Dangers in the Battle Field

Sean Flynn

The dangers faced by the soldiers were the same as the reporters on scene. The only way to get timeless images was to be up close and in firing range. Some became well known because of it, such as Dan Rather, Peter Arnett, Michael Herr and Peter Braestrup who were only a few of the reporters who built their reputation in Vietnam. Although, many were lost in the battle field. Sixteen journalists were killed and forty-two remained missing. This included Sean Flynn, a photographer for Time magazine 

Government Manipulation?

Some claimed that the U.S government tried to manipulate the media to serve its own purpose. This is where the Joint U.S Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO) comes into play. The job JUSPAO was to inform a positive version of events in order to shore up morale among troops and to gain support from politicians to normal citizens. Avoid negative aspects such as large numbers of casualties or frequent attacks and promote the war by reporting victories and showing pictures that would be titled heroism (example below).

There have also been reports that JUSPAO tried to manage reporters by threatening to revoke their credentials if, they took close up pictures of dead soldiers without proper permission. 

           

Glimpse Into Reporting

In 1968, around five hundred reporters, photographers, and their staff covered the Vietnam War, compared in 1964 when there was around forty reporters. Making Vietnam the most extensively covered war in history.
Coverage was thought to have had a powerful influence on public opinion and on political decision making, making the media controversial.
Many journalists worked for specific news papers, magazines and news services, but others were "stringers", or free lance journalists.
For the most part, journalists were free to move about in Vietnam and there was no attempt on censorship from military officials. Although there was reports of harassment.

various photos of the Vietnam 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. 

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.

 "An older sergeant, fatigued from a run across open field, ignored advice to stay down because 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."

                                               

 

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

If you would like to website for these pictures, click Here

About the Authors and the Blog

About the Authors:
Austin(Yale), Grace(Princeton), and Kate(Harvard) all studied history in college and have been following the Vietnam War. With the help of the media, we are able to post to our blog the pictures of the War. 

About the Blog:
We have decided to create a blog to share with the public the powerful pictures of the Vietnam War taken by many War photographers. We hope you all can appreciate the beauty in these pictures like we do. As you all know, the Vietnam War was the first war that was photographed and broadcasted to the public. These pictures show what the War was like for those who risked their lives for our country. We hope you enjoy! 

-Grace, Kate, and Austin. 

Marines riding atop an M-48 tank, covering their ears, April 3, 1968.



Operation "Yellowstone" Vietnam. Following a hard day, a few members of Company A gather around a guitar and play a few songs, January 18, 1968.



A sky trooper from the 1st Cavalry Division keeps track of the time he has left on his "short time" helmet, 1968.


Operation "Oregon," a search and destroy mission conducted by infantry platoon of Troop B. An infantryman is lowered into a tunnel by members of the reconnaissance platoon, April 24, 1967.


If you would like the website where we got these pictures click the link below

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/vietnam-photos/