Medic James E. Callahan of Pittsfield, Mass., looks up while applying mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a seriously wounded buddy north of Saigon, June 17, 1967. Communist guerrillas had raked a U.S. battalion with machine gun fire in a jungle clearing. (AP Photo/Henri Huet)

The above photograph of James E. Callahan is one of the most famous photos taken during the Vietnam War. Photographer Henri Huet captured a young medic trying to save the lives of his buddies in the midst of machine gun fire on June 17, 1967. It is not just that which makes this a remarkable image, it is the look on Callahan’s face that tells the entire heart wrenching story. A story of desperation and helplessness of sadness and loss. Arguably, the quintessential story of Vietnam.

Medic Callahan giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dying soldier. (AP Photo/Henri Huet)

In this photo, Callahan is giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dying solider. Time wise, I think this photograph was taken directly before the famous one above.

With sniper fire still passing overhead, Callahan treats a U.S. infantryman who suffered a head wound when a Viet Cong bullet pierced his helmet. (AP Photo/Henri Huet)

During the three-hour battle in war zone D, about 50 miles northeast of Saigon, Huet again captured Callahan while the medic treats a different infantryman’s injuries. During the guerrilla ambush on the 1st Infantry Division on June 17, 1967, thirty-one men were killed and more than 100 wounded.

If, after seeing these photos, you wonder to yourself about the fate of Medic James E. Callahan. Did he make it out of Vietnam or did he succumb to the war?

Jim in front of his pictures now located at the War Museum in Saigon

After a quick Google search, I found more information on Callahan. Born in 1947, he was about 20 years old when Huet immortalized him on film. He did indeed survive the war. He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1965-69 and served as a combat medic during the Vietnam War. After the war, he was a life member and president of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Chapter 65, VFW. Sadly though, he passed away on July 29, 2008 after a motorcycle accident. After his death, the Pittsfield chapter was renamed the James E. Callahan Chapter 65 in his honor.

Sources

Rev. Phil Salois, “Taps,” Vietnam Veterans of America, January/February 2010.
Vietnam Veterans, James E. Callahan Chapter 65, Pittsfield MA (Facebook Page)
AP Images