WEBVTT 00:03.369 --> 00:05.202 While it was a unique experience 00:05.202 --> 00:08.550 dealing with combat and having to 00:08.560 --> 00:09.560 record that . 00:14.119 --> 00:16.341 My name is Stuart Mackenzie . I live in 00:16.341 --> 00:18.508 Sacramento , California . I've been in 00:18.508 --> 00:20.819 photography my whole life . I started 00:20.829 --> 00:23.079 in photography , high school as a high 00:23.090 --> 00:24.979 school newspaper , photographer , 00:24.979 --> 00:27.034 college newspaper , photographer , I 00:27.034 --> 00:29.370 did volunteer interesting story . I was 00:29.770 --> 00:32.099 in college having too much fun getting 00:32.110 --> 00:34.880 A's and F's and the draft at that time 00:34.889 --> 00:37.180 was very active . I was on a trip to in 00:37.189 --> 00:39.245 Boise , Idaho going to Sun Valley to 00:39.245 --> 00:41.467 ski . My mother called me up and said , 00:41.467 --> 00:43.578 oh , no , you got your draft notice . 00:43.578 --> 00:45.689 So I knew all I had to do was go down 00:45.689 --> 00:47.856 to the Navy recruiter in Boise , which 00:47.856 --> 00:49.790 I did walked into the recruiter's 00:49.799 --> 00:51.830 office . The Navy recruiter was at 00:51.840 --> 00:54.110 lunch . The Marine Corps recruiter was 00:54.119 --> 00:56.560 sitting at that desk and he said to me , 00:56.569 --> 00:58.569 I can give you the same schools the 00:58.569 --> 01:00.970 same term , everything that the Navy 01:00.979 --> 01:03.659 said that they can do I can do . And 01:03.950 --> 01:06.117 most importantly , I can get the draft 01:06.117 --> 01:08.339 off your back by signing you up now and 01:08.339 --> 01:10.506 you've got 60 days to get your affairs 01:10.506 --> 01:12.561 in order , I joined the Marine Corps 01:12.561 --> 01:14.617 little did I know what I was getting 01:14.617 --> 01:14.400 myself into . 01:18.569 --> 01:20.680 I was big into risk sports and I 01:20.690 --> 01:23.059 thought to myself what bigger risk 01:23.069 --> 01:25.559 sport is there than combat , you know , 01:25.569 --> 01:27.458 how are you going to hold up in a 01:27.458 --> 01:29.625 combat scenario ? So I volunteered for 01:29.625 --> 01:33.430 Vietnam . We 01:33.440 --> 01:35.290 landed in Vietnam , got off the 01:35.300 --> 01:39.250 aircraft and it was hot and humid day 01:39.260 --> 01:41.093 to day would be everything if we 01:41.093 --> 01:43.410 weren't flying , we were processing a 01:43.419 --> 01:45.769 film , there were five photographers 01:45.779 --> 01:47.835 there and we had some correspondents 01:47.835 --> 01:49.779 and a motion guy . It was before a 01:49.779 --> 01:52.319 video . So we had to , they shot film 01:52.330 --> 01:56.260 16 millimeter film . I was had 01:56.269 --> 01:59.489 three major operations . Mead River , 01:59.839 --> 02:02.370 Oklahoma Hills and Dewey Canyon . All 02:02.379 --> 02:05.129 those operations . I had instructions 02:05.139 --> 02:07.889 from my lieutenant . As far as what he 02:07.900 --> 02:10.122 wanted on those particular operations . 02:10.122 --> 02:12.344 Sometimes it might be get on the ground 02:12.344 --> 02:14.567 and just get pictures of troops exiting 02:14.567 --> 02:18.050 the aircraft . It might be just grab 02:18.059 --> 02:21.419 shots like that M 60 squad setting up 02:21.559 --> 02:24.940 um Marines hiking in a line , um 02:25.000 --> 02:27.600 helicopters coming in , resupplying , 02:27.770 --> 02:29.910 netting , you know , dropping nets , 02:29.919 --> 02:33.539 lots of things . Fortunately , 02:33.550 --> 02:35.661 before I went in the Marine Corps , I 02:35.661 --> 02:38.270 was uh on the ski patrol , national Ski 02:38.279 --> 02:40.899 patrol and I had advanced first aid . I 02:40.910 --> 02:43.929 had CPR . Um I ended up working for an 02:43.940 --> 02:47.009 ambulance company . I'd seen car wrecks 02:47.020 --> 02:49.119 and catastrophic injuries . Nothing 02:49.130 --> 02:51.479 prepares you for Vietnam , but it 02:51.490 --> 02:53.970 prepared me to suppress the kind of 02:53.979 --> 02:56.369 injuries that I saw in Vietnam . You 02:56.380 --> 02:58.570 can't deal with it . I mean , you'd be 02:58.580 --> 03:01.669 sitting somewhere sobbing if you dealt 03:01.679 --> 03:03.401 with it , you have to suppress 03:03.401 --> 03:05.589 everything . So you just suppress and 03:05.880 --> 03:08.119 take the pictures and here's a 03:08.460 --> 03:10.589 unbelievable photographic scenario , 03:10.949 --> 03:13.171 you know , unfolding before you and you 03:13.171 --> 03:14.338 just take pictures , 03:18.440 --> 03:20.273 especially Medevacs where you're 03:20.273 --> 03:22.779 dealing with major trauma , uh , 03:22.789 --> 03:24.845 traumatic amputation of limbs . They 03:24.845 --> 03:26.956 bring someone on board with no legs , 03:27.250 --> 03:30.949 um , you know , arms massive tissue 03:30.960 --> 03:33.127 injuries and watching Corman trying to 03:33.127 --> 03:35.293 save , you know , someone's life on an 03:35.293 --> 03:38.660 ongoing basis . The camera kind of gave 03:38.669 --> 03:41.649 me a little bit of distance in that . I 03:41.660 --> 03:43.771 wasn't just standing there staring at 03:43.820 --> 03:46.740 it . I had something in front of me to 03:46.750 --> 03:48.806 shield me from the horror that I was 03:48.806 --> 03:49.806 witnessing . 03:53.380 --> 03:55.380 People always ask , you know , what 03:55.380 --> 03:57.547 about your legacy ? What uh you know , 03:57.547 --> 03:59.713 what's , what's your , what are people 03:59.713 --> 04:01.880 going to remember about you ? It's not 04:01.880 --> 04:04.047 about me , it's about the Marine Corps 04:04.047 --> 04:06.102 and I told the story , that'll be my 04:06.102 --> 04:08.102 legacy . It's just the , the images 04:08.102 --> 04:10.324 that I took and the story of the Marine 04:10.324 --> 04:10.539 Corps .