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The Wright Perspective℠
Social Commentary from the C-Suite to Main Street℠
A Blog by Gary Wright II
The Dead Marine Photo Controversy
Friday, September 11th, 2009
I know this is a sensitive issue to many, but I totally support the Associated Press decision to release the photos of a dead marine. I know his family was against its publication, but it needed to be published for one reason: Truth
We get bombarded daily by images that are propaganda and that have been "sanitized" for our consumption. The journalists that are embedded with the troops serve a very good purpose. It is their job to document the "war" and the photos / videos that form our true American history. It is specifically these images that remind us of the true cost of war. The photos allow us to have a clear perspective of what is going on all around us. These images should and must be seen by all.
What if there had been no photos or videos of the Holocaust? Those images let us see for ourselves what couldn't have otherwise been described.
What about the Vietnam era photo of the 9 year old girl running naked through the streets with the majority of her flesh burned off by napalm? Some credit that single photograph with helping end the war.
What about the images from Hiroshima / Nagasaki? These images taught us that atomic warfare involves a lot more than just a mushroom cloud.
What about the images of the dead Civil War soldiers scattered all over the battlefield? They showed us what even brothers could do to each other.
What about the images from Little Big Horn which shows the casualties literally frozen in their last stance on the battlefield?
As a veteran, I can assure you that our soldiers and sailors are aware of the danger to their lives. Personally, if I had been the Marine in the photo, I would want the world to see the true costs of war. The photo tells the truth about what happened and does it without spin or opinion.
I'm not going to post the death photo, because there is a different photo which is permanently etched in my mind. Someone sent it to me a long time ago, so I don't know who to credit.
I call it "War Baby":
We must never forget the sacrifice that our veterans have suffered on behalf of the country they love.
-- Gary Wright II