Two American servicemen pause for a lighthearted photograph atop the ruins of a Burmese pagoda during World War II, flanking a marble Buddha statue. Images like this were common among Allied troops stationed in the China-Burma-India Theater, where centuries-old religious and cultural sites often stood alongside the ravages of war. The heavily damaged stonework behind them reflects the toll of combat and years of conflict across the region during the campaign against Japanese forces in Burma. Project: 218084