Left: Sgt. Tyler Ziegel with his wife, Renee, in 2006. Photo by Nina Berman

A couple years ago, I randomly wrote a post because I was so affected by a photo exhibit at the Whitney Museum. The photos documented the life of Marine Tyler Ziegel, who suffered horrific burns during a suicide bomb attack in Iraq; the photographer, Nina Berman, was awarded the World Press Photo’s portraiture award in 2006 and Ziegel became one of the iconic images of the hell of war.

After writing that post, I might not have thought much more about Ziegel, who by all accounts lived a quiet life. But through some strange fluke with Google, that post ended up being one of the first search results for Ziegel’s name. The steady stream of visitors to it was a constant reminder of his sacrifice. He inspired such admiration and compassion that that random post is by far the most viewed page on this blog.

Sgt. Ziegel died last week on Dec. 26, 2012, after falling on ice. He was 30.

Berman’s image is unforgettable. But Ziegel’s story after the blast is also compelling. People Magazine did a profile of Ziegel shortly after his wedding in 2006:

For Ty and Renee the two years since have been a wrenching test of love and character. In a culture obsessed with physical perfection, Ty is now vulnerable to stares and whispers. Not naturally introspective and blunt to the point of gruffness, he says he doesn’t bother with what-ifs. Rather, he relies on a store of dark humor. “I’m thinking of writing a book, You Know You’ve Been Blown Up If…,” he says, in homage to redneck comic Jeff Foxworthy. “Like, ‘You know you’ve been blown up if a year later you bleed in the shower.'” One night, out to dinner with a Marine pal, Ty had a little fun with a man who was smoking. “My friend was like, ‘Hey buddy, do you mind? Do you see what happened to this smoker?'” Ty recalls. “The guy put his cigarette out and walked away.”

There’s also this 2007 interview with Berman in Salon (before Ziegel and his wife divorced):

Yes. I asked Ty, what do little kids say? Do little kids get scared? In my book, I’d photographed a really severely burned soldier. And when I was with him I’d see kids shy away and he would smile at them.

Ty would just laugh — he’s got a great sense of humor. Kids would say, “What happened to your ears?” and he’d say, “The bad guys took ‘em.” They’d say, “What happened to your nose?” and he’d say, “The bad guys took it.” I guess he tried to make some little game out of it to deal with it.

Rest in peace, Tyler. See the rest of Berman’s photos of Tyler’s life here.

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Tyler and Renee. Photo by Nina Berman

Stopped at the Whitney Biennial last night at around 2am (it’s been open on a 24 hour schedule this week). The modern art at the Whitney may be too modern for me and my MoMA-loving-style, but there were a couple rooms of powerful documentary photography, including Nina Berman’s 2006 World Press Photo Portraiture winner, of Marine Sgt. Ty Ziegel.

Even if the Whitney isn’t your kind of art, the Berman exhibit is worth a visit this Memorial Day weekend.

Ziegel suffered burns over his entire body after a suicide bomb attack in Iraq. Berman’s award winning photo was of Ziegel, then 24, and his 21-year-old bride, Renee, getting their wedding portrait taken at the studio. I don’t know what the official portrait ended up being, but Berman’s take, with the bride’s haunted expression, turns the cliched-wedding-portrait on its head. Read a Salon Q&A here.

I remember seeing that photo in the awards gallery, but the Whitney exhibit featured more than a dozen photos of Ziegel’s life, then during the wedding, and then a follow-up in 2008.

Their marriage on Oct. 7, 2006 was hailed as an example of the power of love: two high school sweethearts making the commitment despite Ziegel’s disfigurement. That day was declared a state holiday: “Renee and Tyler Ziegel Day”.

Despite everyone’s hope for a happy ending, they divorced the following January. A Times of London profile in 2008 resignedly states, “It turns out love doesn’t conquer all. It’s a myth.”

In the Salon Q&A, Berman talks about how Ziegel’s sense of humor persevered:

I asked Ty, what do little kids say? Do little kids get scared? In my book, I’d photographed a really severely burned soldier. And when I was with him I’d see kids shy away and he would smile at them.

Ty would just laugh — he’s got a great sense of humor. Kids would say, “What happened to your ears?” and he’d say, “The bad guys took ’em.” They’d say, “What happened to your nose?” and he’d say, “The bad guys took it.” I guess he tried to make some little game out of it to deal with it.

In the Times UK profile, the author writes of the difficult time faced by both Tyler and Renee:

Most of the time, [Buddy Robison, Tyler’s best friend] and Ty talk about music. And, like Becky, he isn’t worried about Ty moving on and falling in love again. “Someone will see through his skin and see his heart,” he says. And what of his own personal feelings about Renee? Buddy smiles. “That’s a hard question.” He takes his time before answering, choosing his words with care.

“I respect her a lot for sticking by Ty’s side. Moving to San Antonio? she helped him through the hardest time in his life
…
“Before he got blown up, we were both shy. We were exactly alike. Now he’s not afraid to go up to someone he doesn’t know and talk to them. He doesn’t hide. Obviously, people look, but he walks straight ahead.”

There has only been one incident where there’s been trouble. A little over a year ago they were leaving a bar and a bunch of local college kids made fun of Ty. There was a fight.

“They made fun of him, called him a freak. You can’t just brush that off. Someone’s got the audacity to do that to someone who served his country, protecting them?”

Tyler and Renee, Nina Berman

Nina Berman Photography

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