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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Randon thoughts on Haiti embed
Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 10:28 AM on 01.27.10 |
| ->> I wanted to share some thoughts so I started this thread to do so. I just returned from eight days with the military in Haiti. I am worn out. Both, physically and emotionally. I won’t go into all the details here because it would be too long of a story. I wanted to do this because I feel some folks who responded to a previous thread (along with some rude emails I received) should be aware of conditions even I wasn’t prepared for. First off, besides the sleep deprivation you WILL have being with the military…right off the bat we (there were two other embeds with me) had power issues. I had brought a couple of inverters with me but the guys we were embedded with had no vehicles assigned to them. I went on a search for damaged vehicles but every one I found already had the batteries removed. We ended up paying $50 to get a ride to one of the “media” hotels to charge our stuff. I had never been with an Army unit that didn’t have power. This was a big shock. I will never go on one of these assignments again without a solar charging unit. The power issue was fixed after a day or two when a small generator arrived. We were encamped in an abandoned building in a hospital complex. Our soldiers were providing security. There was a constant flow of injured children going past our building and screams of pain were constant from the pediatric unit right next door. When the wind blew the “wrong” way a building across the street shared it’s morbid contents with us…a nursing school that collapsed where an estimated 70 students were entombed. Several soldiers had rats scamper across them during the night. The heat was oppressive, voracious mosquitoes and sand fleas were a constant. So you cover yourself with sunscreen and bug spray, which the dirt adheres to. There are no facilities to bathe or poop. Then there was the 6.1 aftershock, which quite frankly was terrifying. The dead bodies. I didn’t see the hundreds some others did but I saw enough. The Army also moves very slow. This is maddening. When your publication or organization embeds you that is your assignment. It’s hard to keep that in mind when you hear what others, who are not embedded, are out shooting. You do what you can. I was unsuccessful at one point in keeping my emotions in check. I had to find a place to be alone for a while to decompress. To tell you the truth, eight days in Haiti (with the Army) was tenfold harder than five weeks in Afghanistan. |
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Alan Stewart, Photographer
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Corydon | IN | USA | Posted: 10:47 AM on 01.27.10 |
| ->> Thank you so very much for your story and the photos you posted. It's stories like yours that help show the overwhelming magnitude of the situation. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 11:27 AM on 01.27.10 |
->> Chuck,
As I've said before (all joking aside) you did a fabulous job in Haiti and in Afghanistan.
But your update didn't include one of my favorite photos that was from Sunday. A girl holding her younger sibling on her lap and giving her a drink of water. Something about the older child (who was not very old herself) caring for her younger sibling was really poignant to me. |
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Kolman Rosenberg, Photographer
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Mentor | OH | USA | Posted: 11:41 AM on 01.27.10 |
->> Chuck,
Thanks for the great and moving images!
More importantly, thanks for the very personal experiences and insights!
Really puts things in perspective. |
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Michael Granse, Photographer
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Urbana | IL | USA | Posted: 12:14 PM on 01.27.10 |
| ->> The image of the anonymous hands griping the fence is absolutely haunting. |
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Jeff Stanton, Photographer
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Indiana | IN | USA | Posted: 12:15 PM on 01.27.10 |
| ->> Outstanding work, Chuck. |
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Brian Blanco, Photographer
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Tampa / Sarasota | FL | USA | Posted: 12:15 PM on 01.27.10 |
->> Chuck,
I agree with George. I saw that image on the MCT wire and that was one of my favorites as well. |
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Jeff Stanton, Photographer
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Indiana | IN | USA | Posted: 12:20 PM on 01.27.10 |
| ->> Chuck, I know you're dog tired right now. I want to thank you for that post. When you catch your breath and gather all your thoughts, I know I and most others would enjoy reading a detailed account of this experience. |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 1:12 AM on 01.28.10 |
->> "fame" is so fleeting....less than 24 hours....
www.sportsshooter.com/members.html?id=993 |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 7:13 AM on 01.28.10 |
->> Interesting to read about your experience and of course, the photos are awesome. Looks like you got a good dose of both "hurry up and wait" and the airborne. Funny how those airborne guys called the rest of us soldiers "legs" but once they hit the drop zone they're the ones using them pretty much exclusively...
In any event, a big thanks to our troops as well as their embedded journalists. |
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Harrison Shull, Photographer
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Michael Fischer, Photographer
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Spencer | Ia | USA | Posted: 2:47 PM on 01.28.10 |
->> Chuck, not only GREAT work in Haiti, but thank you again for your leadership on here. It would be easier to ignore some of the issues (for instance.. "gee..let's go to Haiti and make images without understanding what is really going on and what a hell hole it is.."). But you don't mince your words. No one ever wonders what Mr. Liddy's stance is when he gets done. Some shy away from that... you don't.
Thanks for being you.. I know...scary as that may sometimes be :0
Michael |
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Mitchell Brown, Photographer
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 5:23 PM on 01.31.10 |
| ->> +100 |
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Chuck Liddy, Photographer
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Durham | NC | USA | Posted: 5:43 PM on 01.31.10 |
| ->> mitchell, that looks fine to charge cameras and the ipod BUT those aren't the problems. The new camera batteries (markIII and markII5D) batteries last almost forever. the problem is the computer and I don't think that charger you linked to will charge or run a computer. we are looking into that now and I will post when we find something macpatible. |
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Lance King, Photographer
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Fayetteville | NC | USA | Posted: 2:33 PM on 02.01.10 |
| ->> Chuck, thanks for sharing the story about your trip to Haiti. Your images are very telling of the situation there. |
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Jody Gomez, Photographer
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Murrieta | CA | USA | Posted: 12:20 PM on 02.02.10 |
| ->> Amazing work as usual Chuck. You're a huge inspiration to me! |
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