Archives for November 2013

I’m not in the habit of taking “selfies” but this one was too good to miss! Had lunch today at the Song Long Restaurant in Westminster with my friends and former mates from Saigon, Peter Arnett and Nick Ut.  The three of us are the last left standing of the ten journalists who won Pulitzer Prizes covering the Vietnam War. Arnett is the senior partner of this trio. He won the 1966 Pulitzer for International Reporting for his Vietnam writing. Nick was awarded the 1973 Pulitzer for Spot News Photography for his incredible of Kim Phuc, the little girl who had been napalmed and was running in terror down the road. On top of that, Nick saved her life by getting her to the hospital.  I received the 1972 Pulitzer for Feature Photography for my previous year’s work that included photographs from the wars in Vietnam, Cambodia, and India. The portfolio also included a picture from the Ali-Frazier, “Fight of the Century,” which you could also say was a war in its own right!

Among others at the lunch today was Phuoc Van Dang, one of AP’s best, (and most frequently wounded), combat photographers, my first UPI boss, Carlos Schiebeck, a great shooter in his own right, Ray F. Herndon, an early-on UPI staffer in Saigon, Murray Fromson who covered the war for CBS and his wife Dodi, Edie Lederer, AP’s first female resident correspondent covering the Vietnam War, and Linda Deutsch, AP’s ace Los Angeles courtroom reporter.

These mini-reunions are important, and remind me of what talented people covered not only the war in Vietnam, but every other conflict before and since. They are essential to understanding what goes on in the world, and without them we would live in ignorance.

Nick Ut also presented me with an original signed print of AP photographer Max Desfor’s 1951 Pulitzer Prize winning photo of Korean refugees crossing a destroyed bridge over the Taedong River, taken December 4, 1950. It’s one of the great photos of all time. Max is 100 years old this year, and is someone I greatly admire and respect.

 

Today former AP photographer and old friend and colleague Dang Van Phuoc gave me this photo of me taken on the bridge of the heavy cruiser USS Newport News during a daylight raid into Thanh Hoa Harbor in North Vietnam, May, 1972.  Phouc and I had been lowered by a rope onto the deck of the ship by helicopter. The previous night the Newport News along with two other cruisers, accompanied by several destroyers,  attacked Haiphong Harbor. That was one of the most exciting events of my combat-covering life, (albeit without photos, unfortunately way too dark!). The flashes on the beach from North Vietnamese counter-battery fire were visible, however, and the water from nearby exploding shells hit our ship.   The high speed assault on Haiphong was known as the “Three Cruiser Raid,” and was the last time in naval history a major shore bombardment would be undertaken by multiple cruisers. I’m still looking for some of my other photos from the mission, but this one showing the Newport News’ eight-inch guns and a destroyer escort gives you some sense of the drama about to take place in North Vietnam’s territorial waters.

When Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev met in Geneva, Switzerland for their first summit 28 years ago this week I was the only “outside” photographer in the room other than the two official U.S. and Soviet cameramen. I was on assignment for TIME, and it was one of the biggest scoops of my career. After the one-one-one meeting broke up, and as they were putting on their coats, Gorbachev seemed genuinely enamored with Reagan as you can see in the photo on the right. Their first encounter ended on an upbeat note. Reagan, a believer in personal diplomacy, scored one for the Gipper on that mission. It’s my feeling that I witnessed the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union on that cold day in Geneva.

This was a patriotic-packed three days. First the christening of the nation’s latest and greatest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, named after my favorite president and former boss. I then drove south to stay with my friends Tom and Sheila Waskow at their beautiful house in Denver, NC. Tom was a USAF FAC pilot during the Vietnam War, and took me on a couple of missions that almost terminated us permanently. He retired as a three-star general/fighter pilot.  Today we attended a  Veterans Day celebration in Davidson, North Carolina. The event was keynoted by retired Col. Quincy Collins, a U.S. Air Force pilot whose F105 fighter was shot down over North Vietnam. He was captured, and held prisoner for seven and a half years by the enemy. Col. Collins gave a rousing speech to the crowd, and showed everyone what a real hero looks like. He also displayed a fine sense of humor, something he never lost during his long captivity. After the Vet’s Day activities, we drove over to the neighboring town of Cornelius where Sheila and her sister Theresa Schwab visited a plaque honoring their dad Jerry Crump who was a Medal of Honor recipient for his brave action during the Korean War. A fitting end to an emotional day.

Today I visited Yorktown, Virginia, where the last great battle of the American Revolution was fought in 1781. The famous John Trumball painting , “The Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, 19 October 1781” memorialized the event. Yorktown came under siege for the second time in 1862 when Union General McClellan began his campaign to capture Richmond. The Confederates withdrew from Yorktown, and today the Federal troops still seem to be there!

 

Soldier blows his own horn

 

 

 

 

 

Today Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Ford, swings a mighty champagne bottle to christen the aircraft carrier named after her dad, the USS Gerald R. Ford, in Newport News, VA this morning.

 

Yesterday I took a look at the Navy’s latest and mightiest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. President Ford served heroically on a carrier in the Pacific during World War II, and this newsiest ship in the fleet is named after him. Susan Ford Bales, the president’s daughter in sponsor of the ship, and will dedicate it today during a ceremony at the Newport News shipyard. I’ll be there, and will post photos of the event!

Yesterday I started out the morning with a visit to the U.S. Capitol. I was thinking about my trip to Newport News, VA for the dedication of America’s latest and greatest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, named after my late boss and friend.  President Ford always considered himself, “A man of the House.” He  was elected to the House of Representatives in 1948, and served until 1973 when he became Vice President of the United States, appointed to fill the office of Spiro Agnew who resigned in disgrace. I photographed a bust of him in the hallway near the senate chambers. All vice presidents serve as president of the senate, where they can only vote to break a tie. They are all represented with their likeness displayed in the halls of the senate.