Smithy
Well-Known Member
As General Westmoreland said Jeff, "Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship."
-
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Random Cool Photo Thread
- Thread starter Smithy
- Start date
As General Westmoreland said Jeff, "Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship."
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
And it was definitely the last.
Smithy
Well-Known Member
Yup.
As you can see from the photography it was absolutely no holds barred. I've been trying to show that in this thread, as Vietnam photojournalism is in an entirely different league than WWII for example.
There's a lot of stuff which I wouldn't post here as it is just too confronting and shocking. Folks can find it themselves if they want to.
But even the stuff which I've posted here is just so visceral and immediate compared to a lot of combat photography.
A unique period in history and unique in how it was reported and shown to the rest of the world.
ZuZu
Well-Known Member
Just the idea of a major US news organization of any sort NOW covering the My Lai massacre the way it was in Life Magazine back then is ludicrous. The idea of coverage wouldn't even be entertained. Self censorship is the most insidious form of propaganda and we live awash in it now.
Smithy
Well-Known Member
After Vietnam, the military became very savvy that they have to have some means of control of the narrative and about what is happening.
Vietnam, where it was a free for all and people could see war for what it really is and in all its uncensored horror, led to a school of thought that the public can't actually handle the realities of war, so it's best to shield them from the worst of it.
Vietnam wasn't a different war and nothing that happened in it was different from any previous war or subsequent war but it showed things to the public that they hadn't seen: that the "good guys" commit atrocities; that innocents die en masse in the most horrible way; that people treat other human beings appallingly; etc etc etc.
All of that stuff has happened before in wartime since the dawn of man. Vietnam just happened to show everybody who had a TV or a newspaper that in all its technicolour "glory".
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
Thats the one... Eyed off Requiem again yesterday at Dad's place. Was this photographer killed in Vietnam?Spot on mate, it was the cover photo for the April 16 1965 issue of Life Couchy.
ausreenactor
Well-Known Member
After reading The Devils Guard 25 years ago I stated the ability to win a war is inversely proportionate to the level of media covering it.
Smithy
Well-Known Member
Tragically he was Couchy. The helicopter he was in was shot down over Laos in 1971.
Smithy
Well-Known Member
This guy is super special and a real hero in the true sense of the word.
2Lt Rick Rescorla, a platoon leader in 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Ia Drang Valley, 16 November 1965.
He was born in Cornwall, England and first served in the British Army. He subsequently then joined the US Army after moving to the US. He was head of security for banking firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and is credited with saving 2,700 people by making sure they left the World Trade Center’s South Tower before it collapsed. He was killed when he went back in to rescue more people.
2Lt Rick Rescorla, a platoon leader in 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division. Ia Drang Valley, 16 November 1965.
He was born in Cornwall, England and first served in the British Army. He subsequently then joined the US Army after moving to the US. He was head of security for banking firm Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and is credited with saving 2,700 people by making sure they left the World Trade Center’s South Tower before it collapsed. He was killed when he went back in to rescue more people.
Last edited:
galvestonokie
Active Member
i've often wondered how this Marine pilot's family felt, viewing their son's death in Life magazine. He was named in the article-1Lt [James (Jim) E.] Magel," from Lemay, MO. As I recall, magazines were reluctant to picture dead American servicemen in WWII and maybe Korea and was surprised to see the details in Life. In spite of being fatally wounded, Magel was able to "make his way" to the other CH-34D (YP13). Magel's pilot (Lt. Dale D. Eddy) was wounded in the neck and paralyzed--conscious but unable to move. Every member of that helo's crew (Eddy pilot) was wounded. The crew chief and pilot were rescued by another helo from the same USMC squadron. When every member of the crew is wounded (in YP13), you can assume the helo was basically shot to pieces, although its engine was still running.
In another article, it described that Larry Burrows, the photographer, told the crew chief in the rescue helo (James Farley) to cover Magel's face while he continued to take photos. a diffecult task in a helo flying with the door open. although i have a copy of the magazine, i don't look too often. i remember when it came out in April 1965, my Mom showed it to me. at the time i was a senior in high school and 18 months away from the USMC--i was a door gunner in a different USMC helo squadron.
in doing a bit more research, i found a post where Jim Magel's brother-in-law described that "Upon his death, this magazine was published without notifying the parents or getting their permission.'" that does suck!
Last edited:
Smithy
Well-Known Member
I think all this demonstrates how Vietnam was a new frontier for combat journalism and the lack of censorship led to this anything goes result. This wasn't necessarily that journos were deliberately callous or unfeeling, it was just that everything had changed from how war was previously reported, everything was being done on the fly and nobody had any idea of how to approach this new immediacy to what was being shown - there certainly wasn't any hard guidelines or rules because everything was so new.
Sadly there were also cases of families seeing loved ones wounded and killed on the evening news before they'd been contacted officially. Once again everything was moving so quickly.
This is probably why Vietnam as a war, for right or wrong, has some of the most brutally honest imagery.
BTW @galvestonokie , if you don't mind, I for one would be fascinated to hear about your experiences, but obviously only if that's OK and you don't mind. If you don't want to do it publicly feel free to send me a PM. I'm in contact with a Marine from 1st Battalion, 3rd Regiment and find these firsthand experiences fascinating so always interested to hear another veteran's experiences from the man himself.
All the best,
Tim
Lord Flashheart
Well-Known Member
Tempting to comment who has the more impressive expression Steve ...
