It was a chilling photograph that came to symbolize the horrors of the Vietnam War and, ultimately, helped end it.
It also saved the life of Kim Phuc, who was just 9-years-old when, on June 8, 1972, her village was attacked by south Vietnamese planes.
Ms. Phuc, who lives near Toronto with her family, honoured those who saved her at a dinner on Friday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic photograph. They include AP photographer Huynh Cong “Nick” Ut, who snapped the shot, as well as other journalists, doctors and nurses who helped her get help and who treated her injuries.
Mr. Ut, who was 21 at the time, heard Ms. Phuc’s screams as she ran down the road to escape her burning village, and snapped the photo that became famous around the world.
The Vietnamese photographer then drove the badly burned child to a small hospital, where he was told she was too far gone to help. He flashed his American press badge, demanded that doctors treat the girl and left assured that she would not be forgotten.
“I’m so grateful he was there,” Ms. Phuc said. “He helped me and rushed me to the nearest hospital. He saved my life. He’s my hero. This opportunity tonight I want to honour all of my personal heroes.”
Mr. Ut said he cried when he saw her running. He said if he didn’t help and she died he would have killed himself. He knew right way this picture was different and said veteran photo editor, Horst Faas, deemed it the most the iconic photo of the Vietnam war.
“It changed the war. I met so many American soldiers who said ‘Nicky because of your picture I’ll get to go home early,’” he said.
In the Pulitzer Prize-winning image, children run screaming from a burning Vietnamese village. The little girl in the centre of the frame, Ms. Phuc, is naked and crying, her clothes and layers of skin melted away by napalm.
A few of days after the image shocked the world, a number of British journalists including Christopher Wain, a correspondent for the British Independent Television Network who had given Ms. Phuc water from his canteen and drizzled it down her burning back at the scene, fought to have her transferred to the American-run hospital. It was the only facility in Saigon equipped to deal with her severe injuries.
“When we found in her in the British hospital it was in very un-sterile conditions,” Mr. Wain said Friday. “I asked one of the nurses how she was and the nurse looked at her and said, ‘Oh, she’ll die maybe tomorrow or maybe next day.’ It was obvious it was very urgent.”
Martha Arsenault, a nurse who cared for her at the American hospital, said when Ms. Phuc got to the American hospital nobody thought she’d make it.
“Everybody, the doctors, they all thought she wouldn’t because she was just so burnt,” she said.
Ms. Arsenault said the photo reminds her of how just awful war is.
Mr. Wain said he still feels slightly concerned for Ms. Phuc because she has had to relive the traumatic experience all her life. He said the picture is one of the most iconic war photos of all time.
Keywords: Vietnam war, napalm photo, Kim Phuc, Huynh Cong "Nick" Ut, napalm girl
War is such a horrible thing even for ordinary folks who just get glimpses of the horrors through the media. Just imagine what the experience must be for the soldiers who are in it under the impression that they are doing a noble deed for the country! That's why a soldier rightly said 'nobody can speak so eloquently for peace than those who have been in a war'. And the worst thing is those actually responsible for the gruesome crime sits is glorious comfort at taxpayers' expense and take all the credit if the results are favourable to them and blame the soldiers if it goes against them!
The article has brought back vivid memories. The photograph is fresh in
the memory and one is also reminded of a similar photograph that came
out after the Bhopal disaster-that of a dead child with glassy eyes
wide open-it was equally horrifying. One photograph highlighted the
horrors of war, while, wish the other could have helped to arouse world
opinion against the potential horrors of negligence in operating and
maintaining a facility that handled what was virtually a WMD.Guess the
authorities here could certainly have done much more than to just sit
back and accept a cheque for 476 MM UDS.
And the only change seems to be that they" have learned to have
"embedded" reporters who will tell only what they want everyone to know.
What a shame !!
While this picture is iconic and no doubt the photographer, Mr. Ut has done a commendable job in saving the girl's life, the photo should not be used as a means for tokenism to hide the gruesomeness and the futility of the Vietnamese war. While one girl was saved, countless others, nameless Vietnamese died due to the US futile war efforts. The US was indeed fighting and I quote from the acclaimed film, 'Apocalypse Now', 'for the biggest nothing in history.'
That picture of a naked girl running for life stirred world's
conscience.Hers was a small Asiatic country known as Vietnam.It was no
potential threat to America.Yet,it was under attack for twenty eight
years.Vietnam resisted heroically and made America vacate its
aggression.
What 1000 war stories can't bring the horrors,one photo shown to the world that how horrific is the war against the humanity.
@Narayanaswamy The photograph is actually part of the article. The main photo shown is a slide show. The second photo is what you wanted to see.
It was one of the most well- remembered photographs of all time. How one wishes that it was printed alongside this news- piece. That would have heightened the message of this write up.
A picture is worth thousand words! No doubt! This picture of naked girl burning from Napalm incendiary remains etched in our memory as remarkable reminder of the uncivil barbarity of wars. More than any other event the wide coverage of the picture shocked the American public conscience forcing American political leadership to end their engagement from Indo-China. The event like this also made the Americans to restrict free coverage of US armed intervention abroad instead enforced 'embedded' reporter system to ensure the crimes committed by their armed forces do not get free and fair coverage, but censored.
But, in the neighbourhood, with tacit support from a lot of other neighbours, worse things happened three years ago. What is the point in keeping all these memories??
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