Do you remember the above photo?
It changed everything for me when it came to censorship, social media and combat photography.
GySgt. Shane survived the action. Sgt Wells was shot in the femoral artery and bled out.
Killed in action.
And this photo is floating all over the web, on several terrorist websites as a means to provide their fighters encouragement and motivation...and its here now to prove my point.
Forgive me GySgt Shane and Sgt Wells, but this needs to be said.
In my opinion, Sgt Wells' family does not need to have this reminder of his sacrifice available for all to see (I don't know if this warrior had children but can you imagine the trauma that they could suffer if they turn 10 and start surfing the net in places that mommy doesn't want them to and they discover this pic of daddy? I shudder at the thought)
There has to be an off switch. Standards. Lines that we won't cross.
NOTE: This post will stay up, but after 24 hours the pic comes down and gets scrubbed from my blog and picasa photo album too.
Hm... I see your point... but...
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time, we had good frontline reporters, sometimes poets. Now we have "selective reporting", muzzles on press... The push towards the other side is probably uncoth and not that wise in social media. Still... I'm not sure it should have a rock dropped on it.
WRT the families... I don't think I'd like to see my kid publicly like this, but I think I'd like to see him privately. More so if he was my parent.
Take care.
Last moments of a true man who died in combat with weapon in his arms its not something you should not to see.
ReplyDeleteFor me its icons of martyrs, that could make Christendom to wake up.
Child who would see such pic will get motivated to become perfect soldier and get revenge, its a cruel world and savage times is coming.
Twixter, we do not agree. At all.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
Censorship is unAmerican. These men where from my Regiment and Battalion (i EAS'ed in 1999), so I really feel the loss of their lives. But they died like Marines and it brings home the real cost of war. We all grew up with Stories of galant bravery and honor. Here we have first hand view that for too long these actions have been romantisized by Holywood and Movies but as striking and Morbid as they are they show the Greatest of Love and Loyalty.
ReplyDeleteremember who decides what to censor?
so with the world being filled with cell phones and minicameras when the time comes that a guys last breath is taken and its posted online...or when some grandma sees here grandson screaming in pain because he lost his leg below the knee, its alright to post those on the internet?
Delete