Description
Object description
American civilian correspondent embedded with 3rd Bn, 7th Marine Regt, United States Marine Corps during Iraq War, 2003
Content description
REEL 1 Recollections of period as civilian correspondent embedded with 3rd Bn, 7th Marine Regt, United States Marine Corps during Iraq War, 2003: background to how he became a journalist and work with St Louis Post-Dispatch prior to 2003; story of how he became an embedded correspondent with United States Marine Corps; contacts with battalion in Kuwait prior to start of hostilities; reception received from marines in Kuwait; degree of access to unit; briefings and rules about access to information; move towards border and news blackout.
REEL 2 Continues: how he was moved on eve of war to a location where he could break his story; description of military training given received prior to war; attitude towards war prior to arrival in Kuwait; how sight of military build up caused realisation that war was inevitable; opinion of American media's coverage of war in United States of America; opinion of United States Marine Corps personnel; objective nature of his reports; how American political regime stressed patriotism and loyalty; clothing and equipment carried; how they got to know United States Marine Corps personnel prior to embedding; initial embedding with non-front line unit.
REEL 3 Continues: how he managed to return to battalion; need for local contacts with troops and families when reporting for St Louis Post-Dispatch; description of being embedded; relations as civilian correspondent with United States Marine Corps personnel; incident of how his photographer was permitted to photograph civilians shot by mistake; crossing into Basra region of Iraq; how Iraqi forces disappeared and how he was shown evidence of action on second day; description of witnessing aftermath of journalist Terry Lloyd's shot up Independent Television News (ITN) car; opinion of unilateral correspondents; how embedded and unilateral correspondents complemented each other; advantage of satellite phones.
REEL 4 Continues: how correspondents only witnessed a small portion of war; daily routine of gathering and transmitting stories; nature of actions; how Iraqi forces continually disappeared before Allied advance; attitude of Iraqi civilians to imminent arrival of American forces; question of how taxi could be mistaken for a hostile vehicle; mistakes made by United States Marine Corps personnel and consequences; effects of fatigue leading to mistakes; effects of looting by Iraqi civilians; initial reception by Iraqi civilians in Baghdad; opinion of Iraqi guards who stayed at water treatment plant.
REEL 5 Continues: complex situation in relation to Iraqi civilians; importance of media to service families; support media gave troops; question of media leaving Iraq too quickly; his desire to return to Iraq to cover occupation; question of unrealistic expectation of American forces in Iraq; degree of threat faced in war and lack of casualties; contact with British forces in Basra area; opinion of Iraqi forces; comparison between British and American forces; attitude of United States Marine Corps personnel to war; friendly fire incidents; sight of dead bodies in refrigerated lorry.
REEL 6 Continues: opinion of Jessica Lynch incident; question of lack of justification for Iraq War; belief that draft should be reinstated to spread losses amongst evenly amongst society; question of lack of linkage between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and War on Terror.
