This happened late last week; Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard, 21, of New Portland, Maine, was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade in a Taliban ambush Aug. 14 in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan. AP photographer Julie Jacobson was on the scene and snapped a picture or two of LCPL Bernard as his team mates tried to help him during his final moments of life.<\/p>\n
Jacobson and AP recount the events at the end of the day;<\/p>\n
Later, she showed members of his squad all the images taken that day and the Marines flipped through them on her computer one by one.<\/p>\n
“They did stop when they came to that moment,” she said. “But none of them complained or grew angry about it. They understood that it was what it was. They understand, despite that he was their friend, it was the reality of things.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Associated Press<\/a> then tells us they talked to LCPL Bernard’s father before they made a decision to publish the photo;<\/p>\n
The AP waited until after Bernard’s burial in Madison, Maine, on Aug. 24 to distribute its story and the pictures. An AP reporter met with his parents, allowing them to see the images.<\/p>\n
Bernard’s father after seeing the image of his mortally wounded son said he opposed its publication, saying it was disrespectful to his son’s memory. John Bernard reiterated his viewpoint in a telephone call to the AP on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
“We understand Mr. Bernard’s anguish. We believe this image is part of the history of this war. The story and photos are in themselves a respectful treatment and recognition of sacrifice,” said AP senior managing editor John Daniszewski.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And then the media wonder why we got so adamant when they wanted to film returning caskets from the war during the Bush Administration. The AP says that they understand, but I wonder if they really do understand.<\/p>\n
ADDED:<\/strong> Thanks to 1stCavRVN11B who sent me a link to JammieWearingFool<\/a>‘s version of events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"