Dead American Soldiers at Buna Beach
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- Category: History: World Wars
- Date Submitted: 03/18/2010 09:30 PM
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DEAD AMERICAN SOLDIERS AT BUNA BEACH
In February 1943, George Strock an American photographer took a famous picture in which three American soldiers lie dead in the sand on Buna Beach in New Guinea. It was taken after the American were ambushed by Japanese soldiers next to a Japanese landing craft. It was the first time that an image of dead American soldiers appeared in the United States during World War II. The picture shows the bodies of the soldiers without being draped or covered up, they‘re just covered by sand . The men were not identifiable, they were the first undraped and uncoffined dead Americans to appear in during World War II, this picture breached an important taboo.
Then, in September of the same year, the picture was published as part of a larger publicity campaign to shock the people from America, whom US President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed had become complacent about the war. Condemned by many and praised by veterans, the photo was not the first photo of war dead to be published, but was marked by the greatest controversy. It shocked hundreds of people when they saw it for the first time. They didn’t expect to see that kind of pictures coming from the war. It was a huge issue during that time. Also the result of this picture death shocked the public, who were used to seeing war portrayed as a romantic, noble endeavor. George Strock reportedly took the photo as a part of a feature on a GI named “Bill” who was one of the three men killed.
The power of the picture shocked many readers, but a greater number approved of the policy. The Washington Post argued that the pictures can help us to understand something of what has been sacrificed for the victories we have won. Images of dead soldiers appeared regularly after that. All were as anonymous as they could be made to be. Efforts were made to crop the photos or obscure the victims' faces, name tags and unit insignia. It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and...
In February 1943, George Strock an American photographer took a famous picture in which three American soldiers lie dead in the sand on Buna Beach in New Guinea. It was taken after the American were ambushed by Japanese soldiers next to a Japanese landing craft. It was the first time that an image of dead American soldiers appeared in the United States during World War II. The picture shows the bodies of the soldiers without being draped or covered up, they‘re just covered by sand . The men were not identifiable, they were the first undraped and uncoffined dead Americans to appear in during World War II, this picture breached an important taboo.
Then, in September of the same year, the picture was published as part of a larger publicity campaign to shock the people from America, whom US President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed had become complacent about the war. Condemned by many and praised by veterans, the photo was not the first photo of war dead to be published, but was marked by the greatest controversy. It shocked hundreds of people when they saw it for the first time. They didn’t expect to see that kind of pictures coming from the war. It was a huge issue during that time. Also the result of this picture death shocked the public, who were used to seeing war portrayed as a romantic, noble endeavor. George Strock reportedly took the photo as a part of a feature on a GI named “Bill” who was one of the three men killed.
The power of the picture shocked many readers, but a greater number approved of the policy. The Washington Post argued that the pictures can help us to understand something of what has been sacrificed for the victories we have won. Images of dead soldiers appeared regularly after that. All were as anonymous as they could be made to be. Efforts were made to crop the photos or obscure the victims' faces, name tags and unit insignia. It’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and...