Men's Vogue: What inspired you to get involved and take a USO tour?
Ventimiglia: Whether you support war, or don't support war, there's no reason not to support a soldier. It's a very honorable thing that they're entering into.
Men's Vogue: You're in dangerous situations on TV all the time, but I suppose this was a little different. Did you fear for your safety?
Ventimiglia: You know, I went into the whole trip with a pretty clear mind. I knew that I was going into a war zone. I knew that there was a possibility that something could happen. We could get shot at. We could get shot at with something really big! But I never worried about it. If stuff was going to happen, it was going to happen, and there wasn't much I could do about it. I was pretty much a spectator. I guess I just trusted in the people that were keeping us safe.
Men's Vogue: And do you think the soldiers felt as relaxed?
Ventimiglia: I don't think they felt nervous, but all of the soldiers felt ready. That's their job. Wearing that uniform for those men and women carried a different meaning than me traveling around in plain clothes with a camera.
Men's Vogue: This photo of the Chinook in the air is pretty incredible. Tell me about it.
Ventimiglia: When we were in Afghanistan, we were flying out to a forward operating base (FOB), Tillman, named after Pat Tillman, the NFL football player who enlisted, and we had Chinooks and Black Hawks. I was in the Black Hawk and there were a couple of moments the choppers were close enough that I could take the picture. I shot it with a 200 mm lens. The camera did all the work. I just pushed a button.
Men's Vogue: When did you become interested in photography?
Ventimiglia: Photography has been a hobby for a little while. It's always been an interest and something that I'm passionate about. The first questions I asked when I signed up was can I communicate with people back home and can I take pictures.
Men's Vogue: So, you were there on your birthday?
Ventimiglia: Yeah, I didn't tell anyone it was birthday, but once people found out, they had this name badge made and gave me a uniform and made me a cake. It was really cool. There was no place I would have rather been for my 31st.
Men's Vogue: How did your girlfriend and family feel about you going?
Ventimiglia: Everybody close to me was a little nervous about me traveling abroad through a war zone, but the one message I got from everyone was to be safe and come home. Everyone was supportive. And everybody was happy when I got home.
Men's Vogue: It must have been a strange transition, from Iraq back to work on the show.
Ventimiglia: Yeah, people have asked me if it is strange having been in a war zone and being on a show where we play war. We do play the end of the world scenario all the time, so it was interesting. My responsibility in my job is entertainment and the response I got from the soldiers was that people are excited about us coming back for a third year. We've been off the air for 9 months, so it's exciting to know we're coming back.
Men's Vogue: Can you give us a preview of what to expect?
Ventimiglia: Expect the unexpected. That would be the best I can say.
