War+Photography

Photography during the War

Many photographers who went to war faced the same dangers that any typical soldier had to. On many occasions journalist who went along a walk with soldiers had to learn to use a gun and the everyday protocol that soldiers would otherwise learn in bootcamp. The movie We Were Soldiers tells a story about a journalist, Joe Galloway, and the transformation he had from a journalist to a brave soldier.Joe went to vietnam with the idea that he could show Americans the true face of war in pictures and paragraphs. Little did he know, he would be the one behind the gun instead of the camera. One instance that can further emphasize this in an article that Joe wrote called, //A Reporters Journal From Hell// goes like this: (talking to a sergeant)

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"Him: Who the hell are you? Me: A reporter, Sir. Him: I need everything in the goddam world; I need reinforcements; I need medical evacuation helicopters; I need ammunition; Ineed food; I would love a bottle of Jim Beam whiskey and some cigars. And what has the Army in its wisdom sent me? A reporter. Well, son, I got news for you. I have no vacancy for a reporter but I do have one for a corner machine gunner---and YOU ARE IT! Me: Yes, Sir."

Shortly after that conversation, Joe explains how Sergeant Beckwith gave him a quick lesson on firing and reloading the big machine gun. He explained who the enemy was and who the friendlies were. For the next three days Joe lived in the corner of that trench, manning the gun.

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In his experience in vietnam, Joe goes on to explain the daily routines. The things they carried, food they ate, and what would happen in the event of an ambush. Being a journalist, Joe didn't have to carry all the things that soldiers had to. "It was a fairly respectable load to hump through the jungle---but at least I did not have to carry all that PLUS a few mortar rounds or claymore mines or radio batteries as most of the grunts I walked with were humping. Their loads could reach 60-70 pounds." To conclude his //Journal From Hell//, Joe explains his relationship with the men he walked beside and the experience he got from being in vietnam. "It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't lived it, but in a strange sort of way we are blood brothers. There is no hatred; only a shared relief that at least some of us survived to the memories of those who died, and bear witness to the horror of this war and all wars."

Trooper with an M-16 standing in front of a burning village. 1st battalion, 8th regiment.

The following pictures are from an actual ambush lead by Sgt. Joe Musial.

"Staff. Sgt. Joe Musial (left) hears on the radio that the rest of his company is pinned down by withering fire from North Vietnamese Soldiers (NVA) on the Bong Son plain of Vietnam's central lowlands onf Feb. 14, 1967. Musial, known to all as Sgt. Rock, was part of D Co., 1st Battalion, 8thCavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division."



"Sgt. Joe Musial leads his squad in an effort to flank the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers who have the rest of his company pinned down on theBong Son plain of Vietnam's central lowlands on Feb. 14, 1967. Musial, known to all as Sgt. Ro ck, was part of D Co., 1stBattalion, 8thCavalry Regime nt, 1st Cavalry Division."

Sgt. Joe Musial crawls for cover in the opening shots of a North Vienamese Army (NVA) ambush on the Bong Son plain of Vietnam's central lowlands on Feb. 14, 1967. Musial, known to all as Sgt. Rock, was part of D Co., 1st Batta lion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.



"Sgt. Joe Musial (foreground, prone) fires on North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers who have the rest of his company pinned down on the Bong Son plain of Vietnam's central lowlands onf Feb. 14, 1967. Musial, known to all as Sgt. Rock, was part of D Co., 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division."



"Sgt. Joe Musial, pinned down by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) fire, looks back at a soldier killed in the opening salve of the ambush. In the background is a seriously wounded soldier. The fight took place on the Bong Son plain of Vietnam's central lowlands on Feb. 14, 1967. Musial, known to all as Sgt. Rock, was part of D Co., 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division."

=**Other Photos:**=

"An older sergeant, fatigued from a run across open field, ignored advice to stay down b ecause of snipers and was shot in head. Here he lies on a paddy dike moments after he was hit. The civilian photographer who took the photo, Robert Hodierne, did the first aid work."



A surreal image of blurred soldiers in tall grass with the jungle looming behind them in Vietnam's central highlands in 1967.

To the right is a Sky Trooper from the 1st Cavalry Division Airmobile. These people keep track of how much longer they have left on their helmet.This was taken while he was participating in Operation Pershing, near Bong Son.

Here is a video of actual footage of Vietnam battles: media type="custom" key="17496268" align="left" width="96" height="96"



Here is a UH-1D helicopters airlift members of the 2nd Battalion in northeast of Cu Chi, Vietnam.This was during Operation "Wahiawa," which was a search and destroy mission conducted by the 25th Infantry Division.



Operation "Oregon," a search and destroy mission conducted by an infantry platoon of Troop B. An infantryman is lowered into a tunnel by members of the reconnaissance platoon.



A member of the 5th Infantry Division Mechanized Looks out over the fog-shrouded A Shau Valley. 1969







War photographer Horst Faas, known for his dramatic pictures of people embroiled in the violence of the Vietnam War. His work in Vietnam earned him his first Pulitzer Prize in 1965. He won a second Pulitzer in 1972 for pictures of torture and executions in Bangladesh.



John Lennon was asked by a reporter what he thinks Nixon should do about the war and Lennon responded with, "He should declare peace." "Give Peace a Chance." Back to Home Page