Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/16
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]What is going on here and why has it been going on for so long? NO ONE on this list has in any way, shape, or form questioned the bravery, dedication, etc., of any United States Marine - Godforbid. NO ONE has questioned Rosenthal's photographic skills or willingness to take a risk. All some people wondered was whether a second flag was raised for what I would call propaganda purposes. If that wasn't the case, fine. If it was, fine. The reality is that during WWII virtually all journalists were, for want of a more elegant, less controversial term, tools of the United States government in general and armed forces in particular. They were "on the team," heavily censored, taking photos and filing copy intended, at least partially, to bolster morale at home and in the trenches. That DOES NOT mean that the journalists, both photo and print, weren't risking their lives - they were - and weren't doing good work - they did. But the reality is also that Vietnam was really the first, and it may be argued last, major American conflict in which the media was largely unfettered. I would suggest that anyone on this list who is looking for a fascinating read turn to Will Prochnau's "Once Upon A Distant War - David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Peter Arnett - Young War Correspondents and Their Early Vietnam Battles," Vintage paperback, $15 US, $21 Can, ISBN 0-679-77265-0. I reads like a novel and includes fascinating detail. Further, I would urge any of you who haven't to grab a copy of "Requiem," by Tim Page and Horst Fass, and READ the copy in addition to looking at the incredible collection of photos by shooters who died in Vietnam. And now I'll shut up...and pray that this thread soon dies a quiet death..:-) B. D. (Dr. Blacktape was smart enough to stay out of this one!) - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Marc James Small Sent: Thursday, September 16, 1999 12:55 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] Iwo Jima Yet Again At 06:10 AM 9/16/1999 -0600, George Huczek wrote: >It may be better to state that the second flag raising was a _reenactment_ >of an earlier raising which used a smaller flag. Well, I would still dispute this terminology. "Re-enactment" implies, in US English, anyway, that it was done for the purpose of recreating an earlier event, generally for publicity purposes. To the contrary, there were two separate flag-raisings, the second being done for sound military purposes (so the troops down below could SEE the larger flag!) and not to allow the press photographers to get another go at taking pictures. The folks at the top -- including Rosenthal! -- were under fire during both raisings, incidentally. I would hate to believe that someone thinks the Marines would risk their men's lives just to get a great picture, or that a photographer of the caliber of Rosenthal would have participated in such. Marc msmall@roanoke.infi.net FAX: +540/343-7315 Cha robh bas fir gun ghras fir!