Re: [Leica] Leica in Vietnam

["Dan Post" <dpost@triad.rr.com>]

A poignant addendum here- I know Jay Leno was trying to be amusing, and it
was funny in a sad, sad way.
I saw a promotional spot for his show where he is asking young people- about
20 years of age, I would guess, if they knew where the Viet Nam War was
fought- one group of three or four girls decided that it was over Korea.
The sad fact is that not only did 58,000 American servicemen and women lose
their lives, and I can't tell you how many other civilians- including the
photojournalists- who died, but that the very place this tragedy occurred is
already fading in our collective consciousness.
I hope that there are more shows like that retrospective; I hope that the
sacrifces made by the brave souls who entered into harm's way armed only
with a camera can keep the memory withus, 'lest we forget'
It's funny- Bob Kramer attaches an historical reference to being as old as
his M3! I do the same- being a bit younger than my IIIa, and a bit older
than my IIIc! I sometimes visualize what was going one when those cameras
were 'new', and maybe in the hands of someone who was present at an
historical moment... I know it probably wasn't so- mine are in too good a
shape to have been in combat, but I can still wonder!
Technology changes- I am sure that Matthew Brady, and his many assistants,
with their wagons of gear, would have marveled at the speed and ease of
using even an old LTM to record their images!
Dan