Grace Under Fire Part One — Zoriah at War
Zoriah war photographer
Zoriah Miller, age 32, has done what few Americans ever do. He has put his principles before his future ability to earn a living. He was “dis-embedded” with the Marines in Iraq because he first refused to give up the pictures he made of dead US Marines, and then refused to remove them from his remarkable blog. http://www.zoriah.net/
What a brave man. I am sure this ban is permanent and this war photographer will never again get to work closely with our armed forces. Censorship and control have always been part of our militarism. It was very hard, to cover the US in WW2 without submitting to censorship, but brave journalists often found a way to the front without approval. Even so publishers than censored their work. Self censorship, conducted by all the media has created more harm to our democracy than any foreign power ever has.
His two most damned pictures, both in B&W are as stressful to see as Gardner’s dead at Gettysburg and Fredericksburg. The way governments continue to create generations that support war is partly by keeping images like those now released by Zoriah away from us.
This is a very brave man, and a very good writer, and not because he can function under such horrific conditions. But because he has the courage of his convictions, something succsessful Americans in most fields seldom exhibit . From Zoriah’s blog:
“There are dying people strewn around like limp dolls along with lifeless bodies of all ages. People are screaming and crying running as if they have something important they have to do, only they can’t figure out what that important thing could possibly be. The air smells of burnt flesh and sweat is pouring off of my body. My lungs are still on fire from the run and I have to concentrate to see through the sweat coating my ballistic goggles and dust on my camera’s viewfinder. ”
( READ THE ATHENIANS ON THE BEACH IN SYRACUSE)
THUCYDIDES
Bleak Beauty Blog 