On August 22, 2004 a day that will forever haunt my family, is the day my uncle Cpl. Christopher Belchik was KIA in Iraq. The day his body was brought home to St. Louis was the most emotional day of my life. The streets were flooded with people holding signs in his memory as we drove by. The day of his funeral as we drove through Godfrey Illinois to the cemetery, following the hearse we passed under two fire trucks whose ladders came together like a bridge hanging an American flag. It was very difficult for me to choose one photo of this moment that has personally effected my life. Instead I have posted the tribute video that was created that captures many photos of the service. Viewing these photos brings back all the emotions I felt that day, and without them I feel it would have been difficult for me to remember the day in much detail. Photographs make memories real, especially memories that have caused much emotional pain.
Video created by: Darrell Boeck
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIpbZ9qXvX4
As John Nordell states “If a tree falls in the woods and there is a photojournalist there to take a picture of it, but then that image can’t be published or is not allowed to be published” can it be part of history? The images taken by photojournalists for news media purposes make what’s happening in the world far more real. Some images though are way too graphic to be released to the public. Why? These events are things happening in the world and I feel we all have the right to see. Some may not want to see, but that should be at their discretion. As mentioned previously these images make it real, not the words. Ted Rall stated “Iraq and Afghanistan remain "real" wars in the traditional sense. Thousands of American soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been severely wounded. But images from these "real" wars have been studiously sanitised to the point that a well-informed news consumer could be excused for thinking that their country's latest wars are virtually bloodless”. How can we as people create an emotion big enough to cause a change without an image so raw it makes people want to react. There is that positive reaction. Some may argue that seeing such graphic images may entice the wrong people to want to repeat those horrible events, for example the tragedy of Sandy Hook. There is the negative reaction.
Photo source: http://www.rsvlts.com/2012/09/11/70-powerful-images-from-september-11-2001/#12
The photo above captures the tragic moment in history of the terrorist attacks on the Twin towers on 9/11/01. This moment has forever changed the world. Yes, it happened on US soil but it has effected the entire world. Terrorism has inclined all over. Countries are always fearing an attack. With terrorism on the rise in the world, this has caused governments to put harder grips on the control of information especially in our media of what information can be released and by whom. But, the internet has made it impossible for the government to control what is released and has increased citizen journalism. This type of censorship has caused societies to believe that those in charge (the government) are hiding things from us and that those we should trust for protection are abusing their power. Dan Gillmor states in his article, “But law enforcement today too often violates the civil liberties of those they are sworn to protect, and the increasing militarization of American law enforcement (an offshoot of the Wars on (Some) Drugs and Terror) is poisoning the trust of many citizens”. The world has become a scary place, and the images captured and “approved” for our viewing of these horrible current events has made it all too real. We need not forget what is happening, and open our eyes to these images, reflect on them so we can make a change.
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