Existing comment:
1951: Korean War:
Max Desfor packed up his 4x5 Speed Graphic, strapped on a parachute and jumped out of an airplane for the first time. It was October 1950. He was covering the Korean War for the AP. "I was attached to a military unit," Desfor said. "Whichever one I chose." Desfor chose the 187th Regiment, which parachuted deep into North Korea, hoping to liberate prisoners.
The jump succeeded. The rescue didn't, but Desfor stayed with his unit. On Nov. 25, 200,000 Chinese troops swept in to help North Korea. Within weeks, the U.N. troops retreated, abandoning the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. "We could hear the explosions," Desfor said. "Correspondents... were retreating along with everybody else." At the Taedong River on Dec. 12, Desfor and his colleagues watched as hundreds of refugees crawled over the twisted metal of a turned bridge. "It was a fantastic sight. All these people clambering." Fingers numbed by cold, Desfor took only a few shots. |