Military Editors

Two days of hell, nine men of valor, originally uploaded by Army.mil.

This looked like a weak photo to include in a photo set — then I realized the photo was not the point.
Technically, it’s almost perfect – pleasing outdoor sun, well-exposed shadows*, no one caught with a goofy expression, nice telephoto compression. I would have liked to see more of the Soldier on the left. And the caption, “Two days of hell, nine men of valor,” leaves you scratching your head until you study the cutline. Things add up to nine in the last sentence, and it’s not explicit. And, since it is a ceremony shot, you really don’t know what the guys did unless you read the cutline.
And then you realize the point is not the photo, but the story behind it. No action shot exists (as far as I know). Everyone involved was far too busy with a trigger (or a radio) to worry about a shutter button.
So we’re left with a photo of the award ceremony – one missing a third of the honorees. So to do them honor one takes the best picture one can, because to let a story go without some kind of illustration would consign it to the back page.
An editor would rather see action than a ceremony, but in the end the photographer and editor made the right choice – to call attention to nine heroes through the best photo one could take. I like it better every minute.

Soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), stand in formation following a valor award ceremony in which two received the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device and four received the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device. Three other Soldiers also earned the Bronze Star for valor.

Story here: Two days of hell, nine men of valor”

*updated with the correct term.