearly horizontally. A tall palm stands right of center, its thin trunk rising well above the low tank.
More palms and vegetation form a low horizon to the left. A broad pale blue sky opens above, crossed by thin diagonal wires. A dark edge of the Humvee cuts into the left side, with small pieces of hardware along the bottom. The low horizontal tank and upright palm are separated by open grass.
Look closer
More visible detail
The tank barrel and road emphasize the horizontal plane; the palm is the sole strong vertical. Vehicle edges at the left and bottom make the camera’s moving-vehicle position visually present without showing the full vehicle.
What was happening?
Historical context
Kenny Bass photographed an abandoned, inoperable tank from a moving Humvee during a counter-ambush patrol south of Baghdad. Its visible features are consistent with the T-54/T-55/Type 59 family, but the exact model has not been confirmed.
What does Kenny remember?
From Kenny
We inspected the abandoned tank and confirmed that it was inoperable. If it had been operable, we would have disabled it before leaving.
Who made the photograph?
About this photograph
Photograph by Kenny Bass.
Photograph 11 of 15.
How does it connect?
Connections
- Tank and Palm connects the counter-ambush patrol to the open road and irrigated landscape south of Baghdad.
What remains uncertain?
What the photograph cannot settle
The exact tank model has not been confirmed.