Followup on a famous Vietnam napalm incident





The top photo is an iconic image of the Vietnam War, readily recognizable by all those of my generation who were draft age in the late 60s. Never before have I taken the time to actually learn about the event, the little girl, or the photographer; I did so today after encountering the followup photos here and a discussion at Reddit.

The incident occurred when South Vietnamese planes dropped napalm on a South Vietnamese village occupied by North Vietnamese troops, resulting in "collateral damage" to many children, who came running down the road. The little girl was/is Kim Phuc, now a Canadian citizen and shown in the two photos above. The photographer was Nick Ut, who earned a Pulitzer Prize for the top photo.

The video is powerful, and is presented without overdubbing or commentary. It speaks for itself.