Kim Fook is a napalm girl. History of the famous photo

The history of Vietnam in the twentieth century is inseparably linked with the war. In these events, not only the soldiers were injured, but also a large number of civilians. A photo taken by British photographer Nick Utom in June 1972, which depicts a nude girl Kim Fook running and calling to help her, has become one of the most famous symbols of the Vietnam War.

Horrors of war: napalm

Napalm refers to the use of thickened gasoline, which is a combustible product, which was used to create an incendiary and flamethrower mixture. This weapon, which marks the history of Vietnam of the XX century. The use of napalm was characteristic of American aviation since the Second World War. But particularly widely this weapon was used by the United States Army during the military operations in Vietnam from 1964 to 1973. Many local residents suffered from its use. As a result, this weapon claimed a large number of lives. Kim Fook, thanks to a well-known photograph, became an anti-war symbol.

The famous photo of Nick Uta

The civilians, including a nine-year-old girl named Kim Fook, left their village and walked towards the position of the army of the government (because their settlement was already under enemy control). The pilot of South Vietnamese aviation thought that these were soldiers of North Vietnam, because of which people were attacked by napalm bombs. The journalist Nick Uth recorded one of the moments that followed after their discharge: several small Vietnamese fled against the background of smoke clubs, and among them it was difficult not to notice the naked girl (the clothes caught fire and she had to be ripped off), in which her face distorted the pain. The correspondent brought the children who suffered from the attack to the hospital.

Napalm girl

The girl depicted in the photo was from the Vietnamese village of Chang-bang, which was located north-west of Saigon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City). On June 8, in the distant 1972, there were fights between the forces of North and South Vietnam, which were witnessed by photographer Nick Utom. Near the place where the napalm bombs were dropped, members of the crew were present. It was they who saw that the children were running along the road. The little Vietnamese did not shout until they noticed that the adults were not far away. In addition to nine-year-old Kim Fook, the crew also saw her twelve-year-old brother Phan Thanh Tama, the younger Phan Thanh Fwok five years old, the cousin Ho Van Bo and sister Ho Ho Thi Thing. Kim squealed with pain and tried to wave her hands. It was this moment that was fixed by the Vietnamese correspondent Nick Utom. Pictures of the photographer and today tell the story of those days to people around the world. If someone doubts how terrible the Vietnam War was, the photo proves it.

Help for a Vietnamese girl

Member of the crew Chris Wayne girl was stopped and bathed in water. It was clear that she needed urgent help. Later, Nick Ut recalled that at that time the film stocks were almost over and the operator Alan Downes was asked not to waste it in vain to shoot horrible scenes that he believed never to be shown to the general public. However, the broadcaster, to which they worked, later dared to take this step. Nick Uthom the girl was taken to the British children's hospital in the city of Saigon.

In a short time, the photo of the correspondent became shockingly famous in the Western world, and many became interested in Kim's fate. After a few days, Chris visited her in the hospital. According to his memoirs, during the determination of Kim to the hospital there were unsanitary conditions. When the reporter asked the nurses about the state of the girl, after her examination he was informed that the baby would not live to see the next day. Christopher realized that urgent measures must be taken. In the British hospital, doctors had experience in the treatment of bronchitis, but not burns of this degree. Kim was taken to another hospital. There she was helped by experienced plastic surgeons, and the girl's life was saved. In the hospital, she lay for more than a year, and the number of operations reached seventeen.

The fate of Kim Fook

Years passed, the war in Vietnam ended . The photo continued to symbolize how horrible those events were and how they affected the lives of thousands of ordinary people. The Vietnamese government later used the girl as an anti-war symbol, and she did not have the opportunity to study at the university. The situation changed only in 1986, when she was allowed to continue her studies. Kim Fook was educated in one of the institutions of Cuba, where she met her future husband. Already in 1992, they asked for political refugee status from the Government of Canada when they escaped from the plane at the airport in Newfoundland. Today, Kim and his family live in this country, in the province of Ontario (a suburb of Toronto). She established an organization to provide medical and psychological assistance to those who became victims of war.

Recognition of a photo

For this picture, Nick was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, which is the most prestigious for journalists.

Photo "Napalm in Vietnam" has become one of the most famous photographs, reflecting the events of that war. She shocked the population of America and influenced the change in moods in the country towards anti-war. The photo is in the list of the most influential photos of the 20th century (according to the list of Columbia University).