RE: [Leica] Dover USAF base photography & military funerals.

["Kit McChesney" <kitmc@acmefoto.com>]

Eric--

Did you automatically think I was speaking about you? There have been many
other opinions voiced here besides yours. Don't take it personally. 

My thoughts on this subject may not count for much in this group, since I'm
female, never served in the military, and have not photographed a military
event. However, it seems to me that there are some important points to
consider.

People who serve in our military deserved to be honored. To me, that means
that their lives should be taken seriously, before, during and after they
are sent into any conflict. Respectful documentation of the work they do is
a form of honoring their commitment and contribution to the citizenry.
Documenting lives that have been lost, or soldiers who have been injured,
keeps the reality of who they are in the public eye, where it belongs. The
people who are responsible for sending those people into conflict should be
held accountable for having done so, and if no one sees the truth of what
has occurred--and that may mean images of caskets, or body bags, or the
kinds of images we witnessed on television during Vietnam--then that is what
should be seen. 

I don't think a single person on this list would argue for an insensitive
display of anyone's suffering, be it the soldier, or her or his family. To
say that anyone who photographs a military event, including the unloading of
caskets from aircraft at Dover, is being sensationalist or is acting from
some other motive is disingenuous. Sure, there are rags out there that will
print anything, and they do. So what? That does not diminish the work of
serious journalists whose work is to bring those things to the public eye
that the politicians would rather keep hidden. And that is their job. As
those in power are ever more at risk of being exposed, the job of
journalists becomes even more important. The more the powers-that-be try to
hide their motives for their policies, wars, laws, and the rest, the harder
journalists have to work to keep that activity visible. To criticize only
the journalist for exposing the issues is to ignore half the issue. 

It is all too easy to forget who these people are, that they exist, and that
there is a disproportionate preponderance of minority and lower income
people in the military. They come from a class of people who are generally
voiceless and powerless in this society, and too easily become the pawns of
the powerful, who would rather keep the images of those who may well be
dying in vain, or for whatever reason, away from the populace. 

If photographing caskets helps bring wars to an end, then that is what needs
to be done. If photographs of wounded and massacred soldiers in Iraq and
elsewhere can bring a war to an end, then that is what should be done. For
too long the powers that be have manipulated the lives of the powerless,
mostly for selfish reasons. If a photographer can make one small
contribution to bringing that inanity to an end, then more power to her. Or
him. 

Kit

Eric Welch said: 

Excuse me? I'm also experienced professionally. What am I?

No. don't answer that...

Not to take away from Sal, he's a whole different level for sure. But 
I've covered the funerals of plenty of military, fireman, policemen.

Always with respect and consent of the family. It's an honor to do, and 
very stressful. I'd also not rather be there, but it's one of those 
things about the job you have to do.

On Nov 17, 2003, at 4:46 PM, Kit McChesney wrote:

> Finally, someone who knows what he's talking about, and from knowledge 
> based
> on experience. Thanks, Sal.
"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is 
proof
against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man [person] in
everlasting ignorance - that principle is contempt prior to 
investigation."
- --Herbert Spencer

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html