Vietnam War photographers interred in US museum

Posted by peopleperhour.com - 17/04/2008 15:00

Vietnam War photographers interred in US museum

Four Vietnam War photographers who were killed when their helicopter was shot down have been interred in a capsule at the Newseum, a journalism museum in Washington, DC.

The photographers were Henri Huet of the Associated Press, Larry Burrows of Life Magazine, Kent Potter of United Press, and freelancer Keisaburo Shimamoto.

Their helicopter was shot down in Laos in 1971, and was a blow even for journalists who knew what dangers lay in Vietnam.

Shimamoto was a "seasoned freelancer", the AP reports, who had been in and out of Vietnam since 1965.

His older brother Kenro said: "He had that in his blood."

Although interring the remains of the photographers in a museum is an unusual step, it is not unprecedented - other examples include Napoleon, who is buried in French army museum Les Invalides.

It is hoped it will inspire other photographers, including freelancers.
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