Photographs to turn a war?

Row upon row of coffins, draped in an American flag, a powerful image and one the Pentagon would prefer not is shown. But the world is seemingly a lot harder to control these days than the Pentagon might like. A freedom of information request was granted last week and photos taken by a military contractor in Delaware have been released, and set loose on the internet. The wishes of the Pentagon not withstanding.

The photographs are simple shots of the return of the bodies of fallen soldiers from the War in Iraq. The Pentagon claiming it wishes to protect the families had made it job one to suppress publication of these images. Critics of the Pentagon stress that it’s no such concern for the families, but nothing but a power play of controlling the news from the deserts and cities of Iraq.

Freedom of Press advocate Russ Kirk took the photos and posted them on a website which quickly circulated around the world. The immediacy of the publication shocked the Pentagon into an immediate clampdown on any further photographic releases.

In fact the Pentagon’s concern over the issue led to the dismissal of a private contractor working in Kuwait, who took pictures of a plane being loaded with the coffins of soldiers being prepared for their final journey home. The photos taken by Tami Silicio appeared on the front page of the Seattle Times.

Is the Pentagon not behaving rather hypocritically? They were more than interested in showing the troops rushing across Iraq in the early days of the conflict, as embedded reporters treated the entire affair as some kind of live broadcast reality program. The real reality of war is death, a reality that is brought home vividly with the vision of row upon row of flag draped coffins.

None of the fallen soldiers is identified in the pictures and no family members are shown claiming the remains of their loved ones. Thus the identities of both remain unknown to all. It’s an uncomfortable feeling these photographs which show the ultimate cost of War, one which leaves you with nothing but empathy for the poor families of those that are serving at this time.

Obviously the photos will be used by those who are questioning the motives of the US Administration as it prosecutes the war in Iraq, but the simple fact is that soldiers are going overseas and soldiers are coming home, some are fortunate to have avoided harm, many are not. Acknowledging that fact should not be considered a sign of disrespect, but a reminder of the very high cost of doing what your country asks.

Shame on those that would use these photos to further a political agenda. Shame as well on a government that would use suppression of them, to hide the fact of how many people are dying for their country.

The bodies of those that gave their lives should not be used as props in a morality play. Rather they should be treated with the respect they deserve. Trying to control the reality that War results in death seems rather pointless. A better allocation of resources might be in finding a way to end the conflict and bring peace to a troubled part of the world. The sooner that happens the sooner families will be reunited, those will be photographs that won’t be controversial, just ones that are long overdue.