Yesterday, I had the great pleasure of catching Col. Ollie North's excellent Fox documentary on the work of war correspondents and photographers throughout the ages.
The program was dedicated to the woman correspondent (patch on her eye) and the photographer who were both killed last week in Syria while doing their media jobs.
I love history, and Ollie's film started with commentary and old photos involving war correspondents and photographers in the Boer and Spanish-American wars, then on to the Civil War, through World Wars One and Two....then Korea, Viet Nam and onward.
Old film clips were manna from heaven for this history buff, especially the ones from WW1 which is my particular area of interest.
If the documentary ever runs again don't miss it. Ollie should get a "best" award for it at some glittering ceremony in the future, and he would if I had my way....but of course, the news and entertainment media has no use for wars, no use for the military, nor any use for the hundreds of brave correspondents and photographers who fearlessly went into the heat of battle over the decades.....and who sadly were killed, were injured, went missing or were captured.
These are the "working stiffs" part of the media I have the greatest respect for. From the Civil War's Matthew Brady, through Ernie Pyle and Edward R. Murrow in WW2, through today's war reporters covering Afghanistan, Syria and other dangerous spots....we're able to see the glory and gore of warfare with our own eyes.....and learn truths and realities that were formerly and sadly never available to countless uninformed generations.
Leni/MinuteGal
Your post prompted me to do a search to find out how Harold Denny made out during the war. He would eventually return to the U.S. But in doing that research I also learned that another Times correspondent familiar to frequent readers here would not return alive. Robert P. "Bob" Post, London correspondent, will go on a mission with an 8th Air Force crew about a year from now - February 1943 - and will not return. Check out his entry in the index on my profile. Post was a stalwart during the Battle of Britain.
Old film clips were manna from heaven for this history buff, especially the ones from WW1 which is my particular area of interest.
Cougar - have you run into any good and accessible WWI footage for Leni during your research?
Bump to post 21, I forgot to put you on the To: line.