[Leica] War Photographers

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

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 :-(