Asher Fink records things that are happening in the real world on memory cards. Then he edits those bits of world together to tell a story. Asher got started doing this while he was an Army Sniper in Iraq.

We thought Asher’s story was fascinating, so we asked him 15 questions about Family, War, and Video. These are his answers.

FAMILY

Where were you born?
I was born in Warwick, RI. Just south of Providence. Warwick is known for being the easiest and most convenient place ever for teenagers to buy liquor. They have drive-thru liquor stores. I guess it didn’t hurt either that I had a full beard by the time of my bar mitzvah and three older sisters with eager-to-please “of-age” boyfriends.

Are you your parents’ favorite child?
Second favorite, out of four. I got bumped up to that rank only recently since they started figuring out my weird ass. My sister Aviva is the brilliant, hardworking, politically correct one, and thus, they don’t have to worry about what she might say in front of their friends.

Do you think your parents are right for each other?
That is a tough one. My dad is a laid back softy and my mom is tough as nails. During my rebellious teenage years, this made for some pretty colorful family feuding. They don’t necessarily go together like peas and carrots, but they’ve been together since high school, so I don’t think they can imagine life with anyone else. They get along well, have the same set of values, made four beautiful babies, and so, ultimately they are perfect for each other.

If you could go back in time and give advice to 10-year old Asher, what would it be?
Express yourself. Get off your ass and learn the mediums necessary to do so. Don’t be so worried about what other people think of you. When you dig deep inside your brain and come up elbow deep in ideas other people may find troubling or “out in left field,” well, you may actually have somethingworthwhile.

I read a quote somewhere that said “the cool kids never had the time.” No idea where it came from, or what it was in reference to, but sometimes I look back and wish I hadn’t spent so much time trying to be the cool kid.

Seriously though, I might have encouraged myself to get serious about the arts, because at the time, I was always told that art doesn’t pay the bills. It wasn’t until I joined the army that I starting learning and exploring the business world of the arts.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Cop, Firefighter, Corrupt Politician.

WAR

What outfit were you with?
1st battalion 41st infantry regiment.

Where were you stationed?
Fort Riley, Kansas
Fort Benning, GA
Fort Dix, NJ

More sitting & waiting, or more doing?
A lot of doing to prepare for the sitting and waiting.

Being a sniper means laying on your belly for hours and hours waiting for your key target or target of opportunity to show itself. In training at a shooting range, the target shows itself rapidly, but in the war I sat for four days, sleep deprived, with gnats eating my eyeballs. Don’t get me wrong, there are few things more awesome to say than “I AM A SNIPER,” and the training was really fun, but the sitting & the waiting was the worst experience of my life.

If your were on a patrol what was your standard carry? What kind of weapons, armor, food, lights, porn etc? How much did it all weigh?
My weapon systems were:
1.M16A4 rifle with M203(grenade launcher) attached.
basic load for these guns is:
A. M16: 210 - 5.56 mm rounds (7 30 round magazines)
B. M203(grenade launcher) 12 high explosive grenades, 4 smoke rounds, 4 parachute flares (the kind that you shoot in the air and they light up the night sky) 2 red star clusters (to signal emergency)
2. M24 sniper rifle
basic load is 200 rounds of match grade 7.62 mm rounds
3. M9 pistol with 200 - 9mm rounds
4. Two hand grenades
5 4 smoke grenades
6. 1 incendiary grenade (can burn a hole through an engine block)
4. Bayonet
5. Body armor with plates
6. Surefire flashlight (brightest flashlight I’ve ever seen)
7. Boot knife, Gerber multi tool, bucknife, crowbar
8. 5 quarts of water
9 Gas mask
10. Night vision goggles
11. MRE (meal ready to eat.
12. MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) suit. A suit made for ET that was to protect us from Nuclear Biological and Chemical attacks.

The whole kit weighed from 80-100 pounds but I rarely carried both my M16 and my Sniper rifle at the same time. When I did add 20 pounds.

When it came to porn, nudie mags were not allowed, but a few CLUB magazines surfaced from time to time. Jerking off was a three-time a day ritual, usually done to the girls in muscle mags. In one instance we took over a compound and designated one room the “love room” because we had an assortment of lotions and pictures of models from swimsuit mags and muscle mags taped to the walls. Pathetic.

Have you ever saved someone’s life, according to them? ( doesn’t have to be in a time of war)
If effectively getting my men prepared for battle is saving a life, then sure. Other than that I don’t think I have actively saved somebody’s life, but I did come damn close to accidentally taking one of my buddies life, horrifying.

My best friend in the army, Don Angle, saved my other buddy’s life when his jaw got blown off by an RPG. Don saw that he was choking on his tongue, so he stuck his hand in, fished it out of his throat and performed first aid on the spot. The man has ice water in his veins.

See some of Asher’s videos from Kuwait and Iraq at asherandhappycorp.com

VIDEO

Finish this sentence: “The best kind of stories are……..”
Shown not told.

Do you prefer narrative or documentary?
Hmm.. Probably narratives because i like to see stories enhanced through great writing, acting, cinematography, etc. But a well cut documentary can be a call to action/emotion like no other. I guess I’d be torn, but lean towards a narrative.

Last film you saw that made you say, “YES,” very loudly.
I’ve been watching John Adams every Sunday night on HBO. I can’t get enough. I remember being in school, awed by the story of our independence. Being as interested in history as I am, I feel like I know some of the forefather characters personally. Watching these characters come to life, in the flesh, as they risked their lives for the improved situation of people unborn, leaves me thankful for the way things are. Seriously, this mini-series is life changing.

Summarize the Iraq War documentary project you’re working on.
The doc analyzes American culture by looking at the infancy of the Iraq war as a case study of how young people are socialized in America. Starting in Kuwait a couple weeks before the invasion and ending when my unit was given orders to leave, the doc really explores the “new” young American man (there are no females in my unit); these men who are brought up in the age of P.Diddy, George W. and Playstation, and how they act in the absence of clear orders in Iraq.

What’s one unscripted natural event you’d like to film (weather, disasters, animal birth etc)?
Earth from space or a Great White chasing a dolphin.

More of Asher’s videos at asherandhappycorp.com