Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Don McCullin Vietnam
A Marine in shock
Marines in Tet
Episode 3298 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam War photographer Don McCullin and his last book. The featured story is titled: Don McCullin’s Final Photo Book Will Look Back at His 16 Trips to Vietnam. It appeared on the PetaPixel website and was submitted by Matt Growcoot.
Growcoot reported that “Few photographers have documented the human cost of war as powerfully as Sir Don McCullin. Born in 1935, the renowned British photojournalist built a legendary career capturing the suffering, hardship, and resilience of people caught in conflict and poverty. His guiding philosophy has always been deeply personal: ‘Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.’
Now approaching his 91st year, McCullin has announced what he says will be his final book, Vietnam, a comprehensive retrospective of his experiences covering the Vietnam War from 1965 to 1972. Drawn from dozens of trips to the war zone and hundreds of rolls of film, the book will feature many of his most iconic black-and-white images, including the famous Shell-Shocked US Marine photograph taken during the Tet Offensive.
More than a collection of photographs, Vietnam will include McCullin’s personal notes, commentary, contact sheets, press materials, identification cards, and other artifacts from his time in the field. Together, they offer an intimate and deeply reflective account of the fear, violence, devastation, trauma, and human suffering he witnessed.
Despite worldwide recognition, McCullin remains haunted by the memories of Vietnam, especially the Tet Offensive, where he saw many American soldiers killed at close range. He continues to question whether his work changed anything, noting that wars have continued long after Vietnam. Yet his photographs remain among the most powerful visual records of war ever created, ensuring that the sacrifices and tragedies of those conflicts are never forgotten.”
Listen to Episode 3298 and discover more about Vietnam War photographer Don McCullin and his last book.
Recommended Reading
Vietnam
