Oliver Noonan

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Oliver Noonan
Born1 November 1939
Died16 August 1969 (aged 29)
South Vietnam
Cause of deathShot down in helicopter
NationalityAmerican
OccupationFreelance photographer
EmployerAssociated Press

Oliver Noonan (November 1, 1939 – August 19, 1969) was a free-lance photographer for The Boston Globe. He was killed when the helicopter he was aboard was shot down over the jungle about 30 miles (48 km) south of Da Nang, South Vietnam. He was taking photos of the Vietnam War for The Globe.[1]

Death[edit]

On 12 August 1969, People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces attacked a remote American fire base overlooking the Song Chang Valley some 30 miles south of Da Nang. In the battle that followed, a helicopter carrying a battalion commander and seven other persons including Noonan, went down with the loss of all on board. A major effort ensued to reach the site of the crash and to recover the bodies. Over five days of fighting, the 196th Infantry Brigade (Light) accounted for an estimated 524 PAVN killed while losing 34 of its own men.[2]

The day he died he took exclusive photos of fierce fighting but the helicopter he flew in to get them to Da Nang was shot down. The film survived.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Richard Pyle (2012-05-10). "Combat photographer Horst Faas captured horrors of Vietnam War". Thestar.com. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  2. ^ Hammond, William (1996). The U.S. Army in Vietnam Public Affairs The Military and the Media 1968-1973. U.S. Army Center of Military History. p. 193. ISBN 978-0160486968.Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "Oliver Noonan - The Journalists' Memorial". Thejournalistsmemorial.rsf.org. Retrieved 2017-05-29.