When someone views this picture for the first time there is usually a feeling of shock at what they see. This feeling is clearly understandable if you are just shown the picture by itself with no caption or background information. It is the lack of facts and truths that have caused this very photograph to be the center of so much controversy and debate. When this photo was taken from a video clip filmed at the bombing of Trang Bang in June of 1972 the correct version of the story was reported. Since then and in other journalist’s stories the truth has become distorted over time and this photo has become an icon for the anti-war movement. Although this photo actually had very little impact on the decision to withdrawal troops and end our campaign in Vietnam it has had a profound impact on the American and Vietnamese public.
This photograph was taken in June of 1972 by Nick Ut outside the small city of Trang Bang. The small girl with her clothes burned from her body shown running away from the ruin was Kim Phuc. The soldiers seen in the background are Army of the Republic of Vietnam soldiers. The fires in the background is napalm burning. These elements by themselves simply show a small moment in time captured on film. This moment frozen in time displays all the terrors and what is wrong with war. If we add into this mix irresponsible reporting with a public opinion already geared in the direction that our involvement in Vietnam was wrong we have a dangerous mix.
The Essay on Vietnam And Enlisting In The Army
Introduction My name is Jack Andrews and I still live with my parents, Robert and Marie Andrews, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I have one brother named John Andrews, and he is married and is living in California. These past few months my dad has been trying to persuade me to join the Army, like John did. I have given it some serious thought, and I am really thinking about joining. After all, I ...
What this dangerous mix has evolved into today is a gigantic misconception of what really happened in this frozen moment of time. This photograph not only has effected the American public it has also been used as propaganda against the South Vietnamese government. There have been many myths about this one specific photograph, some are understandable and some have been out right lies or media grabbers getting their moment in the spotlight. As reporters covered the Vietnam War they discovered that after time the general public was becoming displeased with our involvement in the war. The reasons were unclear and since the government gave reporters free reign of what was published, many reports became one-sided or misleading. Many times only one side of the story was told.
It was usually the side that would sell more papers or make a better story. This photograph is the perfect example of what was wrong with reporting stories and publishing news clips. When this photo was taken the photographer had published the true story with the release of his newsreel. What the truth is and what was reported by other reporters at that time and even as recently as last year are two vastly different things. When Nick Ut filmed this scene and as shown clearly on the film, the Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) dropped the bombs that had burned Kim’s clothing from her body. This was witnessed and reported by UPI television correspondent Christopher Wain.
Another reporter that was at the scene, correspondent Peter Arnett reported the bombing correctly. Other journalists who were not there, but wanted a part of this sensational photograph wrote their stories through assumption, sloppy work, or malice. Many other reporters and news programs have since reported that the attack was by US aircraft, and have embellished the story recently. A recent A&E documentary had stated that they would show the American commander who ordered the bombing. That statement was a complete fabrication. It was not a fabrication on the part of the A&E network but of a more recent event at the Vietnam War Memorial.
A Methodist minister stepped forward to accept Kim Phuc’s forgiveness at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day 1996. He was an American officer in Vietnam, but he was NOT a commander and had no command authority. He was a low level staff officer working on the staff of the US Army advisors in a bunker more than 80 kilometers from the fighting. He was serving in an assignment without authority to directly or indirectly coordinate actions with VNAF, much less command, order, or direct any bombing activity. When his own commanding officer and the operations officer of the unit were questioned about the bombing they clarified that he had no authority, capacity, or capability to order any Vietnamese aircraft to do anything. They also stated it would not have been possible for him to do what he has claimed.
The Term Paper on Why Did US Lose The Vietnam War
Vietnam is a small country to the south of China (‘Vietnamese’ means “non-Chinese people of the south”). In 111 BC, Vietnam became part of the Chinese Empire. For the next thousand years Vietnam struggled to gain its independence from its much larger neighbour. This was achieved in 938 AD. The long period of Chinese rule had left its mark on Vietnam. The language, religion, ...
No one who was working in that bunker could order the VNAF to take any action whatever. This Minister was involved in only a superficial manner. His participation consisted of no more than administratively releasing some sorties of VNAF aircraft back to VNAF control. This was a clerical response to the VNAF command. His action included absolutely no command or control. This is one outstanding example of how one photograph can be so distorted and perverted it is beyond the simple truth of what happened.
When Kim Phuc forgave the bombers for the damage they had caused it is interesting to note that she never stated that the bombers were American. The reason for this fact is simple. She knows that the people who ordered the bombing and carried out the order were her own countrymen. Due to the years of misconception and the media bending to the will of the dollar that buy their stories this is one story that was never fully told. A report was also written that told the story of how Kim and her family were hit when the Buddhist pagoda they took refuge was bombed. According to the story the pagoda took a direct hit. This is another falsehood.
When Kim was interviewed about the bombing later, she stated that when her family left the pagoda to run along the road, and that was when they were actually when they were hit. The pagoda was not targeted by the VNAF and was not hit. When Kim’s family, other civilians, and ARVN soldiers ran from the pagoda a Vietnamese fighter pilot spotted them. What the pilot saw was people running toward the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) positions, where the journalists and photographers were also located. Since there were soldiers in the group as clearly seen in the photograph he also saw weapons. In a split-second decision to protect the ARVN troops from what he saw as a threat, the Vietnamese pilot diverted from his target and dove to attack the group.
The Essay on Vietnam War 8
France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when communist forces under Ho Chi Minh, who took control over the north, defeated them. Eisenhower's advisers believed that Ho Chi Minh's powerful communist-nationalist appeal might set off a geographical chain reaction. As Ho Chi Minh's government established itself ...
This was reported by UPI television correspondent Christopher Wain. It was during this period that photographer Nick Ut was filming. Shortly after the bombs were dropped is when this moment frozen in time was captured. As the news broke that was related to this photograph it was reported that Kim’s brothers were killed as a direct result of this bombing. This is yet another example of poor reporting, or an attempt to report a “good” story to generate interest in the anti-war portion of the public. The fact is that yes, two of Kim’s cousins died from the bombs that were dropped, but her brothers were not killed.
Those same bombs that were dropped also hit, burned and killed ARVN soldiers. It should be pointed out that only one sortie, a single bombing run of those three days of bombing involved any accidental bombing. It is also interesting to note that this photo was not only embarrassing to the US government, but also extremely damaging to the South Vietnamese government. It was a great propaganda tool for the Communists. Who were able to publish it and write their own version of what happened, which is almost the 100% opposite of what the American press reported. The communists were able to report that this is what the South Vietnamese did to their own people.
As a result it could be used later in the war after the US withdrawal to convince the South Vietnamese that their own government was against them. This photograph probably did more damage than any other photo to prevent the US Congress from allowing assistance to the South Vietnamese government when North Vietnam launched the full scale invasion of that country in 1975. It is easy to see how what really happened can be distorted by poor reporting and by the media’s desire to cater to what they conceive as popular opinion. The impact of this one photograph resulted in decades of misunderstanding and misguided efforts of generally well meaning people. These misunderstandings have given spawn to nationally televised events from prime time news to the Oprah talk show. This one small split second in print has cemented the image of the Vietnam War upon the minds of thousands, and possibly millions of people.
The Essay on “War Photograph” and “War Photographer”
In the poem War Photograph, Kate Daniels immediately expects us to know which photograph she is talking about as soon as she gets past the first verse (which describes the photo in question) which explains why it is so short. The first stanza is describing what we see, immediately in front of us from this photo. After this, she explains in the second stanza about the rest of the war; what we ...
One cannot help but wonder how the American public would have reacted if the truth had been known from the beginning. Better yet, one can imagine the impact the media would have had if only the atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese were reported. The end result of this type of reporting has impacted the image of the armed forces and the government permanently. This shows a small example of the power of the press over the public opinion of not only one nation but several. Of all the pictures taken during Vietnam this one has won the Pulitzer Prize. The recognition was well deserved for the photo itself but the reporting that was done by other parties should be condoned.
The Vietnam War has demonstrated the power of the press better than any other incident in the history of the free press. Unfortunately this has proven that the media will report what will sell and not what is the truth behind the photograph. This photo effectively demonstrated what propaganda can accomplish. With knowing the truth one can clearly see the impact of propaganda no matter who or what direction it is turned.
