Who would join the Army right now?

The war in Iraq wasn't going well. Improvised explosive devices were killing dozens of Americans every month. President Bush's approval rating was below 40 percent, largely because of the daily stories coming out of Iraqi cities and towns.

Who was still willing to sign up for service knowing with little uncertainty that a signature on a military-issued piece of paper would eventually lead to a plane ride bound for the Middle East?

It's that question that led Walker to an 18-year-old named Ian Fisher.

"He wanted to fight for his country," Walker said.

"I didn't want to go to college and do something a normal person would do. I wanted to do something a bit out of the ordinary," Fisher said.

And so The Denver Post started to follow the Bear Creek High School senior as he made good on a pledge to join the United States Army.

Neither Walker nor Fisher ever dreamed at the time that the project would last well over two years.

"We thought it would probably last a year," Walker said as he let out a slight chuckle.

The adventure brought Walker and a pair of Denver Post reporters to places like Fort Benning, Georgia; Fort Carson, Colorado; and Camp Echo, Iraq.

Fisher, who became a private first class, figures Walker probably snapped "close to a hundred thousand pictures." Walker quickly says he doubts the figure is that high, but knows it was "a lot."

When Fisher called home during a tough moment in basic training, Walker was there. When Fisher failed to report to duty at Fort Carson on time one day, Walker was there. When Fisher boarded a plane bound for Iraq, Walker was there. And when Fisher drove a humvee filled with three other soldiers as it traversed the muddy streets of Diwaniya, Iraq, Walker was there.

Fisher says at one point he thought he was dreaming about Walker's camera clicks. He then opened his eyes and saw Walker snapping a picture of him trying to sleep in his bed.

It was a massive undertaking. Walker, a still photographer by trade, also spent dozens of hours interviewing Fisher in front of a video camera.

"We didn't just follow [Ian] though the Army, we followed him through growing up," Walker said.

Now the project is about to be highlighted in The Denver Post.

"It's going to be weird to be honest with you having the story done and not having [Craig] around me asking questions or bothering me," Fisher said with a smile. "Bothering me in a great way."

Fisher says he has no regrets about growing up in front of Walker's camera.

"It was a great experience," he said when asked about how it went.

PFC Fisher returned from his first deployment into Iraq two weeks ago. His eyes still look tired from the time change. He's not sure what the future will bring. He was married shortly after he returned, and his unit still faces the possibility of another deployment into Iraq or Afghanistan in about a year or so.

Walker clearly will miss the experience as well.

"You can't tell every soldier's story, but by telling one soldier's story, you can give the reader an idea of what every soldier goes through," he said.

To read Ian Fisher's story, pick up a copy of Friday's Denver Post. On DenverPost.com, you'll find a multimedia package containing scores of photographs shot from Colorado to Iraq; video with Ian, his friends, relatives and military colleagues discussing his path, and many extras including the view from a humvee in Iraq, Fisher's correspondence and a cast of characters.