2021
Hello ,
War coverage has become more dangerous than it was when Catherine Leroy worked as a freelance photographer in Vietnam. At least 63 journalists died in 20-years of combat in Southeast Asia.
Scroll down today for photos highlighting Catherine's near-death at Cồn Tiên (Hill of Angels) and for a sneak peek at prizes I'll be giving away at my virtual book launch.
But first, a moment to remember journalists killed this month covering the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov commented on the latest deaths, saying "the truth is the target."
Russian snipers aim for journalists in Ukraine where five news people have been killed since the start of the war, at least 35 injured and two remain missing.
Reporters sans Frontières reports it has confirmed eight cases where journalists or teams of journalists were clearly identifiable, the shooting deliberately targeted journalists and came from Russian forces.
Five Journalists Killed in Ukraine
Reporters sans Frontières has filed two complaints with the International Criminal Court calling for investigation into crimes committed against journalists by the Russian military in Ukraine.
"The intention to kill is clearly established in several cases and the qualification of a war crime is necessary. Journalists are protected by international law in times of conflict, now is the time for the ICC prosecutor to demonstrate that this protection is not an empty word."
Secretary-General Christophe Deloire said, "RSF will make every effort to ensure that these crimes are investigated, prosecuted and punished."
Pictured above, clockwise:
- Cameraman Yevheniy Sakun was killed in Russian bombing of a Kyiv TV tower. 3/1/22
- Ukrainian Journalist Viktor Dudar was killed during combat near Mykolaevom. 3/7/22
- French-Irish cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, who had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, and 24-year-old Ukrainian journalist Olexandra Kouvchinova were killed when their vehicle came under fire in Horenka, outside Kyiv. 3/14/22
- American documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot and killed by the Russian military while in a car crossing a Ukrainian checkpoint in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv. 3/13/22
Viktor Dudar’s wife, Oksana Dudar, posted on Facebook that he went to the front the first day of the full-scale Russian offensive.
"I remember waking him up at 5.30: 'Get up! The war has begun!' He hugged me tightly, saying that everything would be fine."
The young woman killed, “Sasha” Kuvshynova was a fixer, the term for local reporters who help with everything from translation to finding confidential sources. She was working with a Fox News crew.
“She was helping our crews navigate Kyiv and the surrounding area while gathering information and speaking to sources,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott told staff. “She was incredibly talented and spent weeks working directly with our entire team there, operating around the clock to make sure the world knew what was happening in her country.”
British journalist Benjamin Hall was traveling in the same vehicle with Kuvshynova and Zakrzewski and was seriously injured in the attack. The Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, thanked reporters who are on the ground in Ukraine for "risking their lives to tell the world the truth."
Combat journalists know the risks they take, but fifty years ago in Vietnam, Catherine Leroy was not specifically targeted by enemy soldiers. She was wounded by a mortar, May 19, 1967, while in the thick of the fight with marines near Cồn Tiên.
Just before she arrived, the battalion had come under a barrage of mortar fire that wounded twenty men, including the colonel and three other officers.
“We were being mortared again and again, and there was nowhere to hide,” she later told American Photographer.
The photo below shows the area the day before Catherine was wounded.
Above: North Vietnamese Army bunker discovered by 3d Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment during Operation Hickory, May 18, 1967. Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A801287
At least 35 pieces of shrapnel embedded themselves in Catherine's body, her worst injuries to her neck and jaw. She was placed on a tank carrying casualties back to camp where they could be sent out on med-avac chopper.
After several stops, she arrived on a stretcher at an American hospital ship where she awaited triage. Surgery to repair her fractured jaw took three hours. Too weak to leave her bed for three days, Catherine spent more than a month recuperating.
Below, Catherine Leroy convalesces on the USS Sanctury after being wounded by mortar shrapnel, May 1967, photo courtesy Paris Match.
Catherine left Vietnam still carrying pieces of shrapnel in her body. She also suffered hearing loss from the sound of big guns firing and would be forever impacted by the suffering and violence she witnessed.
"Yet there was no other place in the world we [combat journalists] wanted to be. It mattered as if our lives depended on it. It did."
Sources
https://rsf.org/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-13/u-s-journalist-killed-in-ukraine-in-shooting-near-kyiv?
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/world/825198/fox-news-cameraman-ukrainian-producer-killed-near-kyiv/story/
https://nsju.org/novini/responsible-professional-lviv-journalist-viktor-dudar-was-killed-at-the-front-line/
https://europeanjournalists.org/blog/2022/03/03/ukraine-cameraman-yevheniy-sakun-killed-in-russian-tv-tower-attack/
https://rsf.org/fr/actualites/ukraine-rsf-depose-une-deuxieme-plainte-la-cour-penale-internationale-sur-les-attaques-deliberees
Anybody make it to the event last week about forgotten women in history? I am sorry to confess, I got confused about the time and missed it entirely. I'm so disappointed. I guess I will have to read all four books to get the full story!
I'm so excited people are beginning to receive their pre-ordered copies of Close-Up on War! Mark your calendar for my virtual book launch party! I'll be showing some photos that I had to leave out of the book and, of course, answering any questions you have.
Would you like a personally autographed bookplate for your new book? Click here...
I would love to see you there, and I'm offering prizes to sweeten the deal! Here's the first prize: Author Office Hours, or I should say "hour." This is one virtual hour of my author time. I'll meet with your book group, present a workshop at your local school or library, give a presentation about any or all of my books, talk about writing or publishing...you set the agenda.
To win, you must be present at my virtual celebration April 1st. You can attend from the comfort of your own home with your phone, tablet or computer.
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