Freedom
Before “embeds,” this generation’s forced fusion of photographer and military unit, there was a certain sense of independence we had as photographers, being able to go straight to the story. The only significant constraint in Vietnam in the early 1970s was obtaining a ride. However, if a helicopter or truck had a seat open virtually until the end of the US war, they would take you along.
Freedom
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A Lonely Helmet
This shot has a weird and deeply melancholy quality to it. In the mild gray light, an empty helmet — is its owner still alive? — is portrayed front and center, laying on the ground like a discarded soup dish or a severed skull. It’s photographed as if it’s the heart of a shattered compass, one with no arms and no direction.
A Lonely Helmet
