Two Lives Were Lost In This Photograph; The Recipient Of The Bullet And The Man With The Gun
The story behind Eddie Adams iconic photograph (Warning! Below is a photo of a disturbing scene.)
The photograph above depicts a harrowing scene in which a handcuffed prisoner, who appears to be a civilian is being shot in the head by a South Vietnamese officer during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam war (Feb. 1, 1968).
Taken by Eddie Adams with the caption Saigon Execution, the photograph appeared in newspapers all over the world, including on the front pages of the New York Times. It earned Eddie Adams the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography in 1969.
But Eddie Adams wasn’t pleased about it.
To anyone seeing this photograph for the first time and also do not know the true story behind it, the man with the gun would appear to be the villain; A ruthless killer. But to Eddie Adams, the man with the gun was a hero, one he wished he didn’t kill with his camera.
Who Was Eddie Adams?
Born on the 12th of June 1933 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, Edward Thomas Adams was an American photographer and photojournalist noted for his black and white portraits of celebrities, politicians and…
