Russell Klika

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Russell Lee Klika, a newspaper and former U.S. military combat photographer, photojournalist^[1] and trainer, grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, 100 miles north of Milwaukee.

[edit] Photo career

Klika, at age 17, joined the U.S. Marine Corps and eventually became a combat photographer and trainer.^[2] Staff Sgt. Klika served two tours of duty in Iraq, most recently (2006) with the 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment of the Tennessee Army National Guard.^[3]

In late 1980, he left the Marine Corps and became head photographer at The Vista Press, a now-closed daily newspaper in Vista, California, where he covered the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, California.^[4] He left the newspaper in 1992 and worked for the Escondido Times Advocate until 2003. While at The Vista Press, in 1992 he was awarded Best of Show photo in the San Diego Press Club's annual journalism contest.

In 2004, he joined the 278th Regimental Combat Team Tennessee Army National guard as a noncommissioned officer in charge of public affairs, joining their tour in Iraq. After he returned, he became an operation warrior trainer for the first army and a combat photography trainer in public affairs at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Indiana.^[5] When his service ended in February 2008, Klika became a contract employee for the National Guard in Smyma, Tennessee, where he currently supervises civilian photographers assigned to the National Guard.

In April 2007, Klika won first place in the Military Photographer of the Year contest for his portrait of an Iraqi child. In February 2008, 40 of his Iraq photos were displayed at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania.^[2] In May 2008, Klika was awarded an honorable mention in the Art of Photography Show for a photo titled "Faces of Iraq," on display at the Lyceum Theatre Gallery in downtown San Diego.^[6] In February 2008, he had two one-man shows and gave lectures at Point Park University^[7] and Slippery Rock University^[8]

In late May 2008, his photos appeared with eight other combat photographers' in the "Eye of the Storm" gallery showing in West Hollywood, California.^[9]

Klika is a 1988 graduate of the Eddie Adams Workshop and the first military photographer selected to attend.^[10]