They’ve been married less than two years, but Army Specialist Dylan David and his wife Kristin are preparing to spend the next ten months apart. David says, “She’s the reason that I’m still in the Army, that they haven’t gotten rid of me. She helps keep me squared away and keeps me motivated and keeps my head in the game. She really is the better half of me.”
He’s deploying to Southern Afghanistan and thanks to photographer Marc Pagani, will have a special memento to bring with him. As part of a program called Hearts Apart, Pagani is giving the couple a free photo shoot. He says, “These people tend to not have access necessarily to a great photographer who can take great portraits of them. So, their loved ones can have these nice portraits to keep while they’re gone to look at and to comfort them a little bit.”
“I think it’ll give him something to remember what he’s working towards. You know, not only is it ten months of a job, but every day is one day closer to coming back home,” says David’s wife Kristin. Participating photographers donate their time and Hearts Apart covers the cost of prints. The families don’t pay a dime.
For more information on Hearts Apart, how you can sign up for photos or how you can help in a variety of different ways, visit www.heartsapart.org.