[Leica] Viet nam 1968! :-)

[gwpics at me.com (Gerry Walden)]

Ted

Your family and your friends have your love, kindness and presence for  
the 40 years since that day, and that simple fact makes your decision  
the right one. The world has also benefited from 40 years of your fine  
photography since then, and you need to look at what you have achieved  
since then to prove to yourself that you were right. No, you may not  
have been killed or maimed there, but your chances were seriously  
heightened. I feel sure that you have given more to the world in the  
last 40 years than your demise would have in the middle of a paddy  
field or a jungle clearing. And, on a personal level, I am glad you  
made that decision because i am proud to have known you.

Gerry

Gerry Walden
+44 (0)23 8046 3076
Web: www.gwpics.com
Blog: www.stockuk.blogspot.com





On 25 Jun 2009, at 03:47, Ted Grant 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
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information