It was taken of a Marine, Jame Blake Miller, by an LA Times photographer, Luis Sinco before the battle for Fallouja in which Miller would take part. After the photo appeared there were many national stories about Miller.
The LA Times followed up with him in May of 2006 when he was discharged due to PTSD. This weekend the paper started running a story about Miller and Sinco. I suggest that you read it (it requires free registration and I've found it to be spam-free).
It's a must read for a few reasons. First and foremost is Miller's story. Not unlike poor kids from Appalachia, he describes his choice in life is between the Marines and the mines. I'm not naive as wars have always been fought by the poor. But what does Miller's choice say about us a society in the 21st century?
Another interesting aspect of the story is that the photographer tells the story. Sinco tells the story from a personal, rather than detached, view. He takes his journalistic ethics seriously and confronts some of the moral issues of what, if anything, he has done to Miller by taking his picture. He also considers what, if any, responsibility he has in helping and healing Miller.
Lastly, it addresses the permanence of war. Miller's life, and those around him, were going to be changed even if he wasn't the subject of a famous picture. It's easy to think that the war operates on a treadmill until you think about people who are fighting it as individuals. Tonight I had the opportunity to offer the pledge of allegiance at my local Elk Lodge's Veteran's Day ceremony. There were WW II, Korean, Viet Nam era and Iraq vets/service people there. I couldn't help but think of Miller as I spoke to them. In conversation I wondered how their lives, and their families' live were affected by their service. I wonder how many really think it was worth it.
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