Nick Ut's award winning Photograph
The
Napalm Girl: Kim Phuk -- Roxy
Erickson, Question:
I am a photography student doing a research paper on photographs that have
become an icon for their
era. One of the photographs is the infamous one of Miss Phuk as a little
girl running after being
Napalmed. I seek opinions on this photograph.
Do you think it is representative of the Vietnam war?
No
I do not think it represented the Vietnam war. Those who were opposed
to the war used the photograph
to their political advantage.
Do you think the photo "lies"?
Photos
do not "lie", but how they are interpreted and presented to the
people can bring about false assumptions.
A lot of people thought that the United States had dropped the Napalm on the
friendly
village. We did not. The bomb (Napalm) was dropped by the South
Vietnamese Air Force. I
have heard several stories about the incident some saying it was an accident
and others saying the
strike was called in. Regardless, innocent people were killed and
injured from this incident. In
war you are going to have a lot of innocent people getting killed or wounded.
It is a tragic fact but that's war!
Did this image have any impact on the war?
I feel the photo was used by those who opposed the war to it's fullest extent.
Did it have impact on protests back in the US?
Yes
it did have an impact. It was an excellent picture, bring the horrors
of war home to the American people.
Did it have an impact on YOU?
Not really, I was upset from the sensationalism from the press and war protestors and I felt sorry for the girl. Like I said earlier this was war and innocent people get hurt.
(Featuring 60's music and AFVN snippets)
