[Leica] Viet nam 1968! :-)

[hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson)]

Ted you of all photojournalists have nothing to regret for not going on that
one assignment.
You have related previously, on and off list, stories of occasions when your
life was very definitely at risk and at least once (that I know of) turned
on a single decision of which road to take.
Be proud of your enormous contributions both to Canada and the rest of the
world.
Most of all rejoice in your family and life and feel privileged and proud of
what you have achieved.

2009/6/25 Ted Grant <tedgrant at shaw.ca>

> 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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>



-- 
Cheers
Geoff
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