The inspiring Instagram photos from the Marine 'assaultman' who snapped his leg in combat and began training as a war photographer After snapping his leg on his first deployment to Afghanistan, U.S. Marine Matthew Callahan, a former "assaultman," picked up a camera and began On-The-Job training to become a war photographer. He began snapping photos after being sent to the Wounded Warrior Battalion and hasn't stopped shooting since. See the stunning images from his Instagram feed, bridgingthegap_, below with Callahan's original captions. "I feel being a former infantryman gives me a better perspective and will serve me well in telling the stories of Marines from the ground combat element especially," Callahan told Business Insider, which first published the photos from his Instagram feed. Civilians have a genuine interest in knowing about the ins and outs of Marine life and I have a genuine desire to tell them. It's incredibly satisfying and a wicked good time," he said. Action scene: 'Engineers dash ahead of the company to establish a pathway after setting off an anti personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) ' Big blast: 'Killin'it with those #ROCKETS!' In Japan: 'A favorite from the beginning of my Unit Deployment Program to Okinawa. Cpl. Eddie Smolko watches as his Marines hasty rappel down a small cliff at the Jungle Warfare Training Center in Camp Gonsalves here Aqua mission: 'A great shot taken by my commanding officer during amphibious assault operations while in South Korea' Snake blood: 'Cobra blood anyone?' Jungle fighters: 'Lovely day for a stroll through the jungle.' Suspenseful: 'Still one of my favorites.' Friendly sarcasm: 'Alright, I think I got it. Faught right? Dedicated: 'Immeasurable pride' 'War games': 'A a massive naval war games exercise hosted by the United States with dozens of participating allies.' Play fight: 'A good bit of Marine Corps Martial Arts training to freshen up your day' Sunset: 'Pouring over the frame for the first time. Rockets at #sunset 'In the hold': 'In the hold of a #ROK amphibious assault vehicle' Gas chamber: 'Corporal Ashbrook has his reenlistment ceremony in a live gas chamber. Endless #motivation ensued. Breather: 'Exhausted after moving from position to position on a live-fire platoon attack range, Cpl. Joshua Houck removes his eye protection and takes a breath before carrying on with his medium machine gun section' Mountain shooting: 'Lcpl. Patrick Gonser assistant guns his fellow Marine as he ires an 83mm rocket from a shoulder mounted multi purpose assault weapon (SMAW) at a really steep angle of a mountain. Close call: '2012- sometimes we tend to sandwich when formation is called in a hurry.' Sleep break: 'Zero dark thirty is a phrase that holds a special place in the hearts of Marines. A few of the guys try to catch up on sleep awaiting a flight to the Kingdom of Thailand for a training operation Welcome home: 'An emotional welcome home for one of marines when we arrived from our unit deployment program in Okinawa Japan.'