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LOCALMonday 14 September 2015

Bodrumand Buna, two pictures that changed history

female photographer. being made available to
Lifeless on the beach of the refugees through the
Bodrum, Aylan became hospitality of the European
a powerful symbol of the and American countries
Mediterranean refugee that are welcoming them.
tragedy. But Aylan will be remem-
He placed such an enor- bered forever, because it
mous weight on the con- was his picture, lying face-
science of the Western down on the beach of Bo-
countries that they felt drum, that has given thou-
morally compelled to open sands of others the chance
their doors to the emi- to live in peace. The two
grants. pictures, taken with an in-
The three soldiers did not terval of over 70 years, in-
experience the world that deed changed the course
they had helped to liber- of history.
ate from fascism. Neither clydeharms@yahoo.
will Aylan enjoy the new life com.q

Photos of 3-year-old Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi found dead on a Turkish beach are displayed on the
front pages of Brazilian newspapers, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2015. The photo
of the body washed up on the sand was splashed on the front of all major newspapers in Brazil,
a nation with more homicides than any other, according to the United Nations. Still, the picture
ignited despair and indignation.

(AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)

By Clyde Harms Aylanwas one of thousands with a complete victory.
of innocent victims of the Aylan and his family were
Special to the Aruba Today war in Syria. Both pictures not participating in any
made a great difference in war. On the contrary, they
ORANJESTAD - The picture world history. were escaping from the
Stock’s picture was the massacre that had already
of the lifeless baby Ay- first ever published by the cost over 300 thousand
American press of a United lives in their country and
lan Kurdi on the beach of States dead soldier during had caused an enormous
World War II. emigration to neighboring
Bodrum in Turkey evoked The American Govern- countries.
ment Censorship had Aylan was indeed an inno-
emotional memories of been afraid that the sight cent victim of a senseless
of a dead American sol- war, but his death was not
the picture taken by the dier would demoralize the in vain. Just as the picture
people and would have of the three American sol-
famous photographer detrimental consequences diers on the beach of Duna
for the fight against Japan had rallied the American
George Strock of three and the Nazis. Fortunately, people, the picture of Ay-
the results were just the op- lan dramatically raised the
dead American soldiers posite. Instead of demor- worldwide awareness of
alizing, the picture unified the pathetic plight of the
lying with their faces bur- the American people even refugees.
more and fortified their re- Excepting perhaps, that of
ied in the sands of Buna solve to terminate the war Petra Lazslo, the Hungarian

Beach, New Guinea. That

picture appeared in LIFE

Magazine September 1943

and although I was just a12

year old boy, I remember it

vividly.

The soldiers had taken

part in the invasion by the

American armed forces to

recover what the Japa- The George Strock picture in LIFE Magazine united the
American people and strengthened their resolve.
nese had captured of New
(George Strock/LIFE Magazine)
Guinea the previous year;