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The picture that we seldom get to see

May-22-2005 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

Link to Full Article (opinion)
By Bob Kerr, The Providence Journal

I talked to Mike Yon by satellite phone. It was a little scratchy at times and helicopters intruded occasionally. But it was worth it.

He describes himself as an author, explorer and photographer. He uses his camera as a notepad, he says.

And earlier this month, he took notes that were seen around the world.

He is in Iraq, he says, because he didn't quite believe what he was seeing in the news. He is a former Green Beret, and he wanted to see for himself.

He and I share the belief that we just aren't getting a full and honest look at this war -- or even a steady helping of small, telling snapshots. It is part of the reason why I appreciate Joel Rawson, the Journal's executive editor, going to Iraq with photographer John Freidah to give us an idea of what the day-to-day life of some Rhode Island National Guard members is like.

And it is why I appreciate what Mike Yon does to satisfy the need to know more. [...]

He thinks Iraq represents a turning point in modern history and that it is difficult to understate its importance. He has been in other places where there was a struggle to introduce democracy. It is a messy process, he said.

And he saw perhaps the worst of the struggle in the city of Mosul a few weeks ago when he was with the Stryker brigade on normal operations.

At first, he had a photo opportunity in front of him that seemed like one of those timeless shots of soldiers and civilians claiming simple human contact in the middle of a war.

Then, it turned crazy. [...]

He is still sorting through the strange case of the photo that slipped from his control. But Army officials have told him something very good came from its release within Iraq. Iraqis saw the picture of a child killed by insurgents and started to come forward with information.

And others saw it, too. Intended or not, Yon has given us a look at innocents caught in the crossfire of a war without frontlines. He has let us see the other victims, the ones who die in far greater numbers than American troops but seldom claim a place in the nightly body count.

He has helped fill in a picture of the war in Iraq that has long been out of focus and sadly lacking in detail.

This is the photograph and story that Bob Kerr wote about.


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