[Leica] War Photographers

[photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Phil Forrest)]

What Dr. Ted said.

Personally, when I cross-rated from meteorologist to photographer in
the Navy, I thought I was going to be doing more work on the intel side
since I was already on my way to becoming a qualified flier and going
to NAC school. Well, needs of the Navy in the current climate turned
that situation on its head and I wound up being stationed with Navy
Seabee combat engineers. It wasn't bad my first deployment with them. I
went to Guam because I didn't have time to get trained in weapons and
tactics as well as get the necessary medical workup done. The Guam
deployment was fine. The rest of the battalion was fighting with the
Marines in An Najaf and up to Baghdad. They rebuilt all the bridges
that had been destroyed on the march up towards the capital city.

10 months later was a different story entirely. I wasn't one of those
folks who eagerly wanted to go into combat but I also wasn't wise
enough to think that combat would be detrimental to the health of my
friends and even myself. When I had to do those investigative photos
after the rocket attack on Sept. 4th, 2004, that's when I knew it was
real. Real friends that were really dying. I didn't want to take any
more photos of that for the rest of my life but there were still five
months left in that deployment during which we got to experience actual
hell with all 5 of our senses.

I got out a completely changed person. I'm a different person than
before Iraq and I actually have forgotten who I was back then. But I'm
better off now. 

I tell all my classmates who want to be combat photographers that they
should write down that idea in big bold letters on a sheet of paper,
wad it up and toss it into a wastebin because it's an awful decision.
The eager ones are the first to die though, unfortunately. It's like
that in the military in any job. That enthusiasm clouds the mind and
causes complacency. we all know that "COMPLACENCY KILLS" (that's what
we read all over base in Fallujah and it's incredibly true.) These
classmates of mine are the same age as the folks I lost out in Iraq.
It's the same shameful loss of life but in the case of the eager combat
photographers, I think they either have a lust for danger and a
deathwish OR they have spent too much time in video games and movies
where one can simply reset the game or stop the movie if it gets too
bad. The only thing which will teach them that their decision is bad is
the decision itself. So I can only wish them the best of luck.

Phil Forrest


On Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:47:53 -0800
<tedgrant at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Being a "War Photographer!" 
> 
> WOW exciting can't wait to go!!!!!" Idiots who think like this will
> learn it isn't like the Hollywood movies and some of the "fun read
> while in safe areas!" Or may die? I  unfortunately fell inline
> thinking being a "War Photographer" was neat! :-( I swallowed the
> stories from WW2 about the few big names from there and a few later
> conflicts. I was a trained officer in the Canadian Reserve Army as a
> "Zipperhead." A reference of those in the Armored Corp, Tanks,
> Armored Cars etc. So I had some idea of the sounds and smells from
> weapons in action.  BUT NOT BEING SHOT AT!!!!!!
> 
> My first war was 1967 Mid-East 6 Day War... Basically a no brainer
> compared to the absolutely killings of the past several years and
> today. 
> 
> If one is going to their first war...... "ONE SHOULD NEVER GO IF YOU
> HAVEN'T BEEN!" Oh I know there'll be challenges about that comment!
> "If one is determined to go they should go with the Israelis' ! It
> starts on Monday and over by Saturday and you're on a plane heading
> home on Sunday!" 
> 
> But if you haven't been to any and commenting only from reading the
> stories we've just seen and or read about the "Big Name Shooters"
> during the past 10 years, Iraq, Afghanistan etc. or before then?
> Don't tell me somebody has to do it! And you feel it's something
> you'd be just fine and can hardly wait to get wherever a war might be
> going on as it needs to be shown! 
> 
> Trust me the first few days, if yer lucky and you can time zone
> acclimatize for one thing before things are going bang bang...
> whizzz, whizzz all around you. Or something goes really loud bang and
> you don't hear anything much for the next three days.... then sounds
> begin to slightly return, only to slowly find out you're going deaf
> simply because you were taking pictures and not putting your fingers
> in your ears before the "BIG GUNS FIRED A SALVO RIGHT BESIDE YOU!"
> Like nobody said... "Hey cover your ears we're about to start
> firing!" OOPS!!! :-(
> 
> Well 1967 wasn't bad, I believe only two photographers? I had
> befriended, Paul Shutzer of LIFE on the first day I was in Tel Aviv.
> But he was killed the first night of battle. Yeah the half track he
> was photographing from took a direct hit and all died. The reporter
> he was working with was in a different half track and survived.
> Paul's cameras were recovered I believe a week later? And the film
> was eventually developed and OK with his very last pictures..
> 
> The second photographer, an Israeli, Ben Oyserman was shooting TV
> footage on contract for the Canadian CBCTV and stills for his local
> Tel Aviv newspaper. How close can one get to being killed? Mine?
> 
> I was about to go with Ben in his car and follow Israeli soldiers
> toward El Arish to the south. However my reporter had another
> location to the north, so I went with him instead of Ben.
> 
> Arriving back in Tel Aviv late that evening. Apparently, the Ben tour
> came across a road block, the soldiers began to move it as Ben was
> filming their actions and.... "BOOM!!!!!!!!" 7 DEAD SOLDIERS AND ONE
> DEAD PHOTOGRAPHER! I saw his Nikon that had been hanging around his
> neck.....it was riddled and ripped with shrapnel fragments into his
> chest and head! Me? 
> 
> I cried because we had become very good friends in a couple of days,
> buddies in arms so to speak. Then the other side came pouring in! "I
> HAD BEEN GETTING IN HIS CAR AND PROBABLY WOULD BE DEAD ALSO!" If not
> for the luck of the reporter taking me elsewhere! My wife would be a
> widow with four children to continue looking after!
> 
> Got home like I'd just been away on some simple assignment.  Yep
> Ben's situation and nearly mine? Oh it comes back once in awhile. But
> even that didn't stop me from going to Viet Nam the next year,
> 1968.... "HELL PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE SO STUPID AT TIMES THEY NEVER LEARN
> UNTIL THEY'RE DEAD!"
> 
> I wasn't there very long before it became quite apparent "this was a
> place to get killed very quickly if you stayed around!" That was
> after one outing into a battle situation! The 6 Day War? Compared to
> there? 1967 was a piece of cake considering the amount of weapons
> firing encountered in 1968.
> 
> A first time confession.......... "I ran away from it and came
> home!" :-( Never told that openly before! :-( :-( I was 41, a husband
> and 4 children all came pouring in! And "I ran away!" My guilt trip
> has always been and is to this day, I'm near sick telling this part
> of my career! "I ran away when so many who couldn't, died!"
> 
> Being a war photographer?????????? NEVER!! No matter all the "good
> glory stories Hollywood produces" And whatever glory stories written
> about the so called "Exciting times !" It' all bullshit!
> 
> This is the first time I have openly offered this side of my photo
> life other than to a few friends who had been there and understand. I
> realize we have many American folks on the LUG family who were there.
> And I know they will understand. NEVER AGAIN! :-(
> 
> Dr. ted :-(