September 02, 2007
Photo Memory
~I've been thinking about this photo from the streets of Fallujah a few times over the years. The first thing that caught my attention was that no one had bothered to remove these bodies for washing and burial by the time the troops and their embedded photographer appeared. Not that I thought the collection and burial of Iraqi dead was a job for the Americans, only that I wondered why no one in the area had yet found the time to do this most basic human act of charity. Notice the man's boots are missing. Someone had washed the blood from the bodies?
Were these two killed by an American sniper? If they were shot by Iraqi insugents could this photo've been produced, would the area be safe enough for our troops to explore? Would the Americans've made some attempt to cover-up the bodies of these their unknown dead supporters? Had the photographer removed the covers?
This is a photo of a body of an unarmed man with the body of a woman lying dead on top of him?
Had an American sniper injured the man foolishly caught in his sights making sure he cried out in pain and agony--perhaps spacing the wounding shots a few minutes apart--until the woman rushed out to the man's aid and the US sniper was able to wound her too? Making her also cry out, hoping against hope that more family members would show themselves?