Marine Whose Photo Lit Up Imaginations Keeps His Cool (Famous Iraq War Picture Alert)

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/13/03 | Patrick J. McDonnell

[goldstategop]

Miller is the young man whose gritty, war-hardened portrait appeared Wednesday in the Los Angeles Times, taken by Luis Sinco, a Times photographer traveling with Miller's unit: Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment.

In the full-frame photo, taken after more than 12 hours of nearly nonstop deadly combat, Miller's camouflage war paint is smudged. He sports a bloody nick on his nose. His helmet and chin strap frame a weary expression that seems to convey the timeless fatigue of battle.

And there is the cigarette, of course, drooping from the right side of his mouth in a manner that Bogart or John Wayne would have approved of. Wispy smoke drifts off to his left.

The image, printed in more than 100 newspapers, has quickly moved into the realm of the iconic.

[Bon mots]

I wouldn't want to mess with him but reasured if HE came to my aid.

He has already come to your aid. Mine too.
Fighting the terrorists in their neck of the woods and not ours!

[SheLion]

This guy just tripled cigarette sales to teens.

Your remark was unnecessary. It's illegal to sell cigarettes to minors.

I started smoking when I was 16 and I never killed anyone on the highway from drunken smoking! heh!

[Elvis van Foster]

That cigarette pose duplicated the one that Vic Morrow always had while fighting the krauts on a TV set.

[Parawan]

That failure of a human, Waxman, got me so riled up during his evil greedy tobbaco industry investigations, that I started smoking again. I'd been smoke free for ten years but nobody that looks, talks and acts like that is going to tell me what to do. I really showed him. Pretty smart huh.
But every puff makes me feel like it is a blow against the demonrats. Really enjoy it.
Our military are great.

[SheLion]

[Parawan]

Smoking a cig. in Saddam's crib, Priceless.
That's priceless. LOL
Thank you. I needed that.

[nuconvert]

I didn't know that.

[cubreporter]

Oh I know. Just so many different war photos. Some fun and some sad. Amazing. Yep 10 cents. Yipes. :)

[ErnBatavia]

There was a large article in the Desert Sun...I believe he was in his tank and something like an RPG exploded very close to his head.

He continued to give some inspirational talks in the area around here, but I haven't heard anything since the article (about 6 or 8 months ago)

[Oatka]

"This guy just tripled cigarette sales to teens."

HOOT! That's the first thing I thought - "There goes YEARS of anti-smoking ads!"

Kudos to the photographer - and quite a different picture than the one the media ran of the soldier with the "thousand-yard stare" at the battle for Hue in Vietnam.

[SheLion]

Thank you. I needed that.

You bet! These photos get the Anti's panty's in a wad just because our soldiers are smoking. I can't believe it. Our military are fighting their hearts out and the Anti's still find fault with them for SMOKING? It's unreal.

Our military is The Finest!

[McGavin999]

We all saw the picture of him being pulled from the burning tank. Later we found out it was Ceegar Man and it broke our hearts. Thank God he's alive.

[BillyCrockett]

Marine Corporal James Blake Miller ...tougher than frozen owl zhit.

[momf]

"Thank God Kerry is stuck away in the Senate for at least 4 more years!"

Hopefully the Senate will show a bit of testicular fortitude and remove the self proclaimed traitor from that role as overwhelmingly as the public did in his bid to takeover our country. They, too, have a duty to protect against all enemies both foreign and domestic!

[AMDG&BVMH]

"There must be something about being an American Soldier, everyone I've seen is mega handsome,"

you are right, of course

might have something to do with: handsome is as handsome does . . .

the social engineers try to feminize the military by putting women there -- but you can't take the manhood out of real men . . .

The military: this is where many do become real men -- if they weren't before.

P.S. I married an infantryman

[momf]

Boot camp grows them up in a hurry. Our son went to MCRD as a "tough" football tackle just out of high school. When we went to his graduation my husband laughed as me for searching all of the new Marines parading to the ceremony. Said I'd never find him because they all look alike - all grown men now. There were a lot of them - all standing straight and tall. They all had their chins tucked in, all looked like Marines. A lot matched his 6'3", but I did. Looked for his size 13 boots. 8)

[yoe]

Ya'll may call him a Marlborough Man, to me he is a true Appalachian Man, the backbone of America - the descendent of the strong Americans that Kerry deigned to recognize.

God Bless you young soldier! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service and that goes for all you beautiful American Soldiers fighting for Freedom.

[mrs tiggywinkle]

They all have man-sized jobs to do too! My nephew is in Electronic Warfare Intelligence. He's honored to be trusted. We're so very proud of him. :o)

[lillybet]

Your right about that, hope your man and all these handsome men keep safe from harm , Thank you to all of them ,.

[Ann Archy]

He is almost out of Cigarettes...Marlboros....anyne have any extra they can send to him?