American official war artists have been part of the American military since 1917. Artists are unlike the objective camera lens which records only a single instant and no more. The war artist captures instantaneous action and conflates earlier moments of the same scene within one compelling image. "We're not here to do poster art or recruiting posters... What we are sent to do is to go to the experience, see what is really there and document it—as artists." — Sgt. Kristopher Battles, USMC.