Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/13
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Hi, Alistair - I haven't seen the documentary, although I have seen some of
Eldon's stuff...My photographer son - 24 - has made the comment that the
only thing that distinguishes Eldon's stuff is that he got killed, and his
folks managed to memorialize him. Not to be too cynical, cruel, etc., but I
don't think that assessment is necessarily far off the mark...
Cheers...
- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Stewart,
Alistair
Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 2:18 PM
To: 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: E. Adams & Vietnam Photo
Importance: Low
BD,
have you seen the PBS two-part series "dying to get the picture"? It has a
large segment on Dan Eldon ("the journey is the destination"), whose story
had some EA involvement.
I think there are a lot more interesting stories that could have been
covered other than his, but his family did a great memorial job with the
book. There's a great quote from Plato: "only the dead have seen the end of
war".
best of peaceful light,
Alistair
- -----Original Message-----
From: B. D. Colen [mailto:bdcolen@earthlink.net]
Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 4:32 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: E. Adams & Vietnam Photo
Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: E. Adams & Vietnam Photo
Anyone know the full story on what happened afterwards?
I believe it goes something like this:
Gen. Loan moved to the US (NYC?) and opened up a restaurant. He was vilified
in the US because of the picture, and Eddie helped him out. How quickly our
loyalties and sensitivities change.
- -------
Actually, it was Arlington, Va., which had and has a large Vietnamese
community. And it's not a question of loyalties changing. Adams' Pulitzer
Prize-winning photo caught a moment of ugliness in the heat of a
particularly ugly war. At the time of the photo, Saigon was in chaos, Loan
had just lost someone he was particularly close to, and the "suspect" was
indeed a VC terrorist.
Adams has said since that he regretted having made the photo because of the
impact its publication had on Loan's life.
Bottom line - War is hell. Always has been, always will be.