Carlos Salcedo/Arizona Republic

Ryan Kitchell is a Navy vet and founder of Kitchell Creative print services in Tempe.

KJZZ partners with the Arizona Republic to bring you the Arizona Storytellers series. We record the live events and share them with you on the radio. In Phoenix, the storytellers sometimes share stories about our community or the life events that have shaped them in general. Megan Finnerty is the creator of the series. 

When Ryan Kitchell graduated from high school, he wanted to pursue his passion for photography. He enlisted in the Navy and met three men who instantly became his closest friends.

Kitchell was paid to photograph everything from commendation ceremonies to the devastation and aftermath of war. And through it all he continued to develop the bond with his three close friends. 

After seeing the carnage of a civil war in East Timor and finishing up the rest of his service, he suffered greatly and considered suicide. Once, he even stood in his bathroom with a loaded gun in his mouth.

It was an incredible struggle.

Kitchell received help from Steven Schor at the Mesa Vet's Center.

Ryan Kitchell is a Navy vet and founder of Kitchell Creative print services in Tempe.

The next storytelling event is March 29, 2017, at Changing Hands Bookstore in Phoenix.

→ Hear More Arizona Storytellers