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Times photographer tells 9/11 story to UM
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photo
by Kathryn Stevens |
| New
York Times photographer Ruth Fremson remembers encountering
soldiers in Afghanistan with an "I Love NY" bumper
sticker on the back of their vehicle. Fremson spoke April
12 as part of the President's Lecture Series at the University
of Montana. |
By Josi Carlson
J-School Web reporter
The surreal
experience of Sept. 11 helped prepare many Americans to face
the realities of war they are
seeing today, said a Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer who
was one of
the first people at Ground Zero in New York.
“September 11th was a day that changed the world,” said
Ruth Fremson, a New York Times photographer.
Fremson displayed her photographs of Sept. 11, riots in Pakistan
and the war in Iraq as part of the Presidential Lecture Series.
Fremson, who has also worked at the Washington Times and for
the Associated Press, spoke to a capacity crowd at the University
Theater
on April 12.
On Sept. 11, 2001, she was shooting feature photographs in Queens
when she received word of the terrorist attacks. Following a
convoy of emergency vehicles, she was able to get into the city
relatively
quickly and capture the fall of the first tower.
“As you can imagine, it was a surreal situation,” Fremson
said. She hid beneath a car as the debris from the towers stormed
the streets, and she took pictures in the deli where she sought
refuge from the destruction.
 |
photo by Kathryn Stevens |
| Ruth
Fremson critiques photo student Mike Greener's portfolio,
while photo student Kate Medley and professor
Teresa
Tamura (right) watch. |
Soon
after shooting the attacks, Fremson traveled to Pakistan where
she covered anti-American rallies and refugee camps. Some
of her
slides showed the conservative Islamic culture in Pakistan
and the difficulties that many families faced.
One
of her photographs showed a woman scaling a wall in attempt
to get food handouts for her family.
“It’s really a
statement of desperation,” Fremson said.
Fremson also spent time in Northern Iraq, where she took
numerous photographs that she believes represent the terrifying
truths
of war.
One slide showed a woman clutching her husband’s head
in the back seat of a car in front of an Iraqi hospital. The
man
had been caught in crossfire in the streets and died on the
way to
hospital. Fremson photographed the woman and heard her crying
the same thing over and over in Arabic.
“Muhammad, I told you not to go out,” the woman cried.
Fremson initially felt she was intruding, but she also understood
she was there for a reason. “My job is to show what war is
really about,” she said.
Fremson also displayed her pictures from the first and second
anniversaries of 9/11 and revealed how witnessing the terrifying
events have
changed her life.
She has learned to appreciate the freedoms of the American
way of life and not to take things for granted, she said.
Fremson’s
work around the world helped her realize that some sort of
attack on American soil would occur; it was just a matter of
when. But
now she takes time to reflect on what happened and live life
to the fullest.
“It comes back to haunt you at strange times; sometimes I get sad
or angry,” Fremson said. “But I’ve realized
that we’re lucky to live in this country.”
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