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Infamous images from an infamous war.

Three million killed in a totally meaningless war (if you remove the profit motive).
They beat the US with little more than bicycles and determination.
But yet, we learned nothing and are basically emulating the Vietnam experience in Iraq.

The pictures are nowhere near as powerful as the video. This is the only clip I could quickly find, go to the 55 second mark. Carefully watch the ground around his head after he falls down, and spot the fountain of blood.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DE6VkOU0tdk
There is another better video out there, that shows it from a clearer vantage for longer, showing the thick jet slow down into big spurts as his blood pressure drops.

I had to do a lot of research on the Vietnam War (or, American War depending on where you're located) during college and this is one of those videos that I saw once and never wanted to see again. It's chilling and heartbreaking to watch another human being writhe in a pool of his own blood after being killed by a member of his own community, nation, and world. Put this up there with the video of Nick Berg as videos that you only need to see once to understand the real effects of senseless killing.

It's amazing the difference in media coverage, photos, video footage etc between the Vietnam war and the current wars (Afghanistan, Iraq and others). Heavier censorship?

War, good god y'all what is it good for?

*Thinks happy thoughts*
http://net127.com/archives/images/Vietcong-Starbuc ...

'They killed many of my people, and yours, too.'

It's like a broken record.

always hated that picture.

visual reminders of how ***** up a species we really are

Vietnam much like the Iraq war are wars which prime motive is to be sustained for a long period of time regardless of outcome. Because... the outcome regardless of win or lose is profit for those with shares and interest in businesses who supply hardware and services for the government. This sounds totally wrong practice... and it is. But this is the very reality of the current and former American government.

Does anyone here actually KNOW anything about this story, apart from the picture itself? The photographer believed the killing was justified. In fact, he was actually upset about how the photo was used, and by the reaction it caused. He believed the guy who shot him did the right thing. As awful as the actual picture is, you should at least consider the photographer's opinion -- he was there.

this man's execution in the middle of the street was completely legal and justified by all measures, legal and moral. He had committed war crimes, and was a combatant behind enemy lines in civilian clothing. This picture is held as an icon of the antiwar movement, but is more fittingly a testament to how you can interpret an image the way you'd like, without needed context.

They should have had reporters taking pictures of the people slaughtered by the communists and put them in the US papers during the war. If they showed all of the atrocities of the Viet Cong, instead of the what the Americans did, the world would have probably wanted Hanoi nuked.

gnarley

As it should be for all communists...Then and now.

Context matters in any picture (you denizens of the internets should know this by now).
During the Tet offensive, VC soldiers infiltrated cities and towns as part of the offensive. The man pictured was doing what most of them did - burning and pillaging. He had been caught shortly after murdering an entire civilian family. I can't say that I agree with the summary execution - but at least know the story before you pass judgement.

People on both side commit atrocities. Who are we but simple men, unable to take in this horror that we see before us, it consumes us and moulds us. Numb from pain and anger, tired from the constant walking and fear you forget what you are, who you are. There is one truth in war that will always be and will never change. The farmer, the salesman, the bus driver will always end up with the gun in thier hand or pointed at their head while the Banker, the Governor and Prince, King or Queen make of with the profits derived from this nightmare called war.

you live by the sword, you die by the sword.

The article and comments fail to mention that a senior judge and his family, close family friends of Loan's, had just hours earlier, been murdered by VC.....there was a strong suspicion that this individual participated in that.
Not an excuse or justification, but it helps in the context of that day's events.
Last I heard, Loan ran a restaurant in San Francisco (early-90s).

Here's an interview with the photographer. The film also contain the execution.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=cdIvPzCvwBU

'They killed many of my people, and yours, too.' And he walked away.
Amen.

Was not expecting to see the uzi in the second photo. Bodyguard for the Colonel?

talk about one of the most influential pictures ever taken...it screams "terrible" on every level imaginable.

As much as I have seen this video and these pictures, I have never known the story behind them. It's interesting to finally learn who these individuals were and why this happened.

I am simultaneously fascinated and disturbed by these kinds of image. Regardless of whether the “victim” is a horrible person or not, it’s difficult to see someone go from human being to lifeless corpse. I guess it’s because we’re not exposed to this kind of thing in our daily lives. I’m not in a war zone or high crime area; the people in my life who passed away looked like they were sleeping peacefully at their funerals. It’s hard to wrap my head around the horrible things people do in times of war. But it seems that once you’re exposed to that world, it becomes normal.

This goes on in Iraq daily but Americans like to think the war they caused, well Bush and his ilk caused, is a special war, antiseptic. Yeah right, with misery, death and No bid contracts flying around like the gravy train it is for the rich and Wall Street. Continue to invest in Defense stocks, you know the military complex Eisenhower warned you against. Ignorant electorate, ignorant leadership is the definition of where America has sunk with an added bonus, were broke without anyone telling you. Alice in wonderland lives.

so the guy the man killed
a) was a spy
b) was a combatant in civilian clothing, which by definition makes him a spy, again, under geneva rules means that he was subject to whatever local laws and not need be assigned POW status since he was not in uniform and engaged in a military mission
c) attacked civilian villages, where soldiers' families lived, while the soldiers were somewhere else.

it's still a horrible picture, but in a way....the colonel who shot him was somewhat justified

Of course, the so-called 'peace movement' had no trouble at all with the Viet Cong itself, another great picture from this time is Jane Fonda brandishing a rifle & pretending to shoot down American planes. Stop the bloodshed, indeed.

Looking back, this war was a lie. Give me one good, objective reason to not have been a draft dodger back then.
This is a SURVIVAL issue: Go to a filthy jungle to die or be injured and watch others die, or save yourself.

I see a lot of comments stating the execution was legal and I'm amazed as to how people can simply brush aside history.

The war itself was illegal, so how can the killing of the soldier be justified in any way at all? America decided, all on its own, to attack and invade a sovereign country, killing millions of people for no other reason than it could.

The US should not have been there, it was just another made-up war that the American sheeple went right along with until the anti-war protesters turned the light on the ***** that started it.

So what happened to the 'Domino Theory', war-mongers? I thought Ho Chi Min was gonna be in the Whitehouse unless we slaughtered the whole population. Wrong again eh boys?

I can imagine you guys cringing in your beds at night at the thought that Fonda and the protesters were right, the PEACE MOVEMENT was right, and now you have to suck up the fact that the FRENCH were right, and the GERMANS were right and the whole anti-Iraq war protesters were right. You must feel like a right pack of flag waving idiots, (oh, save me George, save me!). What a pathetic bunch of chicken ***** you are.

Seems like old times again huh?

Vietnamese girls are very sexy. I'm so glad relations between the US and Vietnam have improved.

Welp, that's what happens when you dress in civilian clothes and attack the village killing women and children. When you are caught, you get shot in the head. Good ***** riddance.

What most people don't understand about this photo is that the man being executed killed the executors brother. Not that killing a man in the street is OK, but wouldn't you kill a man who killed a member of your family. Just take it in from the other guys view, not the, "It must just be senseless violence" view.

When I was younger I also reacted to stimulus before taking time to think things through, so that it happens today is no surprise. But unfortunately the internet gives younger generations the ability to make a bigger noise w/o consideration of the facts, as this thread demonstrates.
While there are similarities, Vietnam is not Iraq, any more than it is Korea or Kosevo.
There are tragic killings (e.g. the Holocaust) and justifiable killings (e.g. Herman Goering).
This death was the latter.
I can say as a side note that I'm glad articles like this get bumped up on Digg so that those who have open minds can at least get more information to make an informed decision.

With all the arguments about context aren't we forgetting the fact that this, if anything, perfectly encapsulated a horror of war?
Not whether it was justified, not whether the executed had committed horrendous crimes, but that war is, and that war in particular, brutal, vicious and tore that country apart.

Draw any similarities between this and any current or future US led conflict you like..............

The thread on the link starts getting into the Geneva Convention, which in my opinion is one of the most evil pieces of political paperwork ever created. When it comes down to the the Geneva Convention is not about limiting the horror of war, but actually making it acceptable to kill others "provided you follow the rules".
Eliminate the Geneva Convention completely, and suddenly war is a lot less attractive.

War sucks.

i was almost sick after i saw these photos, the expression on his face before he was shot is heart breaking. i cant help but wonder what was going on in his mind before he died...
these are truly disturbing pictures

Everyone acts like "We were bored, and just wanted a war". So we just jumped right in and started killing people that don't look like us...
Before you speak, do some research. No one says you have to agree with anything. But too many people don't take into account any history leading up to events. People are too lazy to learn the "WHY" of anything. Like I said elsewhere. I neither support, nor condone the actions taken during this war, but I at least understand why we were there. And if your too lazy to type anything into Google or go to a library, I gave you a link, one click, and you can learn something new.
"The Second Indochina War, 1954-1975, grew out of the long conflict between France and Vietnam. In July 1954, after one hundred years of colonial rule, France was forced to leave Vietnam."
"The SEATO Treaty provided for the mutual defense of all signatories, including the newly-created and U.S.-supported, Government of the Republic of Vietnam (GVN), or South Vietnam."
http://vietnam.vassar.edu/overview.html