Every One Counts

This is a post that I never thought I would be doing. I was watching the Nightly News tonight and they featured the story of CPT Brian Freeman; the hero. It was your usual newscast. he did this, she did that, so-and-so-did it too. Well, I happened to see a story of a man that went above and beyond the call of duty; a man whos life, in his eyes, was just as important as anybody elses; especially a young child on the streets of Iraq.

To make a long story short, they showed CPT Freeman doing his best, taking care of everybody else. He made a mission of finding a young Iraqi boy a way to live. That way was by open heart surgery. The day CPT Freeman was killed the young Iraqi boy was given a chance to live; an unbelievable story.

Well, I happened to see the nightly news, they showed picture after picture CPT Freeman doing what he did best, live. What I saw, however, shocked me. A picture that I had taken of him flashed across the screen. I couldn't believe it. Now, I'm no anal photographer who demands that I'm paid for the pictures I take. (even though it was displayed on the most watched TV program in the US. ) What I couldn't believe was a picture that I had taken completely innocently had been published to the world as a tribute to his demise.

Well, the picture I took was as innocent as you can get. I was testing my new camera in a small hotel room in Albany, NY; I took at least 10 photos in just as many seconds. When I heard of Brian's death I sent all the photos I had of him to a friend as another way to remember him.

Where is this story going? Well, as a reminder, I was watching the news story of my friend's death when a picture flashed before my eyes;
That's when it hit home.

I was only testing my camera when I took that picture. I have a 10 picture sequence that includes that picture. I was only testing my camera. I wasn't taking pictures so that the world could remember CPT Brian Freeman. It was a picture I had taken in that small, insignificant moment of both our lives. (It wasn't even in focus.) That's when I realized that every one counts.

"Hey.......Brian!"