Horst Faas

I was saddened to read in today’s Daily Telegraph an obituary of Horst Faas, the great AP photographer and pictures editor who died May 10, aged 79. Not a Reuters man, but a great man nonetheless, who will be remembered admiringly and even fondly by many Reuter veterans of Vietnam and other war zones. Undoubtedly an iconic and larger-than-life figure of the combat zones and one of the real greats of the business.

A couple of Faas-related quotes have stayed with me through the years:

Young reporter - “Horst, why do you stay so long in Vietnam?”

Horst - “Show me a better var and I vill go.”

Vietnam reporters’ quiz question: Where is the safest place in Vietnam? Answer: Just behind Horst Faas.

A truly memorable character. ■