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<ul class="summary-list"><li>When <keyword id="9187645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tony-vaccaro">Tony Vaccaro</keyword> hit Omaha Beach days after D-Day, he carried a camera along with his rifle.</li><li>Vaccaro documented the war on his own as he fought across France and into Germany as an infantryman.</li><li>"I see death," Vaccaro recalled in an interview at his studio. "Death that should not happen."</li></ul><p>Michelantonio "Tony" Vaccaro wanted to serve his country with a camera during <keyword id="6357515" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="World-War-II">World War II</keyword>, so he tried to join the US Army Signal Corps. But under Uncle Sam's rules, the 20-year-old draftee was too young for that branch.</p><p>So Vaccaro, the orphaned son of Italian immigrants, became a private first class in the 83rd Infantry Division. By June 1944, days after the first wave of 156,000 Allied troops descended on the beaches of Normandy, Vaccaro landed on Omaha Beach, where he saw row after row of dead soldiers in the sand.</p><p>Vaccaro was armed with an M1 rifle. He also brought along his personal camera: A relatively compact Argus C3 he'd purchased secondhand for $47.50 and had become fond of using as a high-school student in New York.</p><p>In addition to fighting on the front lines during the Battle of Normandy and the ensuing Allied advance, Vaccaro photographed what he was seeing. At night, he'd develop rolls of film, mixing chemicals in helmets borrowed from fellow soldiers. He'd hang the wet negatives on tree branches to dry and then carry them with him.</p><p>When he had enough to fill a package, he'd generally mail them home to his sisters in the US for safekeeping and to ensure the images would survive even if he did not.</p><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1237" width="1649" msid="83101984" hostid="261"></div><p>From 1944 to 1945, he moved through France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany.</p><p>Along the way, he took photographs that few others - even the press and Signal Corps photographers - were in a position to take: a fellow soldier's last step before shrapnel tore through him, a jubilant kiss between a GI and a young French girl in a newly liberated town, and many stomach-churning portraits of ransacked corpses that still haunt him.</p><p>During 272 days at war, he captured thousands of photos. After the Allied victory, he felt sickened and debilitated by the devastation he saw. He wasn't ready to return to the US. And he never wanted to photograph armed conflict again.</p><p>He bought a Jeep and traveled with his camera, eventually photographing brighter moments, like the reconstruction of Europe and the beauty in the lives of famous artists and everyday people.</p><p>Vaccaro went on to make a name as a fashion and culture photographer. He traveled the world shooting for magazines like Look and Life and taking portraits of bigwigs including John F. Kennedy, Pablo Picasso, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O'Keeffe, and many more.</p><p>A half-century would pass before Vaccaro began publishing the bulk of his surviving wartime photos. The surviving images have been shared widely, including in the 2016 HBO documentary "<a href="https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/underfire-the-untold-story-of-pfc-tony-vaccaro/underfire-the-untold-story-of-pfc-tony-vaccaro">Underfire: The Untold Story of PFC. Tony Vaccaro,</a>" in which Vaccaro revisits the history that he had to break Army rules to chronicle.</p><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1440" width="1920" msid="83101987" hostid="261"></div><p>Vaccaro, now 98, survived a bout with COVID-19 last spring that put him in the hospital.</p><p>He continues roaming his neighborhood photographing everyday people and selling prints through Monroe Gallery of Photography. From his Queens, New York, studio more than seven decades after World War II, he closes his eyes and thinks of the brutality he documented as an infantryman.</p><p>"I see death," Vaccaro told Insider. "Death that should not happen."</p><p>Below, he describes six of his photos that he says capture "the insanity of war."</p><h2>'White Death'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1334" width="2000" msid="83101992" hostid="261"></div><p>Near Ottré, Belgium, January 1945.</p><p>Vaccaro developed the roll containing this image while on leave in 1945. He remembers calling this photograph "Death In The Snow" at first, later deciding that "White Death" was a more "elegant" and fitting name to honor Pvt. Henry Tannenbaum's service and sacrifice. Tannenbaum was killed in action on January 11, 1945, during the Battle of the Bulge.</p><p>"When I first took this photo of a GI dead in the snow, I was not aware of who he was. What I did was to chip the snow away and look for his right arm, because in those days, [on] the right arm we carried our dog tags. He was Pvt. Henry Irving Tannenbaum. He was one of the soldiers who fought there, just like me. We fought in the snow. He died in the snow. He was my friend. I knew he had a son. … Many years later I got a call from his son."</p><h2>'Gott Mit Uns'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1349" width="2000" msid="83101995" hostid="261"></div><p>Hürtgen Forest, Germany, 1944.</p><p>The burned body of a German tank driver, as seen through Vaccaro's lens.</p><p>"He's burning. This was frontline. You can smell him. We knocked out his German tank. We knocked it out, and he jumped out of there and fell dead in front of us. He was the pilot of this tank. Similar age [to me]. Here he's gone. … But [before the photograph] I heard him scream, 'Muter, muter.' He was calling for his mother."</p><p>"I took cover [by lying down next to him] and read his belt buckle: 'Gott mit uns.' … It means 'God is with us.' [Before the war] I had seen people that die and go to the church, and from church they go to the cemetery, like my father when I was four. This was a different death."</p><h2>'Final Steps of Jack Rose'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1326" width="2000" msid="83102000" hostid="261"></div><p>Ottré, Belgium, January 11, 1945.</p><p>Vaccaro captured this image of a soldier he identifies as US Army Pvt. 1st Class Jack Rose of the 83rd Infantry Division, still upright, just after shrapnel from a mortar explosion severed his spine. The explosion, visible between Rose and the fence, threw Vaccaro back many feet. Rose, 23, was killed in action.</p><p>"That was Jack Rose. The last step. I was photographing him when this shell comes and explodes. He got killed there, in the village. … The shell could have come to me, too. I was lucky."</p><h2>'Rhineland Battle'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1304" width="2000" msid="83102003" hostid="261"></div><p>Near Walternienburg, Germany, April 1945.</p><p>Vaccaro says the streaking on some of his war photos comes from the grueling conditions he was in - he didn't have time to properly process and store his work in combat - and possibly from water damage due to a flood in the office where the images were stored after the war.</p><p>"We were going forward when a shell comes in, in the back, and explodes. This was Rhineland Battle. I was in a hole as the mortar exploded. I raised my arm up with the camera in my hand above the hole to catch this picture. If that shell had come 20 yards over, I was with these two [soldiers seen in the picture], and my hole was here, and if the shell came [where the two soldiers were or where Vaccaro was], I wouldn't be here talking today."</p><h2>'The Family Back Home'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1397" width="2000" msid="83102007" hostid="261"></div><p>Hürtgen Forest, Germany, January 1945.</p><p>When Vaccaro encountered this dead German soldier, it appeared that other American soldiers had already looted his valuables.</p><p>"This is a man who we killed in frontline [fighting]. … That was it. The family back home. A dead German soldier with the pictures he was carrying of his family. … Of course I had photos of my family too. … It reminds me of the tragedy of mankind. He's not a German. He's a human being."</p><p>"We just must stop using 'I'm Italian. I'm French. I'm Spanish. I'm German.' That's what makes us enemies of each other. We're all humans. <em>In</em> Spain. <em>In</em> Germany. It's a terrible mistake that man has made. We are humans. And nothing else."</p><h2>'Defeated Soldier'</h2><div type="image" title="Tony Vaccaro WWII photos" height="1441" width="1922" msid="83102008" hostid="261"></div><p>Frankfurt, Germany, March 1947.</p><p>Vaccaro captured this image after the war, while photographing the reconstruction of Europe for Stars.</p><p>"This man came back [from being a prisoner of war in the US]. He's crying. … He gave up. You see where his family had been. The war is over. He came back, and his house had been destroyed. That's why I call this the defeated soldier. He was German. … Later I was told that he lived here."</p><p>"The point is, you see, on this Earth there is only one species, one church. Unfortunately we take this one species and create hundreds and thousands of churches, and each one is different from the next. And that's why man is not attaining peace yet."</p>

A soldier who photographed World War II in Europe describes 6 of his photos that reveal the 'insanity of war'

<p><strong></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>"Air" portrays Nike's early corporate leaders, including cofounder Phil Knight, as risk takers. </li><li>The movie also shows how early Nike employees didn't hesitate to break rules. </li></ul><p><em>Editor's note: This story contains some spoilers for the "Air" movie released in theaters on Wednesday.</em></p><p>Early in "Air," the new Ben Affleck-directed movie about how Nike signed Michael Jordan, Nike employee Sonny Vaccaro hops on an airplane, against the orders of Jordan's agent, and flies to North Carolina to meet the basketball star's family.</p><p>The scene sums up what's right, and what's wrong, with the movie, according to former and current Nike employees. </p><p>It shows early Nike employees didn't hesitate to take risks. But <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/04/13/how-michael-jordan-became-the-face-of-nike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it's been widely reported</a> that the courtship started over a plate of ribs at Southern California's Tony Roma's, a restaurant that appears in an unrelated scene in the movie. </p><p>On Wednesday night, 6453 Alumni, a <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/news/2023/03/07/nike-alumni-jana-panfilio-800-employees.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">group for Nike veterans</a>, hosted a private screening of the movie at a theater about a mile from Nike's 400-acre headquarters. The group invited this reporter to join the screening and a sprawling discussion afterwards over Oregon IPAs and tater tots. </p><p>Attendees, for the most part, recommended the nearly two-hour movie, calling it a fun and uplifting underdog tale stuffed with Nike and sneaker nostalgia and fantastic music. They said it captures the zany, irreverent, underdog, hyper-competitive, risk-taking spirit of the company's early years. </p><p>"I loved every second of it," said Skip Lei, who worked for Nike for 31 years, and who now works as chief product officer for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-backed-hands-free-sneaker-company-raises-20-million-2022-7">fast-growing startup Kizik</a>. Lei got autographs from the screening's attendees on his low-top Jordan sneakers to mark the occasion. </p><p>But attendees cautioned viewers that it's a movie, not a documentary. Some of the details are laughably, if not distractingly, wrong. </p><p>Seventy-two current and former Nike employees attended the screening. Several had tenures at Nike that extended to before the company went public in 1980, including Nelson Farris, who's been with the company more than 50 years. Wilson Smith III, who <a href="https://solesavy.com/designer-spotlight-wilson-smith-iii/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">designed several of Jordan's signature sneakers</a>, joined the pub discussion, as did Nike historian emeritus Scott Reames, who's credited in Nike cofounder Phil Knight's memoir with "deftly sifting facts from myths." </p><p>"'Air' is entertaining and well captures the spirit and vibe of Nike in 1984, but it does take liberties that deviate from the actual events that took place in the signing of Michael Jordan," Reames told Insider.</p><div type="image" title="Nike veterans said the movie captures the company's willingness to take risks, especially early executives like Phil Knight, played by director Ben Affleck." height="2600" width="3466" msid="99305942" hostid="261"></div><h2>What "Air" got right</h2><p>In the film, Knight races through the company parking lot in a purple Porsche. Nike starts its quest in a distant third place in the bidding for Jordan, but still manages to sign him. Jordan's first signature shoe is <a href="https://www.complex.com/sneakers/the-history-of-michael-jordans-banned-sneakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">designed in clear violation of NBA rules</a>. All depict an underdog company willing to take risks and jumping at new opportunities.</p><p>Among the scenes that really resonated with Nike veterans: In the movie's climactic pitch to Jordan, Vaccaro, played by Matt Damon, turns off a projector before the presentation is over and fills the time with a convincing, impromptu, impassioned speech. </p><p>While attendees doubted the veracity of how the moment played out on film, they said that sort of all-in move happened all the time. </p><p>"I can think of so many of those meetings where we stopped something and said, 'This isn't doing it,'" said Chris Simone, a 6453 Alumni board member who worked for Nike for 18 years.</p><p>"Nike was one of the places where you could go in and say, 'You've been doing it wrong,'" added Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read, a Nike alum who attended the screening and pub discussion. </p><p>Affleck, who also played Knight in the movie, nailed the story's arc, by all accounts. </p><p>Nike really was in the dumps in 1984. "Orwell was right: 1984 was a tough year," Knight wrote in that year's shareholder letter, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four">referencing author George Orwell's book</a> by the same title. Signing Jordan was the first step in an epic corporate comeback. </p><p>"It was that meaningful for sure," said Mike Caster, who worked for Nike for more than 24 years, including on bringing the Jordan line to life, before founding a <a href="https://portlandaccessories.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Portland accessories company</a>. </p><h2><div type="image" title="Nike executives meet at Tony Roma's restaurant in one scene in the movie." height="2601" width="3468" msid="99305945" hostid="261"></div></h2><h2><strong>The movie airballs some details</strong> </h2><p>Nike veterans also cautioned the movie jumbles a lot of the facts.</p><p>The company's famed waffle iron, used to create the iconic waffle sneaker sole, was <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2011/02/nikes_holy_grail_bowerman_fami.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a landfill in 1984, not in Knight's office</a>. Nike athletes won 65 medals at the 1984 Olympics, not four, Reames said. Nike also bought Converse in 2003, not 1996, an error that had been corrected after appearing in an earlier Portland screening of the movie.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wild-1970s-rob-strasser-memo-shows-origins-nike-competitive-culture-2023-1">famed 1977 Nike "principles,"</a> written by Nike executive Rob Strasser, while a bedrock corporate document, didn't exist in poster form on the office walls, as far as anyone can remember. And nobody can remember creative executive Peter Moore going by "Pete."  </p><p>But the biggest criticism from former Nike employees: How Strasser and Moore's role in signing Jordan get shortchanged in the film.</p><p>Vaccaro <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nike-jordan-deal-focus-air-with-ben-affleck-matt-damon-2023-1">played an important part</a>, but not nearly as heroic as portrayed in the film, attendees said. No one attending Wednesday's pub discussion, for example, could recall Vaccaro flying to North Carolina to court Jordan's family, even though that sort of high-wire risk-taking would have been par for the course at Nike in 1984.</p><p>Attendees said Strasser and Moore played much more important parts. Strasser, <a href="https://www.pdxmonthly.com/news-and-city-life/2016/06/meet-the-man-who-reinvented-nike-seduced-adidas-and-helped-make-portland-the-sports-gear-capital-of-the-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener">once described as the "Man Who Saved Nike,"</a> would have negotiated Jordan's contract, not Vaccaro. Moore is relegated in the movie to being little more than a basketball footwear design guru, well short of his place as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/peter-moore-designer-air-jordan-1-jumpman-logo-dies-2022-4">one of the industry's most important creative executives</a>. </p><p>As for Knight, attendees said "Air" captures Knight's competitive, private, oracular personality. He can talk in riddles and he likes to spend time jogging alone.  </p><p>But it misses in other ways. </p><p>Knight is self-deprecating. It's unlikely that he'd boast about his importance to history, or the size of Nike, as his character does in two scenes. </p><p>And he certainly wouldn't back down from a board of directors or hesitate to place a giant bet on a generational basketball talent like Michael Jordan. </p><p>"He'd be the one pushing the envelope," said Jana Panfilio, 6453 Alumni's cofounder. </p>

I watched Ben Affleck's new 'Air' movie with 72 Nike veterans. Here's what they said the movie got right and what it got wrong about the race to sign Michael Jordan.

<p><strong><div class="image-container click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Andy King/Getty Images" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51e02ed16bb3f7002c00000b-960/adrian-peterson-vikings-nfl-preseason.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Andy King/Getty Images</p></div></div><keyword id="6409450" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="NFC">NFC</keyword> North: Are the Packers still the team to beat?</strong></p>
<p>Three teams earned double-digit wins in this division last year. At 11-5, the Packers beat the Vikings at home in the Wild Card round while Chicago sat at home, rueing their December 2 home collapse to Seattle. <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Last year's strongest division looks promising again this year, each team entering training camp with profound strengths countered by areas of uncertainty.</span></p>
<p>The Bears welcome new coach Marc Trestman, formerly the head coach of the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.<strong> </strong>Trestman's biggest challenge will be to tame his quarterback Jay Cutler. For all his ability, the Bears passing attack ranked 29th in yards per game last season. Much of that can be blamed on the revolving door offensive line Cutler operated in front of last season. The addition of Pro Bowl left tackle Jermon Bushrod should shore up the blind side while much attention will be focused on rookie right guard Kyle Long. If the aerial scheme and blocking improves, Chicago could be a serious contender. </p>
<p>For all the awesome efficiency an Aaron Rodgers led offense will operate with, Green Bay will only go as far as their defense takes them. For years the Green Bay defense has thrived with a lead but has worn down in tight games. Health on defense will be Green Bay's biggest concern.</p>
<p>The only team with three first round picks in this year's draft, the Vikings are strong in every area except secondary and under center, which is bad news in a passing league. A quarterback battle of lowest ineptitude is brewing between Christian Ponder and Matt Cassel, and whoever wins will spend much of his time turning around to hand the ball to 2012 MVP and preternatural freak <keyword id="1440411" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Adrian-Peterson">Adrian Peterson</keyword>.</p>
<p>The Lions just paid a quarterback with <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000216964/article/is-matthew-stafford-being-overpaid-by-detroit-lions">one career victory against a winning</a> team <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/matthew-staffords-new-contract-2013-7">$78 million for six more seasons</a>.</p>
<p><strong><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/51e02e616bb3f7a929000016-960/tony-gonzalez-falcons-nfl-preseason.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images</p></div></div>NFC South: Will Atlanta break through?</strong></p>
<p>Following consecutive one and done trips to the playoffs, Atlanta knocked off the scorching hot Seattle Seahawks last year before falling to NFC champion San Francisco. The Falcons replaced running back Michael Turner with Steven Jackson and return tight end Tony Gonzalez after he flirted with retirement. Last year's fifth best scoring defense brings in some new faces, with rookie Desmond Trufant expected to start at corner. Will this be the year the Falcons piece it all together in the postseason? The rest of their division, all coming of 7-9 records, look to give them a tougher go.</p>
<p>The Saints defense <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJshw2Axsqc">couldn't stop a nose bleed</a> last year, but they hope a change to the 3-4 defense and the addition of rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro will take some pressure off Drew Brees.</p>
<p><a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10458/darrelle-revis">Revis Island</a> floated down the East Coast to Tampa this offseason, and along with free agent Dashon Goldson, Tampa's secondary should drastically improve from it's league worst performance last year. </p>
<p>Carolina will look for quarterback Cam Newton to take the leap beyond his sophomore season, which was essentially a repeat of his rookie year with less touchdowns. </p>
<p><strong><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Patrick McDermott/Getty Images" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static4.businessinsider.com/image/51e02d85eab8eaa838000016-960/robert-griffin-iii-redskins-nfl-preseason.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Patrick McDermott/Getty Images</p></div></div>NFC East: How's that knee, RGIII?</strong></p>
<p>Washington's offense was a purist's dream last year, running the ball down opponent's throats without abandon. However, Robert Griffin III paid the price for his scrambling last season, tearing his right knee. The Washington offense returns every key piece. While most of the medical attention will surround RGIII's knee, Washington will also return pass rusher Brian Orakpo, who played his last game in Week 2 after tearing his left pectoral muscle. </p>
<p>While much of the attention in Philadelphia will be about Chip Kelly's ability to transfer his speed game from Oregon to the pros, the biggest challenge will be improving on last year's -24 turnover differential. </p>
<p>New York looks primed for another year of big wins, perplexing loses and late season talk about how no one wants to play them in the Wild Card, if they make it.</p>
<p>Somewhere in Dallas a running game is hiding. The second worst team on the ground last season, the Cowboys must create some holes for DeMarco Murray to improve on last season's 8-8 mark. Jerry Jones began addressing the issue with his selection of center Travis Frederick from Wisconsin in the first round. </p>
<p><strong><div class="image-container float_right click-to-enlarge"><div class="image"><a title_source="Brian Bahr/Getty Images" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="http://static6.businessinsider.com/image/51e02cb26bb3f7ac27000009-960/russell-wilson-nfl-preseason-seahawks-49ers.jpg"><span class="click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source">Brian Bahr/Getty Images</p></div></div>NFC West: Who is leading the arms race?</strong></p>
<p>The talent depth in this division is unmatched. After falling short in last year's Super Bowl, the 49ers added Anquan Boldin, Glenn Dorsey and 11 draft picks. The 49ers roster is the envy of every team in league.</p>
<p>Except perhaps in Seattle. One year after a stunning 11-5 season, the Seahawks added game breaker Percy Harvin to an already explosive offense and defensive end Cliff Avril arrived from Detroit in free agency. Seattle's home game in Week 2 against the 49ers on NBC Sunday Night <keyword id="64" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Football">Football</keyword> will be an early must-watch.</p>
<p>Perhaps the best under the radar team in the league, St. Louis looks prepared to break through. The Rams went from 2-14 to 7-8-1 last season. Despite their grueling division, the Rams, behind a bevy of young talent, could easily be this year's surprise playoff team.  </p>
<p>The Arizona Cardinals will go as far a quarterback Carson Palmer will take them. Palmer had a solid 2012, throwing for over 4,000 yards with 22 touchdowns. While the Cards won't contend, it will be fun to watch a secondary featuring LSU standouts Patrick Peterson and Tyrann "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg">Honey Badger</a>" Mathieu. </p>

You Searched For "tony vaccaro" and got 3 results

A soldier who photographed World War II in Europe describes 6 of his photos that reveal the 'insanity of war'

Katie Sanders

I watched Ben Affleck's new 'Air' movie with 72 Nike veterans. Here's what they said the movie got right and what it got wrong about the race to sign Michael Jordan.

Matthew Kish

The 4 Most Important Questions In The NFC Heading Into Training Camp

Philip Johnson

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