Iconic Image 28

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Hindenburg Disaster

Intro

This photograph was taken on May 6, 1937, in Manchester Township, New Jersey. It depicts a giant airship exploding in a massive fireball. Beneath the airship, people are running for their lives. This photograph would become the most iconic image of one of the most infamous and monumental air disasters in the early 20th century. A disaster that would forever change the business of air travel.

Part I

In the 1930s travel by air was becoming a favorite mode of transportation. Travel by airship was more favored than by airplane. One of the most famous airships was the LZ 129 Hindenburg. This airship (or zeppelin) was the pride of Nazi Germany. Measuring at 804 feet long (just 80 feet shorter than the RMS Titanic) it was the largest aircraft to ever be constructed.

The airship contained ten Maybach engines that could power five tandem engine cars. It was initially supposed to be designed to be powered by helium lifting gas which was non-flammable. However, the United States government had a monopoly on the world supply of helium and feared that other countries would use the gas for military purpose. Therefore, it banned the export of helium gas and the Hindenburg was reengineered to be powered by hydrogen gas (which is flammable). 

In spite of this risk, the Hindenburg quickly became the most popular and famous airship after its first flight in 1936. Its interior included 25 small two-passenger cabins, a large dining room, a writing room, a mess hall, and even a smoking lounge (that was highly regulated by stewards). The windows were purposely slanted on both decks so that passengers and crew could have a perfect view of the scenery beneath them. Initially, German propaganda minister (Josef Goebbles) wanted the airship to be named after Adolf Hitler. Instead, the designer (Hugo Eckener) named it after Paul von Hindenburg (the late German president who had preceded Hitler).

Part II

Throughout 1936 to 1937, the Hindenburg made a total of 63 flights. During the 1936 Summer Olympics, the airship conducted a low-level flyover of the stadium. The airship was also used to pioneer airmail service across the Atlantic. On its first flight to North America, the Hindenburg carried more than 1059 kg of mail in sixty mail sacks (a rarity for that time). 

On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg took off from the German city of Frankfurt. Onboard the airship were 36 passengers and 61 crew members. In command, was Captain Max Pruss. Captain Pruss was a highly experienced pilot who had made more than 100 flights across the Atlantic Ocean. This was to be his first flight as commanding Captain of the Hindenburg. Unknown to him, it would also be his last.

The Hindenburg arrived in the United States on May 6. It then flew to Manchester Township, New Jersey, and approached the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. At 7:21 p.m., while it was at an altitude of 295 feet, the Hindenburg's mooring lines were dropped to the landing crew who began to connect them to ground winches. Four minutes later however, people on the ground began to notice blue flames by the airship's port fin. Seconds later, a massive explosion erupted from the stern. And within seconds, the Hindenburg was completely engulfed in flames.

Part III

Among the ground crew were a number of news reporters. One of them was a photographer named, Sam Shere. When the explosion occurred, Shere was positioned by the mooring mast where the Hindenburg was to be docked. Equipped with a speed camera, Shere remembered taking the photo, "I had two shots in my big Speed Graphic but I didn't even have time to get it up to my eye. I literally 'shot' from my hip. It was over so fast there was nothing else to do." After taking a single photograph, Shere went to help assist in rescuing passengers and crew from the burning airship.

Another one of the journalists on the scene was, Herbert Morrison. On May 6, Morrison was assigned to Chicago's radio station (WLS) to cover the arrival of the Hindenburg for a delayed broadcast. As he began to describe the landing, the airship exploded, and the radio recorded his horrified reaction. Morrison's broadcast would shock the world, it's starting to rain again; it's... the rain had (oh) slacked up a little bit. The back motors of the ship are just holding it (uh) just enough to keep it from...It's burst into flames! Get this, Charlie; get this, Charlie! It's fire, and it's crashing! It's crashing, terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning, bursting into flames and the... and it's falling on the mooring mast and all the folks agree that this is terrible, this is one of the worst catastrophes in the world. Oh it's... [unintelligible] its flames... Crashing, oh! Four- or five-hundred feet into the sky and it... it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's flames now; and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity, all the passengers. screaming around here. I told you; it... I can't even talk to people, their friends are on there!". 

Epilogue

Within seconds of the explosion rescuers descended on the scene to rescue passengers and crew. Of a total of 97 people on the Hindenburg, 35 of them (13 passengers and 22 crew members) would perish in the fire or die in the hospital. In addition, a member of the landing crew (Allen Hagaman) was killed by falling debris, for a total of 36 fatalities. The worst loss of life occurred in the bow of the airship where 12 crew members were manning their posts. The explosion from the stern caused a huge wall of flame to burst out through airship. Only three of these crewmen would survive the disaster. 

After the disaster, Herbert Morrison later served in the US Army during World War II. After the war, he continued to work as a news broadcaster until he retired in the late 1970s. Prior to his retirement, he served as a technical adviser for the 1975 disaster movie, The Hindenburg. He died on January 10, 1989.

In spite of the carnage, most of those onboard would survive the explosion. Among them was, Captain Pruss. Pruss had initially escaped the burning wreck with only minor injuries, but reentered it to rescue a close friend (Willy Speck) who was trapped in the wreckage of the airship's gondola. In doing so, Pruss was far more severely burned and nearly died in the hospital. Despite of his heroic efforts, Speck (who had suffered a skull fracture) would die of his wounds. Captain Pruss would be one of the few who continued to advocate for airship travel. Sadly, his dream was never realized. He died from pneumonia on November 28, 1960.

After the disaster, the public lost confidence in the safety of airship travel. This would mark the end of commercial airship travel and the airship era as a whole. While the cause of the explosion has never been decisively concluded (most people today believe it was caused by static electricity from a storm-cloud), the use of hydrogen gas was determined to be a primary cause of the fire's vast rate of propagation. Today, operators of blimps and hot-air balloons all prefer to use helium instead of hydrogen to power their aircraft.

For his incredible photograph of the Hindenburg, Sam Shere was awarded the Editor and Publisher award for best news picture of 1937. He continued to work as a photographer for the rest of his life. And many of his pictures were later published in LIFE Magazine. He died on June 8, 1982. Today his image of the Hindenburg is considered the most famous photograph of the airship's destruction. Even after all those who survived or witnessed the explosion passed away, it continues to capture the tragic demise of the Hindenburg and the end of the era of the airship.

https://www.iconichistoricalphotos.com/the-hindenburg-disaster/

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/05/the_hindenberg_75_years_later.html

https://www.history.com/news/the-hindenburg-disaster-9-surprising-facts

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/unforgettable-photos-of-the-hindenburg-disaster-and-fatal-fire

https://www.airships.net/zeppelin-mail/hindenburg-covers/

https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/sam-shere?all/all/all/all/0

Iconic Image 27

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Rescue on the Pit River Bridge

Intro

This photograph was taken on May 3, 1953, in Redding, California. It depicts the cab of a semi-truck dangling dangerously from a high bridge. There is smoke coming from the engine of the truck which is beginning to catch fire. The driver of the vehicle is literally hanging on for dear life as people try to pull him to safety. This image would become a lasting depiction of a heroic rescue by average American citizens and inspire many in the future.

Part I

Virginia Margaret Brown was born on February 23, 1915, in Sacramento, California. She graduated from Sacramento High School in 1933. She later attended the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941. In 1945, Virginia got married to Walter Miller Schau (a cost accountant for the Standard Oil Company in San Francisco). After this, she moved with husband to San Francisco. After her wedding, Virginia was given a Kodak Brownie camera by her sister. Little did she know, that she would use it to capture a scary event in the spring of 1953.

On that day, Virginia and Walter were driving with Virginia's parents on a fishing trip just north of the town of Redding, California. They were driving on a two-lane road approaching the Pit River Bridge when all of a sudden, the truck in-front of them careened towards the railing. The truck's steering failed, causing it to smash through the bridge's steel railing and its cab began dangerously dangling more than 40 feet above the Sacramento River.

Part II

The truck was a semitrailer carrying fruits and vegetables with two drivers. They were Richard Overby and Henry Baum, both from Portland, Oregon. The impact had jammed the cab's rear wheels between the side of the bridge and the trailer. To make matters worse, the cab began to start venting smoke just seconds after the crash. Miraculously, the truck's trailer had remained on the bridge and prevented the cab from plummeting into the river.

Almost immediately after the accident, the Schaus quickly pulled over and attempted to assist the two drivers. Walter and another driver (J.D. McLaren) found a rope and ran to the crashed truck. Walter and McLaren then lowered the rope which was caught by Richard Overby. Overby was then hoisted to safety. At that point however, the cab began to catch fire and Henry Baum (who was in the passenger seat) was only semi-conscious. 

Unable to get the rope to him, Walter climbed down to the cab and pulled Baum out. The two men then quickly grabbed the rope and were pulled up to safety. While this was happening, Virginia (who had stayed by her car with her parents) had pulled out her Brownie camera and snapped two quick photographs of the rescue. Seconds later, the cab (now fully ablaze) broke loose from the trailer and plunged into the river.

Epilogue

Upon seeing her images of the rescue, Virginia's father reminded her that the Sacramento Bee was holding a weekly photo contest for their newspaper. At his urging, Virginia Schau submitted her two photographs. Much to her surprise, her picture not only won that week's contest, it was later picked up by The Associated Press and distributed around the world. The next year, it won the 1954 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. 

Virginia Schau was only the second amateur photographer and the first women to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in history. She and Walter received a $1,000 cash award as the prize and later moved Santa Rosa, California, where they lived quietly for the rest of their lives. Today her photograph is remembered as an incredible image that depicts an amazing rescue that showed the amazing difference made by good samaritans.

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2013/jun/12/rescue-on-pit-river-bridge-photography

https://jamescharleslyons.com/virginia-schau/

Iconic Image 26

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The sinking of the SS Cynthia Olson

Intro

This photograph was taken on December 7, 1941, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is a grainy image that depicts a small cargo ship foundering in the ocean. This image would become a powerful symbol of a long forgotten tragedy and an enduring mystery that happened on America's Day of Infamy.

Part I

On December 1, 1941, an American cargo ship, the 250-foot SS Cynthia Olson, departed from Tacoma, Washington. With a crew of 33 and two passengers, the ship was carrying load of lumber to be delivered to soldiers stationed in Hawaii. In command of the ship was, Captain Berthel Carlsen. The two passengers were enlisted men in the US Army. They were, Private Samuel Ziskind of Brooklyn, New York, and Private Ernest Davenport from Creswell, North Carolina. These two men were simply along for the ride as the ship was heading to their place of deployment. 

For the passengers and crew of the Cynthia Olson, this should have been a routine trip on the great circle (spherical distance) between the cities of Tacoma and Honolulu. Unknown to them, they were on a collision corse with a deadly enemy. Between the ship and Hawaii was a Japanese submarine. It was the IJN (Imperial Japanese Navy) I-26.

The I-26 had departed from Yokosuka, Japan, on November 19. With a crew of 94 officers and sailors, she set a course for the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. Her mission was to scout the Aleutian coastline and monitor American ship movements in preparation for the upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor. In command of the submarine was, Commander Minoru Yokota. He had explicit instructions to not attack any American ships until 8:00 on December 7.

Part II

At 10 PM on December 6, the Cynthia Olson was midway between Tacoma and Honolulu. She was spotted by the I-26 which began to shadow the unarmed cargo ship. Throughout the night, the submarine continued to stalk the unsuspecting Cynthia Olson waiting for the right moment to send her to the bottom of the ocean. At 8 AM the next day, Commander Yokota ordered the I-26 to attack.

The submarine was armed with a single 14 cm/40 11th Year Type deck gun and ten 6th year type torpedoes. After surfacing, the I-26 began firing her deck gun at the Cynthia Olson. The submarine fired 18 rounds from her deck gun into the unarmed cargo ship before submerging. The I-26 then fired a torpedo which missed the Cynthia Olson. The sub then resurfaced and noticed the crew of the Olson entering the ship's lifeboats. Commander Yokota then had the I-26 shoot another 29 rounds from the deck gun into the Olson. 

The ship then began to list heavily to starboard. It was at that moment that a crewmen on the I-26, Suburo Hayashi, grabbed a camera and snapped a photograph of the sinking ship. At that point, Commander Yokota knew that the American ship was doomed. Minutes after the photograph was taken, the Cynthia Olson slipped beneath the waves. The I-26 then submerged and left the scene with the distinction of being the first Japanese submarine to sink an American ship.

Part III

When the attack began, the Cynthia Olson sent out a distress signal to all ships in the area. The only ship to pick up the call was the American liner, SS Lurline. The Lurline had departed from Honolulu on December 5, and was heading in the opposite direction towards San Francisco. She was carrying 765 passengers and more than 300 crew members. In command, was Captain Charles Berndtson. 

At approximately 8:06 in the morning, Captain Berndtson became aware of a distress call coming from the Hawaiian Islands not too far the Lurline's location. The distress call revealed to Captain Berndston (who was at a church service in the ship's lounge), that Pearl Harbor had been attacked by the Japanese and wartime regulations were now in place. The captain proceeded to inform the passengers and crew of the situation and that they were going to resume sailing to San Francisco.

However, Captain Berndtson did not inform his passengers that his radioman had also picked up an SOS from the foundering Cynthia Olson. At 8:08 that morning, the crew of the Cynthia Olson reported to the Lurline that the former had been attacked by a surfaced submarine. They then reported that the submarine was located at latitude 33°42' north, longitude 145°29' west. This was about 700 miles northeast of Oahu. Most researchers believe that the man who sent this message was, Samuel Ziskind (one of the Cynthia Olson's army passengers). 

Captain Berndtson briefly considered going to the aid of the crew of the Cynthia Olson. However, knowing that there was a Japanese submarine in the area (and there were likely more), he feared for the safety of his more than 700 passengers. A cruise ship would be a highly vulnerable and prized target for any submariner. Unwilling to risk the lives of his passengers and crew, Captain Berndtson made the decision to immediately set sail for San Francisco (while maintaining radio silence). It was a decision that would haunt him for many years.

Epilogue

After World War II in the late 1940s, Commander Minoru Yokota was interviewed by former soldier and historian, Gordon Prange. In the interview, Yokota revealed that he had been responsible for the sinking of the Cynthia Olson. He even handed over the photograph taken by Suburo Hayashi as proof. Prange confirmed that this was indeed the Cynthia Olson. However, when asked about the fate of the freighter's crew and two passengers, Yokota denied killing any of the crew. He claimed that he saw them entering two lifeboats before rowing away from the foundering ship. After that, he ordered the I-26 to submerge and search for more targets. He continued to command the I-26 until the year 1943, when he was relieved by Lieutenant-Commander Toshio Kusaka. 

During World War II, the IJN I-26 became one of the most successful Japanese submarines. She sank a total of nine American ships (most notably the battle cruiser, USS Juneau) and damaged three others (including the aircraft carrier, USS Saratoga). On June 29, 1942, the I-26, surfaced off the coast of Vancouver Island and successfully shelled the RDF (radio direction finding) site on the Hesquiat Peninsula. She continued to be a menace to the American Navy until she was finally sunk with all hands on October 26, 1944.

In the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the American Navy had very little ships that could be spared to search for the missing crew of the Cynthia Olson. By the time the SS Lurline had sailed safely into San Francisco harbor on December 10 and relayed the freighter's distress call, three days had already passed. A search pattern of the missing crew turned up nothing. Not a piece of wreckage, nor any traces of the crew and passengers were ever discovered. On January 25, 1943, the US Navy made a formal finding of death for the 35 passengers and crew of the Cynthia Olson. Their final moments remain unknown.

Today, the sinking of the SS Cynthia Olson had been largely forgotten by the American public. The photograph of the foundering ship is the only evidence of the ship's tragic fate as the first American ship to be sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II. It remains a sad reminder of a lost piece of history and the last unsolved mystery of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2001/december/what-happened-cynthia-olson

https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/1941-dec-7-cargo-ship-cynthia-olson-sunk-by-japanese-sub-pacific-btw-tacoma-honolulu-35/

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/article/target-americas-west-coast/

http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-26.htm

https://www.maritimequest.com/daily_event_archive/2008/12_dec/07_ss_cynthia_olson.htm

Iconic Image 25

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Tokyo Stabbing

Intro

This photograph was taken on October 12, 1960, in Tokyo, Japan. It shows a young man about to stab a middle aged man with a short sword. Security guards are struggling to reach him before he can deliver a fatal blow to his target. This photograph (along with the video footage of the incident) would send shockwaves the world and come to show the impact of the Cold War on the country of Japan.

Part I

In the month of October 1960, all eyes of the people of Japan were glued to their television sets. They were ready to watch a televised election debate between three political party leaders in Tokyo's Hibiya Public Hall. The three leaders were: Suehiro Nishio of the Democratic Socialist Party, recently elected Prime Minister Hayato Ikeda of the Liberal Democratic Party, and Inejirō Asanuma of the Japan Socialist Party. The debate was attended by an audience of more than 2,500 people in the hall.

For many citizens in Japan, Inejirō Asanuma was a surprising addition to the debate. Asanuma was a known advocate for forceful socialism in Japan. He had been a strong supporter of Japan's entry into World War II and had gained national infamy due to his support for the Communist party of China. In the process of his activism, Asanuma had also made many enemies. Some of whom were willing to take drastic measures to silence him. One of them was a young student named, Otoya Yamaguchi.

Otoya Yamaguchi was born in Tokyo during World War II. Starting from his early childhood, Yamaguchi had grown up reading newspapers and had become a strong supporter of nationalism. Highly influenced by the rhetoric of Bin Akao (a Japanese nationalist), Yamaguchi was also fanatically anti-communist. And he was determined to fight it in any way that he could. His opportunity came on October 12, 1960, when he learned of the debate at Hibiya Public Hall.

Part II

The debate began after 2 PM in the afternoon. The first man to speak was Nishio. When he was finished, Asanuma walked up to the microphone and began his opening speech. Before he could get through his first sentence however, Asanuma's voice was drowned out by numerous right-wing audience members who began to heckle him. The heckling was so loud that reporters in the front row could not hear him. Five minutes later, the NHK moderator finally calmed the crowd and Asanuma resumed his speech. But at that moment, Otoya Yamaguchi (who had sneaked to the left of the stage while most of the attention was on the hecklers), rushed the stage. 

Armed with wakizashi (a short samurai sword), Yamaguchi stabbed Asanuma in the left side while running at a full sprint. He then attempted to stab Asanuma second time but was grabbed by security guards. As he was dragged away, Yamaguchi was seen laughing at what he had done. At first Asanuma seemed unhurt (there was no blood visible on his shirt). However, within seconds of Yamaguchi's apprehension, Asanuma sank to his knees and collapsed. He was quickly carried off the stage and loaded into an ambulance.

The whole event had been photographed and videotaped by numerous reporters and journalists. One of them was the photographer, Yasushi Nagao. At the time, Nagao was working for the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. When he noticed, Yamaguchi charging the stage, he quickly changed the focus of his camera from fifteen feet to ten feet. After Yamaguchi's first strike on Asanuma, Nagao snapped a photograph as the former attempted a second strike on the latter. He managed to capture the exact moment before Yamaguchi was tackled by security guards.

Epilogue

As Yamaguchi was taken into custody, Asanuma was rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, his aorta had been severed after he was stabbed. By the time he arrived, Asanuma was dead. Otoya Yamaguchi was charged with first degree murder. However, he would never be brought to trial. Less than three weeks after the stabbing, Yamaguchi was discovered hanging from bedsheets within his prison cell. On the wall; written in toothpaste was the message, "Long live the Emperor". Throughout his incarceration, Yamaguchi was unrepentant for his actions.

Both men quickly became martyrs for their causes. Right-wing groups across Japan all mourned Yamaguchi and declared him an anti-socialist hero. Asanuma on the other hand, was memorialized by Prime Minister Ikeda as a patriot of Japan. Even though they had many differences, Ikeda called Asanuma, "a man who truly loved his country". Japan's Socialist Party declined over the next 30 years. It ceased to exist in the year 1996.

For his photograph of the assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, Yasushi Nagao received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for photography and the World Press Photo of the Year. His photograph remains an iconic symbol of political violence and how it affects each country's next generation. It is one that definitely deserves its place in the history of photography.

https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/yamaguchi-assassinates-asanuma-1960/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/13/inejiro-asanuma-japan-politician-assassinated-1960

https://allthatsinteresting.com/inejiro-asanuma-assassination

https://web.archive.org/web/20090505150214/http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090504p2a00m0na010000c.html

Iconic Image 24

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Stalin: The Children's Friend

Intro

This photograph was taken in January of 1936, and published on June 29 of the same year. It shows Joseph Stalin (the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union) holding a girl while also holding a bouquet of flowers that the latter had just given him. This image would become a powerful symbol of the power of propaganda photographs in society. It would also become a symbol of a very beautiful illusion, yet one that could not have been further from the truth.

Part I

By the year 1936, Joseph Stalin was in control of the Soviet Union. He had successfully taken full control of all political parties and purged anyone who dared to appear as a threat. One of his most effective tools was his use of photography. Stalin was very obsessed with creating the perfect image of himself to present to the people of the Soviet Union. He commissioned heroic paintings. He had movies made that romanticized his role in Russian history (Mikheil Gelovani was the only actor he permitted to play him). He even rewrote his own personal history of his childhood in Georgia. Photography was among his favorite tools.

Like many leaders of his time, Stalin knew that photographs with children were often the most captivating when it came to public relations. He was determined to pose for the perfect photograph with a Soviet child. The opportunity came when a man named, Ardan Markizova arrived in Moscow with his seven-year-old daughter, Engelsina (Gelya). Markizova was an ardent Communist supporter of Buryat (a Russian-Mongolian ethnic group) descent. He had reached the rank of People's Commissar for Agriculture of the Buryat-Mongol Autonomous Province in Siberia. For he and his daughter, a trip to Moscow to visit the Kremlin was a dream come true.

Part II

When they arrived in Moscow, Gelya had brought two bouquets of flowers to give to Stalin. She and her father then went to the Kremlin and attended a meeting. After there was a break in the conversations, Gelya walked up to Stalin and presented him with the flowers saying, "These flowers are for Comrade Stalin from the children of the Buryat-Mongol Republic". Although startled by the unexpected gift, Stalin was very pleased by the young girl and proceeded to gather her in an embrace. She then gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. Almost immediately, multiple cameras began snapping photographs. In gratitude, Stalin gave Gelya a gold watch and a gramophone (record player) to her parents. 

For a short time, Gelya Markizova became a major celebrity throughout Russia. One of the photographs of her with Stalin was printed on the Communist newspaper, Pravda (truth). The editor-in-chief of the Pravda newspaper (Lev Mekhlis) was quoted as saying, "God himself has sent us this little Buryat girl. We'll make her an icon of a happy childhood". Upon returning to her home with her father, Gelya was greeted by thousands of residents who praised her for her patriotism. A famous sculptor named, Georgy Lavrov, created a small monument to Gelya and Stalin, which soon became iconic all throughout the Soviet Union. But less than two years later, everything changed.

Part III

In 1937, Joseph Stalin launched a new Great Purge against perceived enemies of the Soviet Union. The first purge began in 1934, with the killing of the leader of the Leningrad Party, Sergei Kirov, on the orders of Stalin himself (he then had the assassin executed to cover up his tracks). The one in 1936 targeted members of the Soviet government and influential Communists who had inspired the Russian Revolution of 1917. This purge in 1937, was mainly directed toward the leaders of the Red Army and Red Navy. Stalin had grown suspicious and envious of the Soviet officers who had fought in the Russian Civil War and was determined to kill them off in order to assert his dominance. And in spite of what they had done for Stalin, the Markizova family would not be spared from the Great Purge.

On December 11, 1937, three members of the Soviet NKVD (the secret police) barged into the Markizova house and arrested Gelya's father on charges of espionage and treason. Both Gelya and her mother (Dominka) wrote letters to Stalin begging for him to intervene and release Ardan (who had been nothing but supportive of Stalin). But the letters did no good. Ardan Markizova was accused and convicted of spying for Japan, being a Trotskyite (a follower of Stalin's exiled political rival, Leon Trotsky), terrorism, and subversive plotting against Stalin. He was shot in the Summer of 1938.

Just days after this, Gelya's mother, Dominka, was arrested as well. She was then deported from Russia to the neighboring country of, Kazakhstan. She was later found dead in the country of unknown causes. Many years later, a letter referring to Dominka Markizova written by Stalin's chief of the NKVD (Lavrenty Beria) was later discovered that ended with the words: Eliminate. 

Epilogue

Now an orphan and a daughter of an, "enemy of the people", Gelya Markizova found herself living with her extended family. Her photograph with Joseph Stalin remained on public perches throughout Moscow. But the Soviet propagandists quickly began the cunning practice of changing the identity of the girl in the image without changing the portrait. They decided to use the identity of a Tajik girl named, Mamlakat Nakhangova, who had received the Order of Lenin for working as a cotton picker.

From that point onward, Gelya lived with her aunt and uncle in Moscow under her aunt's surname, "Dobeyeva". Unlike her parents, she survived the Great Purge and also World War II. She married twice, had three children, and worked as an Orientalist scholar in the country of Cambodia. On March 10, 1995, Gelya spoke to the Washington Post about her life as the girl on Stalin's arm. When asked about seeing a sculpture of her and Stalin at a museum in Russia, Gelya said, "It was very funny. I was at the museum about five years ago and we were going up the stairs in a tour, and one of the women in my group saw this sculptor by the window. It had been removed from the cellar, and there was rust between Stalin's fingers. It looked like blood. And the woman asked the tour guide, 'Why do you still have this sculptor?' And I said, 'Because one of us is still alive,'". Gelya died on May 11, 2004.

The images of Gelya Markizova with Joseph Stalin mostly disappeared from public view after the latter's death in 1953. Today it is regarded as a symbol of one of the most beautiful and tragic lies about who Joseph Stalin was. It shows the kind face that he put on for the cameras and while hiding a much darker truth. 

https://www.rbth.com/history/328538-stalin-children-gelya-markizova

https://www.voxnews.al/english/histori/miku-i-femijeve-historia-e-erret-qe-fshihet-pas-fotos-se-famshme-te-stal-i17951

https://www.history.com/news/josef-stalin-great-purge-photo-retouching

https://loeildelaphotographie.com/en/propaganda-portrait-joseph-stalin-father-of-nations/

Iconic Image 23

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

PSA Flight 182

Intro

This photograph was taken on September 28, 1978, in San Diego, California. It depicts a jetliner with a burning wing that is plunging toward the earth at high speed with a long smoke trail behind it. This image would become a symbol of one of the worst aviation accidents in the 20th century. It was one that would forever change safety regulations on commercial flight.

Part I

September 28, 1978, was a day that began like any other for the people of California. On that day, hundreds planes took off and landed at the airports in the state. One of them was PSA Flight 182. The flight took off from San Francisco at 8 AM. Onboard were 7 crew members and 128 passengers. Flying the plane were, Captain James McFeron, First Officer Robert Fox, and Flight Engineer Martin Wahne. All three were very experienced fliers. Their destination was San Diego International Airport. 

At 8:59 AM, PSA Flight 182 was approaching San Diego airspace. Their journey had been largely uneventful up to this point. However, the airport's approach controller notified the flight that there was a small Cessna 172 aircraft in the area. The Cessna was being flown by two pilots. They were Martin Kazy (a flight instructor) and David Boswell (a student practicing instrument landing system). The pilots of Flight 182 reported that they already spotted the Cessna as they were approaching the airport and believed that the small plane was now behind them. They then extended the jetliner's landing gear and began descending.

At approximately 9:01 AM, the pilots of Flight 182 felt a loud thump. Almost immediately, one of the jetliner's engines burst into flame. The jetliner had overtaken and collided with the Cessna. The impact tore the smaller plane to pieces and scattered its wreckage toward the ground. The jetliner then went into an uncontrollable sharp right bank and hurdled toward the ground.

Part II

On the ground below was a staff photographer from the San Diego Public Relations Office named, Hans Wendt. He was attending an outdoor press event when he heard a loud grinding sound. He looked up and saw PSA Flight 182 falling from the sky with its right wing on fire. Wendt quickly aimed his still camera at the jetliner and snapped a photograph. He then quickly snapped a second image of the burning aircraft before it disappeared from view.

Seconds later, Wendt and all of San Diego felt a massive impact and saw fireball rise into the air. Four seconds past 9:02 AM (just thirteen seconds after colliding with the Cessna), PSA Flight 182 slammed into a neighborhood called, North Park. The aircraft was instantly destroyed on impact. When firefighters and police arrived at the crash site, they found nobody to rescue. All 135 passengers and crew, along with the two in the Cessna were killed. In addition, seven more people were killed on the ground and nine severely injured. With 144 lives lost, this was the deadliest accidental air crash in California history.

Part III

An investigation into the disaster by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), concluded that errors were made by both the crew of PSA Flight 182, the crew of the Cessna, and air traffic controllers. They concluded that the pilots of Flight 182 had failed to keep visual contact with the Cessna and failed to alert the ATC that they had lost sight of the smaller plane. The ATC, had failed to advise Flight 182 of the Cessna's direction of movement. And the pilots of the Cessna, had failed to maintain their assigned heading. 

On May 15, 1980 (as a direct result of this crash), the Federal Aviation Administration implemented what is called, Class B airspace. This is the aircraft system's classification scheme to maximize pilot flexibility with acceptation levels of risk appropriation to the type of operation and traffic density within that class of airspace. Class B, is meant to provide for the separation of all aircraft in the area. In addition, all aircraft (regardless of their size) were now required to operate under "positive radar control". This is a rule that allows only radar control from the ground for all aircraft operating within the airport's airspace.

Epilogue

The photographs taken by Hans Wendt proved to be very useful to the investigation of the disaster (as they were the only images of either aircraft). They were instrumental in showing how the jetliner crashed and where the damage occurred. Wendt worked as the Chief Photographer for San Diego from 1970 until his retirement in 1988. He died on August 2, 2013. 

Today, Wendt's two images of PSA Flight 182 remain a haunting symbol of the risks of air travel. They tell a tragic story of a series of errors that caused a terrible tragedy. However, they also keep the memory of the victims alive and helps educate people to avoid these accidents in the future. The new safety measures that came as a result of this accident, have since had a major impact on preventing future mid air collisions. As long as people view these photographs, the crash of Flight 182 will never be forgotten.

https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/hans-wendt/

https://simpleflying.com/pacific-southwest-airlines-flight-182-mid-air-collision-story/

https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/throwback/psa-flight-182-crash-news-8s-coverage-of-the-san-diego-tragedy-40-years-ago/509-9dc6139e-0e11-48e4-ad20-add4954279ab

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sandiegouniontribune/obituary.aspx?n=hans-e-wendt&pid=166476016

https://web.archive.org/web/20170429192101/http://www.sandiegomagazine.com/San-Diego-Magazine/August-1998/This-is-It/

Iconic Image 22

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Homecoming

Intro

This photograph was taken on July 15, 1943, by Earle Bunker of the Omaha World-Herald newspaper. It depicts a very emotional reunion between an American soldier and his family. Although their faces cannot be seen, it is clear that those in the photograph are overjoyed and very lost in the moment. This image would become a beloved symbol of the lives of military families during World War II.

Part I

In the year 1943, the United States was fully immersed in World War II. There were millions of Americans serving in the military both overseas and stateside. One of them was Lieutenant colonel Robert (Bob) Ross Moore. Bob Moore was born and raised in Villisca, Iowa. He enlisted in the US Army when he was 17 and rose to the rank of captain of Company F of the 34th Infantry Division. On February 10, 1934, Moore got married to a woman named Dorothy Goldsberry. Their daughter Nancy, was born two years later on August 23, 1936.

After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Moore was one of millions of Americans who answered the call of duty for their country. In May 1942, Moore and the 34th Infantry Division were shipped out to Northern Ireland. They were later deployed and saw combat in North Africa. During a landing in the country of Algeria, Moore (now a lieutenant-colonel) led a successful assault on a German machine gun nest, an action for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. 

While he was deployed, Moore frequently wrote letters home to his wife and daughter. Like all American servicemen, he missed them terribly and longed to be home with them. His opportunity came on April 9, 1943, when a bomb exploded 15 feet from him. He suffered a concussion and loss of eyesight for several days. With American casualties mounting, and more recruits coming to fill the ranks, the Army desperately needed more combat experienced soldiers to return the home front. One of those selected was Bob Moore.

Part II

At noon on Saturday, July 10, 1943, Dorothy Moore received an unexpected phone call. On the other end, was her husband. Bob told her that he was in New York City and was coming home for a visit. He would be arriving in Villisca on July 15 at 9:30 in the morning. Although poor weather delayed his flight, Moore was able to successfully fly to Iowa before boarding the Burlington Train No. 6. 

According to Dorothy, Nancy was so excited to see her father that she hadn't eaten or slept all night. Neither she nor her mother had seen Bob for more than a year. They arrived at the platform three hours early. Also with them, were many of Bob's extended family and in-laws. One of them was his 2-year-old nephew, Michael (the son of Dorothy's sister). Michael's father was also serving over seas (in the Pacific). And he too, was also very excited to see his Uncle Bob. It finally happened almost exactly at 9:30.

Moore didn't know it, but the whole town of Villisca had prepared a welcome home celebration for him. Also among his family were a number of photographers and reporters. One of them was Earle Bunker of the Omaha World-Herald. As soon as Moore had stepped off the train, Nancy immediately ran forward and embraced her father. Bunker took the picture as it happened. He managed to capture Nancy, Robert, Dorothy, and Michael all in the same shot. According to Bunker, all on those who witnessed were crying tears of joy. When they got home, the family posed for second photograph on their porch. For Bob, it was one of the happiest days of his life.

Epilogue

Earle Bunker labeled his photograph, "Homecoming". The image almost immediately became one of the most beloved images taken from the American home front during World War II. One commenter was quoted as saying, "The image is so generic as to represent a whole nation. There is no face to identify the subjects. No flag to tug at your patriotism. No identifying mark other than family love. It could be - and it was - the return of many war heroes across the country and across the world". The photograph instantly became a front-runner for that year's Pulitzer Prize for Photography. In a surprising move, it was decided that two photographs would tie for the award for 1944. They were Bunker's "Homecoming" and Frank Filan's "Tarawa Island".

Earle Bunker continued to work for the Omaha World-Herald until his death on January 29, 1975. Bob Moore was eventually promoted Colonel. He spent the remainder of the war at Fort Benning, Georgia, where he trained new recruits. On September 3, 1945 (the day after the Japanese surrender), Bob and Dorothy's son was born. They named him, Robert jr. (who later served in Vietnam). Colonel Moore later served in the National Guard before retiring as a brigadier general. He then began running his family's drug store. In his free time, he coached Little League baseball. He spent the rest of his life in Villesca before dying on April 18, 1991.

The photograph of Robert Moore reuniting with his family was and still is one of the most iconic images taken during World War II. For many, it represents the love a soldier has for the family he left behind and the sacrifice that every military family makes for those who serve. It definitely deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest photographs in history.

https://omaha.com/photos-1943-homecoming-of-lt-col-robert-moore/collection_c379b426-7210-54b5-820e-fc974da6d564.html#7

https://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2013/11/08/the-homecoming-updated-lessons-from-a-memorable-story/

http://www.bytesdaily.com.au/2012/05/pulitzer-prize-for-photography-1944.html

https://omaha.com/news/local/history/back-in-the-day-july-15-1943-the-world-heralds-earle-bunker-snaps-pulitzer-prize/article_16ebe580-021a-11ed-88fa-332685038da9.html

Iconic Image 21

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Tarawa Island

Intro

This photograph was taken on November 24, 1943. It depicts a sandy hill covered in debris and dead bodies. At the top of the hill is a destroyed fortification. This photograph would come to symbolize one of the shortest yet most savage battles of World War II. It was the battle of Tarawa Atoll. And it would help change the course of the war in the Pacific.

Part I

In the year 1943, World War II was in its fourth year. The United States had achieved its first offensive victory against the Japanese at the battle of Guadalcanal. This was the beginning of a type of warfare that would be referred to as, "island hopping". 

Island hopping is the term for a strategy of "triphibious warfare", which means: employing, involving, or constituted by land, air, and naval forces in coordinated attack. The strategy involved targeting and attacking key islands and atolls to capture and equip with airfields, bringing American bombers within enemy range. It also involved bypassing strongly defended islands, cutting off their supply lanes, and isolating them from the war. One of the targets of the island hopping strategy were the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. And the biggest target was the Japanese fortress on Tarawa Atoll.

Tarawa is located within the Gilbert Islands. It has a large lagoon that is 193 square miles. The largest part of Tarawa is the islet, Betio. Betio is approximately 381 acres. The Japanese Army had occupied the island on September 19, 1942. Once on Betio, they fortified it with more than 100 pillboxes (dug-in concrete bunkers), seawalls, an extensive trench system, an airfield lined with costal guns, antiaircraft guns, and hundreds of heavy and light machine guns. 

By 1943, there were 4,800 Japanese soldiers (and also forced laborers from Korea) stationed on Betio. In addition to these defenses were the island's natural barriers. Tarawa is ringed with shallow reefs that the Japanese lined with mines and barbed wire. With all these defenses in place, the Japanese commander (Rear Admiral Keiji Shibazaki) famously boasted to his soldiers that "it would take a million men one hundred years to conquer the island". 

The US fleet arrived at Tarawa Atoll on November 19, 1943. It included battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and a huge amount of supply ships. The attacking force consisted of 18,000 marines from the 2nd Marine Division under the command of Major General Julian Smith. After the island was bombarded by planes and navy guns, the marines were to approach in brand new amphibious vehicles called, "amtraks". The amtraks could carry up to 20 troops and could crawl over shallow reefs. On the night of the 19th, both sides prepared themselves for the inevitable battle that would decide the course of the War in the Pacific. They both knew that thousands were going to die.

Part II

On the morning of November 20, the bombardment began. The landing craft were loaded with marines and began heading toward Betio. However, during the assault multiple things went wrong. A pre-invasion air-raid was delayed by foul weather. Heavy seas also delayed the marines from boarding the landing craft from the transport ships. And by the time all the marines had disembarked, the island's tide level was exceptionally low. 

When the landing craft approached Betio, many of them ran aground on the islet's coral reefs. The marines onboard were then forced to abandon the vehicles and struggle ashore on foot, which made them easy targets for the defenders. Soon, the lagoon and beach of Betio were both littered with the dead, the dying, and the wounded. The marines were forced to crawl inch by inch up the coastline (many lost their weapons in the confusion). By the end of the first day, 5,000 American marines had successfully made it ashore, while more than 1,500 had either been killed or wounded. And the carnage was only beginning.

Among those to make it ashore, was Lieutenant Colonel David Monroe Shoup. Shoup had seen little combat during the Guadalcanal campaign and the New Georgia campaign (where he had been wounded). Despite having a lack of major combat experience (he was only picked to lead because the previous officer had suffered a nervous breakdown the night before), Shoup's leadership proved to be invaluable to the marines on Betio.

As soon as he had made it ashore (despite being shot in the neck), Shoup took command and began pulling the marines into a tight perimeter. He then began organizing attacks on Japanese bunkers and machine-gun nests. Directly due to his tactics and leadership, the marines were able to successfully break through the Japanese defenses and push inland. At 4 PM, Shoup sent this transmission to the USS Maryland, "Combat efficiency: We are winning." That night he was relieved by Colonel Merrit Edson and retired for medical attention.

Part III

Also among the marines landing at Tarawa, were a handful of journalists and reporters. One of them was Frank Filan of the Associated Press. A New Yorker and veteran of the military, Filan had landed on the second day of combat and began taking pictures of the battle. During the battle, Filan also fought along side the marines and saved one from drowning in the surf. However, in the confusion of the landing both of his cameras were destroyed. When the battle was over, Filan was among those to document the gruesome task of burying the dead and repairing the airfield (which had been severely damaged during the battle). 

On November 24, he noticed a destroyed Japanese bunker covered with debris and dead bodies. Sensing an opportunity, he borrowed another reporter's camera and snapped a photograph. The image shows the bunker as being completely obliterated by a massive explosion and it's entire garrison completely wiped out. Pieces of twisted metal, palm trees, and dead bodies litter the base of the hill (there are likely many more buried in the sandy rubble). To the far left, are two American marines surveying the scene (it's possible that they are checking for survivors). After taking the photograph, Filan decided to go help the marines continue working on the airfield.

Epilogue

Despite suffering high casualties, the Americans ultimately prevailed at Tarawa. After three days of fierce combat, Betio island was declared secure. The Americans had suffered 1,009 killed and 2,101 wounded. Out of the Japanese garrison of 4,800 soldiers and construction laborers, only 129 laborers and 17 soldiers survived to be captured. The rest all perished in the three day battle (including Rear Admiral Shibazaki). 

Four marines received the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor at Tarawa Atoll (three of them were given posthumously). The only surviving recipient was Ltc. David Shoup. Shoup later saw combat at the battles of Saipan and Tinian. After World War II, he continued to serve in the USMC until his retirement in 1963 (at the rank of a four star general). He died on January 13, 1983, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The photograph by Frank Filan was dubbed, "Tarawa Island". In 1944, the photograph received the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The board of jurors stated that Filan's photograph, "...taken under extremely difficult conditions, depicts the awful carnage of Tarawa in gruesome detail. It is not a picture for weak stomachs, but in its stark realism, it tells a true story of war at its ugliest". In a truly rare occasion, it was one of two winners that year (the other was an image called, "Homecoming"). Frank Xavier Filan continued to work as photographer after World War II. He unexpectedly died on July 23, 1952 (of unknown causes). Today, the image of Tarawa's bloody aftermath is considered one of the most iconic images from the War in the Pacific. It tells the story of a brutal battle that would be come to symbolize the island hopping operations of World War II.

http://www.bytesdaily.com.au/2012/05/pulitzer-prize-for-photography-1944.html

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/photo-finish-battle-tarawa

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-tarawa

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1983/01/15/gen-david-shoup-dies/e8a18f64-68c1-4335-9b96-920bfeaab306/

Iconic Image 20

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

Cynthia Ann Parker

Intro

This photograph was taken in the year 1861. It depicts a young woman nursing her very young daughter. She is gazing into the camera with a look of deep sadness. This image would become a symbol of one of the saddest family tragedies in the history of the American frontier. 

Part I

In the year 1833, a group of settlers began relocating from Illinois to the new state of Texas. They were led by a Baptist minister (and revolutionary war veteran) named, John Parker. Parker's group mostly consisted of his and his brother Daniel's families. They eventually settled near the headwaters of the Navasota River (what is now Limestone County) and constructed a small fort. 

The fort enclosed just over four acres. It had 12-foot-high log walls, two blockhouses at two opposite corners, and six cabins attached to the inside walls. The fort also had two entrances, a large double gate facing south, and small gate for easy access to the nearby spring. In the center, they constructed a flagpole, from which they raised the flag of Texas. The construction of the fort was completed in March of 1834. Since nearly all the settlers were part of the immediate and extended family of John and Sarah Parker, the fort was aptly named, Fort Parker.

For the next two years, life for those at Fort Parker went by without incident. Among the residents were John Parker's son, Silas Parker, his wife Lucinda Duty Parker, and their four children: Cynthia Ann, John Richard, Silas Mercer, and Orlena Parker. For them, life on the prairie was a very peaceful and liberating adventure. However, everything changed in May of 1836.  

Part II

On the morning of May 19, the settlers of Fort Parker woke up to a terrifying sight. Outside the walls of Fort Parker, were more than 100 angry Indian warriors. The warriors were all from the Commanche, Kiowa, Caddo, and Wichita tribes. Due to the Texan settlers' recent conflict with the Mexican army, many of the local tribes had become emboldened to take back what they considered to be their land (especially when they heard of the Texan defeats at the Alamo and Goliad). 

Since most of the Texan men had gone south to fight the Mexicans, Fort Parker's garrison had been greatly reduced to just over 30 residents (most of whom were women and children). Fearing that an attack was going to occur, Benjamin Parker left the fort and approached the warriors under a white flag of truce. Exactly what was said has been in dispute, but Parker returned minutes later saying that he believed the warriors were going to storm the fort and that he was going to attempt to distract the warriors while the women and children fled through the back door. 

One of the residents was Rachel Plummer (daughter of James and Martha Parker). She would recount later that her uncle then left the fort a second time to speak to the warriors. Minutes later she heard gunshots and screams. The warriors broke through the gate and began to massacre those inside. The warriors killed Silas Parker, John Parker, Samuel Frost, Benjamin Parker, and Robert Frost. 

Most of the residents of Fort Parker had already successfully fled out the back entrance and into the wilderness (among them were Silas Parker's widow Lucinda and their two youngest children, Silas Mercer and Orlena). However, five of those in the fort were captured by the Commanche warriors. They were, Rachel Plummer (who was pregnant), her son James Plummer, Elizabeth Duty Kellogg, Cynthia Ann Parker, and her younger brother John Richard Parker. The warriors then plundered the fort and departed with their captives.

Part II

By the time the survivors reached safety and told Texan authorities what had happened, the Comanche warriors and their allies were long gone. They divided captives among the tribes and parted ways. However, the late John Parker's surviving son (James W. Parker) was working in the fields during the attack and therefore survived. He then began a long search to try and find his missing relatives. He was able to successfully find and win the release of four of them.

Rachel Plummer was released after two years of captivity. In 1838, she published a written account of her 21 months with the Comanche tribe. Her account is considered to be one of the best and most accurate depictions of Comanche culture before the tribe was placed on reservations. Sadly, Rachel Plummer died on March 19, 1839, due to a complicated pregnancy (her newborn tragically died two days later). She did not live to see what became of her son James.

James Pratt Plummer was released in the year 1842 (two years after the death of his mother). He was then raised by his grandfather, James. He married twice and had four children before dying in the American Civil War on November 17, 1862. He was only 27 years old.

John Richard Parker was also released with his cousin James Plummer in the year 1842. Unlike his cousin, John was unable to readapt to white society and returned to the Comanche tribe less than a year later. He later fought with the Comanche in their war against Mexico. However, the tribe eventually abandoned him in Mexico after he fell ill with smallpox. After this, he was taken in by a local family who nursed him back to health. He eventually married one of their daughters. After serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, John Parker moved back to Mexico with his wife and became a rancher. He stayed there until his death in 1915.

Elizabeth Kellogg was the most fortunate of the captives. She was given to the Kichai tribe within days of the massacre at Fort Parker. After a single summer of captivity, she was released after James Parker (her brother-in-law) paid a ransom of 150 dollars. Her fate after this is unknown.

However, although James Parker searched fervently for nine years, he could not locate his missing niece (Cynthia Ann). When he begged Texas President Sam Houston for help, the latter had none to give. He finally gave up looking in 1846 after the death of his wife, Martha (he had five other children who had grown up without him). He died in the year 1864.

Part III

Like her brother, Cynthia Ann Parker was also adopted into the Comanche tribe. Unlike John, she was not released for a ransom and remained with the tribe for more than twenty years. For her first year of captivity she was treated as a servant girl by the tribe. But eventually, Cynthia was adopted by a Comanche family. The gave her the name, Naduah (someone found). 

Over time, Cynthia adapted to living with the Comanche tribe and learned to speak their language. In 1840, she married a Comanche chieftain named, Pete Nocona. With him, she gave birth to two sons and a daughter. They were named, Quanah, Pecos, and Topsanna (Prairie Flower). Sadly, just like in 1836, her world was once again shattered by war.

By the year 1860, war had once again broke out between the Comanche tribe and the settlers in Texas. Among the most prevalent of the fighters were the Texas Rangers. The rangers were led by a young captain named Lawrence Sullivan (Sul) Ross. Although Ross had been born in the Iowa territory, he and his family had moved to Texas in the year 1839. He had grown up hearing about the Fort Parker Massacre and knew that there was at least one captive who had never been released. 

In late October of that year, the Comanche tribe launched a number of raids on Texas settlements along the Pease River (the border between Texas and what is now Oklahoma). Upon learning that a Chief Pete Nocona was leading the raids, Ross took a detachment of Texas rangers and militiamen and began to hunt for the raiders. He finally caught up with them at the nearby Mule Creek. On December 18, the Texans charged the Comanche camp. They killed all but three of the two to three dozen men, women, and children (Ross claimed to have personally killed Chief Nocona) before discovering a startling sight. A young white woman who was holding a baby girl in her arms. When asked who she was, she tearfully replied in broken english that her name was Cynthia Ann Parker.

Epilogue

Cynthia Ann Parker and her daughter were taken to the town of Birdville (now Arlington, Texas). Once there, Cynthia was reunited with her family. Just one day after her arrival, an unidentified photographer asked her to pose with her young daughter. She did so briefly. The photograph was then sent all over the United States and immediately made her into living legend of the American frontier. On April 8, 1861 (just four days before the beginning of the Civil War), the state of Texas awarded Cynthia a grant of $100 a year for five years and some land to farm.

However, Cynthia was deeply unhappy being back in white society. She was reportedly grief-stricken over the death of her husband and was caught on several occasions trying to sneak back to the Comanche tribe with her daughter. In 1863, she got word that her younger son, Pecos, had died of smallpox. A year later, Cynthia's daughter Prairie Flower, died of pneumonia. The loss of two of her children and the stress of being unable to readjust to white civilization caused her to suffer severe depression. She began refusing to eat food and became mostly withdrawn. She died in March of 1870.

Her only remaining son, was Quanah Parker. After the death of his father and separation from his mother, Quanah was named chief of the Comanche. In the aftermath of the American Civil War, he and his people fought against the US Army in what was called, the Comanche campaign. For nearly eight years, Chief Quanah fought on and tried to preserve their way of life. However, after the Red River War in 1875, he and his people finally surrendered to Colonel Ranald McKenzie. He died on February 23, 1911, and is currently buried with his mother and sister in Fort Sill Post Cemetery in Oklahoma. He holds the distinction of being the last chief of the Comanche.

Through the 19th and 20th centuries the story of Cynthia Ann Parker has been told and retold to millions of Americans. It is probably the most iconic story of a family tragedy on the American frontier. In the Oscar-winning movie Dances with Wolves, Mary McDonnell's character (Stands With A Fist) is loosely based on Cynthia Ann Parker. Her photograph remains a stark symbol of her tragic life and America's terrible wars with Native Americans.

https://medium.com/save-texas-history/the-aftermath-of-the-attack-on-fort-parker-in-the-records-of-the-glo-archives-1b4d4860fa67

http://www.texascenterforregionalstudies.net/the-fort-parker-massacre-and-montgomery-county.html

https://www.forttours.com/pages/parker.asp

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-cynthiaparker/

https://baylorarchives.cuadra.com/cgi-bin/starfetch.exe?.lokrcnef@iFOb37ua@3FElVhWkUjO@HtgJbRnmD1z5ROcmz1qxXRUivzsLZEuWfdh@@dvjLRo8QGF3xiP997G5hcCaZzT8FxdbaYRr6SRE/0001n8.xml

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/parker-james-w

https://www.rootsweb.com/~okmurray/stories/cynthia_ann_parker.htm

Iconic Image 19

Welcome back viewers

This month's Iconic Image is...

The Marine on the Tank

Intro

This photograph was taken in February of 1968, during the Tet Offensive. It depicts a group of wounded American marines being placed on a tank to be evacuated. In the foreground is an unconscious marine whose being held by comrade. He is unconscious and barely clinging to life after being shot in the chest. This image would come to symbolize the suffering of American servicemen during the one of the worst battles of the Vietnam War.

Part I

The battle of Huê began on January 31, 1968. It was part of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive to seize multiple cities and towns across South Vietnam. Although they caught American and South Vietnamese forces by surprise, most of their attacks were beaten back with heavy casualties within only a few days (some even hours) of fighting. The exception was the ancient city of Huê. In this city, more than 6,000 Viet Cong and NVA soldiers attacked from three sides and successfully captured multiple footholds and important buildings within the first night of combat. 

In response four American army battalions and three marine corps battalions were assembled to assault the city. They quickly ran into stiff resistance as they entered. They were literally forced to take the city back street by street and house to house. It was a painstakingly slow process. And casualties among both sides were very high.

Part II

Among the marines was a photographer named, John Olson. Olson was working for the Stars and Stripes newspaper. During the battle of Huê, he took dozens of photographs of American servicemen in combat (he focused mainly on the marines). 

On February 17, John Olson noticed a group of wounded marines being loaded onto an M49 Patton tank. As each of them climbed on, Olson noticed one of the marines was completely unconscious. His torso was almost completely wrapped in bandages and multiple IVs were in his arms. The marine was barely breathing. Olson quickly aimed his camera at the group, zoomed in on the unconscious marine on the tank's left track, and took the photograph.

Part III

The identity of the wounded marine on the tank has been debated ever since the photograph was published. Olson himself never found out who the marine was (nor any of the others on the tank). Mark Bowden (the author of Huê 1968, Killing Pablo, and Black Hawk Down) believes that the marine was, Private First Class Alvin Bert Grantham. Grantham was an 18 year old from Mobile, Alabama. He had dropped out of high school with a close friend and enlisted in the Marine Corps.

During the battle of Huê, Grantham was with a platoon of 51 marines. On the morning of February 17, Grantham was manning a machine-gun in an old building when an AK-47 round struck him directly in the torso. The impact blew Grantham back 10 feet, ripped a hole in his chest, pierced his lung, causing massive blood loss. His fellow marines quickly began trying to save his life. They were able to slow down the bleeding by plugging the hole with the plastic wrap of Lucky Strike cigarette packs. He later remembered being carried to a nearby tank and loaded onto it with other wounded marines.

However, a photo forensics specialist named Michael Shaw (the New York Times Magazine), identified the marine as Pfc. James Blaine from Spokane, Washington. Blaine was shot in the chest on February 15. Sadly, unlike Grantham, Pfc. Blaine was mortally wounded. He died in the hospital hours later. Most researchers however, have disregarded this claim due to Olson's account of taking the photograph on February 17 (Blaine was wounded on February 15). This makes it highly unlikely that Blaine is the marine in the photograph.

Epilogue

The battle of Huê ended on March 2, 1968 when American and South Vietnamese forces finally killed the last remaining NVA soldiers within the ancient Citadel. By then the Americans had suffered 216 killed and 1,584 wounded. The South Vietnamese army lost 452 killed and 2,123 wounded. Communist casualties are believed to be at more than 2,400 killed and 3,000 wounded. In addition, more than 5,000 Vietnamese civilians were killed as well while most of the city's buildings were destroyed. Although the battle of Huê was military victory for the Americans, the battle had severely affected the American perception of the Vietnam War. For Americans in Vietnam, the battle of Huê was the beginning of the end of their intervention as many more American citizens began to oppose the conflict.

Despite his severe injuries, Grantham was evacuated to a field hospital (he was almost placed in a body bag before another marine noticed movement). He was then given a massive emergency surgery by vascular surgeon Dr. Mayer Katz. During the operation, Doctor Katz was forced to remove two of Grantham's ribs and part of his right lung before inserting two chest tubes to drain the wound. After being stabilized, Grantham was then airlifted to a Navy Hospital ship and then again to Japan where he spent a year in recovery. In 2017, Grantham was reunited with Doctor Katz and thanked him for saving his life.

For his photographs depicting the Vietnam War, John Olson was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1968. Today, the photograph of the wounded marine on the tank is still seen as one of the most emblematic images of the war. It tells a great story of a single marine's terrible injury and his remarkable recovery. It also shows the great suffering of American servicemen during one of the most brutal battles of the Vietnam War. 

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/the-true-story-of-the-marine-on-the-tank-vietnam-war

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/02/19/magazine/vietnam-war-photo-wounded-marine.html

https://nieman.harvard.edu/stories/whats-in-a-50-year-old-photo-the-lingering-gutwrench-that-was-the-vietnam-war/

https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/a-b-grantham-the-marine-on-the-tank/article_4c92fce7-0acb-545c-ba99-6cb822cd33d7.html

https://newseumed.org/tools/artifact/marines-and-tet-battle-changed-vietnam-war