Alvin Haskins II
Essay 3
Dead Gi’s On Buna Beach In this George Strock’s black and white photograph, Dead GI’s on Buna Beach, 1943, showing three dead, rotting, bodies of American Soldiers lying face down in the sand in Buna Beach. As a result, President Roosevelt decided to lift the censorship that held so many photojournalists photographs out of the media. His desire was for Americans to become more supportive and develop a greater resolve to win the war. This tactic was very successful in enraging the American Public, creating support for the war effort both on American soil and in Europe.
“Dead GI’s on Buna Beach” is now well-thought-out to be a war classic. In that September, this photo and other horrific and graphic pictures of WWII were finally appealed by the Office of War. President Roosevelt dreaded that the American community might be growing content about the war and its horrific toll. In the picture, the Americans’ faces were not shown–a practice continued until Korean War to preserve soldiers’ privacy in death.
This picture is not just photo of dead American’s, but a photo of dead American’s lying neglected and disregarded in the sands of a foreign country attracted to the pathos of the American community by striking them where it meant most of. They were not just “American Soldiers”, but brave compatriots, brothers, neighbors, fathers, sons, husbands, and friends. Even though black and white was the only thing obtainable during that time, the usage of black and white in this picture generates a blatant image cast in a gloomy light. The portrayal of the soldiers lying face down with the sand deeply covering their body, made it seem lonely and that nobody wanted to come retrieve the body or even preserve it. This picture has an impression on the new soldiers waiting to do their part in the war. This photo appealed to the feelings of the American Community and showed strongly the values they have had. In this picture Strock established his trustworthiness as a photographer, but also because the picture was printed in major magazine “LIFE”. During that period, LIFE Magazine was considered an American pastime. It is easy to read and full of photos that often warm the hearts of the American people
The printing of Dead GI’s on Buna Beach, 1943, let the American people to see what war really looked like. There has always been some form of portrayal of warfare, combat, or struggle. Cave drawings illustrated battles between man and animal and coffins of the ancient Egyptian kings were surrounded by paintings of battles fought and won. During the Civil War, photos spread showing dead men lying in fields after a battle had been fought. Despite this, censorship by editors, photographers themselves, and in some cases, the government, prevented photographs from being printed that truly portrayed the horrific results of war.
Dead GI’s on Buna Beach, 1943 was, as some might say, a break-through photograph. Although initially held back by censorship, once it was printed, it broke through the barriers and paved the way for future photojournalists. Depicted in “Photojournalism an Ethical Approach” and in “American Photography: A Century of Images”, this photograph is used as an example in describing the advancement of war photography and government control.