Marine photographer and combat camera in Fallujah. Marines in combat. Jonathan Knauth was packed inside a combat vehicle, waiting for the call to enter Fallujah. As “Breach, breach, breach!” screamed across the radio, the tracks began rolling, and he and others from Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, were unknowingly on their way to fight in the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War.

He was used to viewing the Marine Corps through a photographic lens. Knauth’s job as a combat camera Marine was to document, create a visual record and ultimately tell the story of life among Marines.

“When you’re out there behind the camera in the field, it’s the best job ever,” said Knauth. “But every Marine is a rifleman.”

Once the vehicle stopped and Marines began pouring out onto the city streets, Knauth remembers a being met with heavy machine-gun fire, grenades and tracer rounds skipping across the ground.

“You feel that energy; that tension starts to ratchet up a little bit,” he said. “But they’re ready; everybody is ready to go.”

Knauth recalls climbing upstairs inside a house when a large explosion rocked the building. He hit the deck and crawled to the roof, where he encountered a surprising scene: laughing Marines.

“It was really hard to get combat-fatigued because you’re living on that edge,” he added.

At times Knauth was forced to sling his camera over his shoulder and use his rifle. However, he was able to capture images, and today, many of his memories from Fallujah exist in still frames.

Some of his combat experiences involved Aubrey McDade, who he earned the Navy Cross for his efforts while rescuing two wounded Marines.

“He didn’t flinch,” Knauth said. “He ran up into the fight, carrying wounded Marines off the battlefield—doing what Marines do.”

Nowadays, the month of November can be difficult. Knauth recalls Marines dying on the Marine Corps Birthday and Thanksgiving. “It’s hard to find joy during those moments,” he said.

What he’d like Americans to take away from the Battle of Fallujah is the hefty price of freedom and the decision to send young men and women into harm’s way.

“For our leaders, you must weigh your decision because they have consequences,” he said. “Some are not coming home; it isn’t without the burden and a heavy heart.”

Learn more about Fallujah: 20 Years Later at fallujahstories.org.