Army photographer captures her own death in mortar explosion

U.S Army combat camera photographer Spc. Hilda Clayton took this photo July 2, 2013 that was released by the U.S. Army, that shows an Afghan soldier engulfed in flame as a mortar tube explodes during an Afghan National Army live-fire training exercise in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. The accident killed Clayton and four Afghan National Army soldiers. (Spc. Hilda Clayton/U.S. Army via AP) (The Associated Press)

In this undated photo released by the U.S. Army, U.S. Army combat camera photographer Spc. Hilda Clayton poses for a photo. Spc. Clayton was killed July 2, 2013 while making photographs during an Afghan National Army live-fire exercise where a mortar tube exploded in Laghman Province, Afghanistan. (U.S. Army via AP) (The Associated Press)

The U.S. Army has published the final photo of a combat photographer who captured her own death on camera in an accidental mortar explosion in Afghanistan nearly four years ago.

The photograph of Spc. Hilda Clayton was published this week in Military Review.

The Army's professional journal noted that Clayton's death "symbolizes how female soldiers are increasingly exposed to hazardous situations in training and in combat on par with their male counterparts."

Clayton snapped the picture during a live-fire training exercise on July 2, 2013 in the Laghman Province, Afghanistan. The blast also killed four Afghan National Army soldiers. One of them was a photojournalist Clayton had partnered with to train.

Clayton, of Augusta, Georgia, was a member of the Fort Meade, Maryland-based 55th Signal Company. She was 22.