“You’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we learn to live together like decent people.” ~ Astronaut Frank Borman, on seeing the entire earth from outer space as he and the crew of the Apollo 8 returned from orbiting the moon.
If there was ever a photo that brought the brutality of war onto the front page of a newspaper, this was it.
In this photo, Brigadier General Nguyễn Ngoc Loan, the police chief of South Vietnam, walks up to a prisoner, Nguyễn Văn Lém, and fires a bullet into his head. In the middle of the street.
Nguyễn Văn Lém was a member of the Viet Cong and was responsible for killing the wife and six children of a South Vietnamese military officer. He admitted that he was proud to carry out his unit leader’s order to kill. Adams’s photograph was broadcast worldwide, and helped to galvanize the anti-war movement. Eddie Adams won a 1969 Pulitzer Prize for his photograph.
BONUS MUSIC!
Here’s the #78 song on Billboard’s Year-End Top 100 Singles of 1968
“Revolution” by The Beatles
Martha Reynolds Writes 
One of many amazing photographs from the Vietnam war. Photojournalism was at its peak then, unlike today when they go about chasing celebrities instead. Did you see the Vietnam War documentary series last year? – a marvellous bit of television about such a dark time.
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Iain, we had started watching the series and then there was an unexpected death in the family. I hope to get back to it. hanks for commenting, and I agree about what photojournalism used to be.
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Shocking photo. It makes me feel do sad.
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One heck of an image, and story. But, the image …
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How sad and disturbing-both the photograph and the background story. It shows how cruel war can be. Neither side is blameless, and there are no winners. Even sadder that we don’t seem to have learned much from the past.
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No winners, Tizzy. And you’re right, it’s as if we’ve learned nothing. So sad.
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Powerful hard hitting photography – wars are brutal and dehumanising and unnecessary.
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Thank you, Nila. Brutal, dehumanizing, unnecessary.
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That photo delivers only one message, and powerfully. The backstory no longer matters. Excellent choice.
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Thank you, Jacqui. I almost omitted a song because of its intensity.
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Martha,
What a cruel man! As much as I dislike the enemy, I have empathy for the people in that nation. Not everyone is like the enemy, including the enemies family members. War is ugly and I wish there was no such thing but as long as the world stands there will never be true peace.
Curious as a Cathy
A2Z Creating iPad Art Sketches “E” – Eyes
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War is horrific. This photograph proves it.
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” !”
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I know.
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See this photograph again alongside the Beatles’ powerful song collapse the past fifty years, if only for a few moments.
The executioner’s cool and calm as he aims the gun are shattering.
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I hadn’t looked at this picture in years, Connie, until recently, as I was researching for this series.
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Me too, Denise.
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A terrible and iconic photograph. I didn’t listen to the song this time. The photo needs to be alone in me for a while.
E is for (The) End of Absence
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Thank you, Karen.
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Over the years my feelings about the war have changed as I have learned more and more about it. I managed to watch all of Ken Burns documentary and it was all hard to watch and relive what happened.
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