The Saigon Execution

On the second day of the Tet Offensive, Edward Thomas Adams and an NBC news crew heard gunfire. They followed the noise to a street corner where South Vietnamese soldiers were leading a handcuffed Viet Cong captive to Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, chief of the South Vietnamese National Police. Assuming the prisoner was about to be interrogated, Adams raised his camera to capture the moment. Instead, he took a picture of Lung shooting the prisoner in the head. (Adams later learned that the prisoner was a Viet Cong officer responsible for slaughtering an entire family.)

In a career spanning four decades, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist covered 13 wars and published his enduring images in newspapers and magazines around the world. Adams shot pictures of presidents, dictators, religious figures and soldiers, but he was best known for this photograph taken in Saigon on Feb. 1, 1968.

The Saigon execution picture earned Adams the 1969 Pulitzer Prize. He’d eventually receive more than 500 honors, including the Robert Capa Award and three George Polk Memorial Awards.

Born in New Kensington, Pa., Adams first worked as a photographer for his high school newspaper. After graduation, he served for three years as a Marine Corps combat photographer during the Korean War. Adams joined The Associated Press in 1962 and worked on and off at the wire service for 14 years. He also shot pictures for Time magazine and Parade. Adams died at 71 from complications of Lou Gehrig’s disease.

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In a doua zi a ofensivei Tet, Edward Thomas Adams si o echipa de stiri a NBC au auzit focuri de arma. Au urmarit zgomotul pana la un colt de strada unde soldatii sud-vietnamezi duceau un prizonier catre Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Loan, seful Politiei Nationale Sud-Vietnameze. Presupunand ca prizonierul va fi interogat, Adams a dus camera la ochi pentru a surprinde momentul. Numa ca, in loc de asta, l-a fotografiat pe Lung impuscand prizonierul in cap. (Adams a aflat mai tarziu ca prizonerul era defapt un ofiter Viet Cong responsabil cu uciderea unei intregi familii.)

Intr-o cariera ce se intinde pe patru decenii, fotojurnalistul priemiat cu Pulitzer,a acomerit peste 13 razboaie si a publicat fotografii in ziare si reviste din intreaga lume. Adams a fotografiat presedinti, dictatori, figuri religioase si soldati dar este cunoscut cel mai bine pentru aceasta fotografie facuta in Saigon in 01 Februarie 1968.

Executia din Saigon i-a adus fotografului premiul Pulitzer in 1969 dar si alte 500 de premii incluzand Premiul Robert Capa si George Polk Memorial

Nascut in New Kensington, Pa., Adams a lucrat prima data ca fotograf la revista liceului. Dupa absolvire a lucrat trei ani ca fotograf de razboi al Marine Corps in timpul razboiului din Coreea. Adams a lucrat cu Associated Press incepand din 1962 timp de 14 ani. A lucrat si pentru revista Time si Parade. Adams a murit la 71 de ani din cauza unei complicati a bolii Lou Gehrig.

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