[THS] Photo of Dying Marine Draws Fire from Pentagon

[Peter Webster]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23430.htm

Sanitizing War and Occupation

Photo of Dying Marine Draws Fire from Pentagon

By Matthew Shaer

Scroll to base of page to view photographs [at url above]

September 05, 2009 "CSM" -- - Defense Secretary Robert Gates has condemned the
Associated Press decision to release a photograph of a US Marine wounded during a
battle in the Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. The Marine, Lance Cpl.
Joshua M. Bernard of New Portland, Maine, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade
in a Taliban ambush on Aug. 14. He later died of his wounds.

In the AP photograph, Bernard is pictured lying on his side on a sandy slope. The
image is blurry, but Bernard appears to be bleeding; two other Marines stand over
him, attending to his wounds. The caption, titled “Afghanistan Death of a Marine,”
identifies the location as the village of Dahaneh. The photographer is Julie Jacobson,
who also took the image at the top of this post. The AP reports that Bernard later
died on the operating table at a nearby field hospital.

“AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception,”
Santiago Lyon, the wire services’ director of photography, said in a statement. “We
feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant
and brutal that sometimes is.” In a story on the ambush, the AP reported that
Bernard’s death came during the “deadliest month of the deadliest year since the
U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

According to the AP, Bernard’s parents had twice asked the image not be released.

Fallout

“I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard’s death has caused
his family,” Gates wrote in a letter to Thomas Curley, AP’s president and chief
executive officer. “Why your organization would purposefully defy the family’s wishes
knowing full well that it will lead to yet more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of
compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and
stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The
issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common
decency.”

The leader of the largest veterans association in the US has also criticized the AP’s
decision, Reuters reports.

“The lack of compassion and common decency shown by the Associated Press in
releasing this photograph is stunning,” said American Legion National Commander
Clarence E. Hill, a retired Navy captain. “Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard is a hero
who gave his life for his country. His family is understandably offended.”

—

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Death of a Marine in Afghanistan




September 4th, 2009 - NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press is distributing a
photo of a Marine fatally wounded in battle, choosing after a period of reflection to
make public an image that conveys the grimness of war and the sacrifice of young
men and women fighting it.

Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine, was struck by a rocket-
propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14 in Helmand province of southern
Afghanistan.

The image shows fellow Marines helping Bernard after he suffered severe leg
injuries. He was evacuated to a field hospital where he died on the operating table.

The picture was taken by Associated Press photographer Julie Jacobson, who
accompanied Marines on the patrol and was in the midst of the ambush during
which Bernard was wounded. She had photographed Bernard on patrol earlier, and
subsequently covered the memorial service held by his fellow Marines after his death.

“AP journalists document world events every day. Afghanistan is no exception. We
feel it is our journalistic duty to show the reality of the war there, however unpleasant
and brutal that sometimes is,” said Santiago Lyon, the director of photography for
AP.

He said Bernard’s death shows “his sacrifice for his country. Our story and photos
report on him and his last hours respectfully and in accordance with military
regulations surrounding journalists embedded with U.S. forces.”

Journalists embedded with U.S. forces in Afghanistan must sign a statement
accepting a series of rules which among other things are designed to protect
operational security and lives of the soldiers and Marines who are hosting them.

Critics also maintain some of the rules are aimed at sanitizing the war, minimizing the
sacrifice and cruelty which were graphically depicted by images from the Civil War to
Vietnam where such restrictions were not in place.

The rule regarding coverage of “wounded, injured, and ill personnel” states that the
“governing concerns” are “patient welfare, patient privacy and next of kin/family
considerations.”

“Casualties may be covered by embedded media as long as the service member’s
identity and unit identification is protected from disclosure until OASD-PA has officially
released the name. Photography from a respectful distance or from angles at which a
casualty cannot be identified is permissible; however, no recording of ramp
ceremonies or remains transfers is permitted.”

Images of U.S. soldiers fallen in combat have been rare in Iraq and Afghanistan,
partly because it is unusual for journalists to witness them and partly because military
guidelines have barred the showing of photographs until after families have been
notified.

Jacobson, who was crouching under fire, took the picture from a distance with a long
lens and did not interfere with Marines trying to assist Bernard.

The AP waited until after Bernard’s burial in Madison, Maine, on Aug. 24 to distribute
its story and the pictures. An AP reporter met with his parents, allowing them to see
the images.

Bernard’s father after seeing the image of his mortally wounded son said he opposed
its publication, saying it was disrespectful to his son’s memory. John Bernard
reiterated his viewpoint in a telephone call to the AP on Wednesday.

“We understand Mr. Bernard’s anguish. We believe this image is part of the history of
this war. The story and photos are in themselves a respectful treatment and
recognition of sacrifice,” said AP senior managing editor John Daniszewski.

The photo was in a package that the AP sent to its newspaper, broadcast and online
subscribers Thursday morning with an “embargo,” or scheduled release time, of
12:01 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4. That scheduled release time meant the stories and photos
were in the hands of thousands of editors by Thursday morning, giving them the day
to make their own decisions about publishing the battlefield photo.

Thursday afternoon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates called AP President Tom
Curley asking that the news organization respect the wishes of Bernard’s father and
not publish the photo. Curley and AP Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said they
understood this was a painful issue for Bernard’s family and that they were sure that
factor was being considered by the editors deciding whether or not to publish the
photo, just as it had been for the AP editors who decided to distribute it.

Jacobson, in a journal she kept, recalled Bernard’s ordeal as she lay in the dirt while
Marines tried to save their comrade with bullets overhead.

“The other guys kept telling him ‘Bernard, you’re doing fine, you’re doing fine. You’re
gonna make it. Stay with me Bernard!’” As one Marine cradled Bernard’s head, fellow
Marines rushed forward with a stretcher.

Later, when she learned he had died, Jacobson thought about the pictures she had
taken.

“To ignore a moment like that simply 
 would have been wrong. I was recording his
impending death, just as I had recorded his life moments before walking the point in
the bazaar,” she said. “Death is a part of life and most certainly a part of war. Isn’t
that why we’re here? To document for now and for history the events of this war?”

Later, she showed members of his squad all the images taken that day and the
Marines flipped through them on her computer one by one.

“They did stop when they came to that moment,” she said. “But none of them
complained or grew angry about it. They understood that it was what it was. They
understand, despite that he was their friend, it was the reality of things.”
marine001

U.S. Marine Cpl. Braxton Russell, left, tells one of his Marines to “light it up” if he sees
any movement from a pomegranate grove where Taliban are believed to be lying in
wait less than 100 yards away while on patrol through the village of Dahaneh, Friday,
Aug. 14, 2009, in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Shortly after, Taliban fighters
opened fire with an rocket propelled grenade which killed Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard
who was on point. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine002

In this photo taken Friday Aug. 14, 2009, U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard of
Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, patrols on point through the bazaar in the
village of Dahaneh in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Less than an hour later
Bernard’s squad was ambushed by Taliban fighters waiting in a pomegranate grove.
Bernard was hit with a rocket propelled grenade and later died of his wounds. (AP
Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine003

In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 14, 2009, Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard is tended to by
fellow U.S. Marines after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade during a firefight
against the Taliban in the village of Dahaneh in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.
Bernard was transported by helicopter to Camp Leatherneck where he later died of
his wounds. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine004

In this Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 photo, U.S. Marine Lt. Jake Godby pays his respects
to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard during a memorial service at a forward operating base
with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Now Zad in the Helmand Province
of Afghanistan. Bernard was mortally wounded during a Taliban ambush on Aug. 14.
(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine005

In this Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 photo, U.S. Marine Cpl. Braxton Russell pays his
respects to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard during a memorial service at a forward
operating base with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Now Zad in the
Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was mortally wounded during a Taliban
ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine006

In this Aug. 27, 2009, photo U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, left, and
2nd MEB Sgt. Major Hooph pay their respects to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard during a
memorial service at a forward operating base with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd
Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF, in Now Zad in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan.
Marines on the front lines across southern Afghanistan, who also fought in Iraq, told
The Associated Press in late August 2009, that the enemy in Afghanistan is a smaller,
smarter force, not as religiously fanatic as its Iraqi counterparts, that tends to spread
out, and use anonymous attacks, like hiding in fields or planting IEDs on roads. (AP
Photo/Julie Jacobson/File)
marine007

A U.S. Marine from Golf Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF,
holds dog tags for Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard while paying respects during a
memorial service for him at a forward operating base Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in
Now Zad in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was killed in action during
a Taliban ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine008

U.S. Marines salute during the playing of Taps during a memorial service for Lance
Cpl. Joshua Bernard at a forward operating base with Golf Company, 2nd Battalion,
3rd Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Now Zad in the
Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was killed in action during a Taliban
ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine009

U.S. Marines listen to comments by commanding officers during a memorial service
for Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard at a forward operating base with Golf Company, 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Now Zad in
the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was killed in action during a Taliban
ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine010

U.S. Marine Cpl. Vessely pays his respects to Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard during a
memorial service for him at a forward operating base with Golf Company, 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Regiment, 2nd MEB, 3rd MEF, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Now Zad in
the Helmand Province of Afghanistan. Bernard was mortally wounded during a
Taliban ambush on Aug. 14. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
marine011

This undated photo provided Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2009 by the US Marine Corps shows
Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard, 21. Bernard was hit with a rocket propelled grenade in a
Taliban ambush Friday, Aug. 14, 2009 in the village of Dahaneh in the Helmand
Province of Afghanistan. He later died of his wounds. (AP Photo/USMC