[Leica] Viet nam 1968! :-)

[simon.apekop at gmail.com (simon jessurun)]

ted , mon vieux,may I state that I'm glad that you did?There is no shame in
choosing life over death.
One of the reasons I started flying were the romanticised stories from the
few;
the fighter and bomber pilots from WWII .
Later in life I had the pleasure of flying with some of them and was eager
to hear there stories.
When queried what it was like they all had the same answer.
Awfull just bloody awfull.
Many would have made the same choice as you if they had have the chance.
As we say in aviation regarding peer pressure and do or not do what is
expected of you:"

it takes more guts to turn back!

"Look at your grandchildren and answer truefully ,if you could do it again
would you choose differntly?

Highest regards,simon



On Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 4:47 AM, Ted Grant <tedgrant op shaw.ca> wrote:

> God dam it! 1968 and I ran away from it because I was scared shitless! I've
> never run away from an assignment in my life but this one and it's haunted
> to this day!
>
>
>
> My assignment was to photograph the Canadians who were volunteers with the
> American forces serving there. Far more than anyone has any idea of our
> people, young boys went simply because of the many stupid stories they'd
> heard fromWW2 & Korea from their fathers or uncles or whomever.
>
>
>
> Me? Heck the year before, 1967, I was photographing the Israelis charging
> across the desert in a lightening strike manner as though it were a piece
> of
> cake. So going to Viet Nam the next year didn't seem like any kind of
> problem. It was!
>
>
>
> But now some 40 plus years later this has created a situation I'd never
> have
> thought possible when it was thrown in my face regarding my attitude to
> life
> situations of today! Yes I've finally admitted to running away, right here
> and now, never before admitted!! You have no idea how it is to finally do
> that after all these years living with the fact .. "I ran away when
> thousands of young boys couldn't?" Maybe being a father of 4 and 40 plus
> years of age may have had something to do with the decision.
>
>
>
> I'm sorry to lay this out in front of you as it has nothing to do with
> photography of today, but it has everything to do with photography with
> Leica's of 1968 and me running away! No I didn't have to shoot at anyone to
> survive, but the experience has been a burden all these years, because I
> ran
> away! :-( Sorry folks!
>
> ted
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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