One of the first female photojournalists to cover combat of any kind, American writer Dickey Chappelle was an extraordinary example of courage, dedication, and unwavering commitment to equal opportunity.
Breaking the gender barrier as a war correspondent for National Geographic magazine, one of Chappelle’s first assignments was covering the Battle of Iwo Jima in the winter of 1945. Having survived what could have been the most intense experience of WWII, Chappelle proved to a watching world that a woman could successfully hold her own in the heat of combat.
Shortly after Iwo Jima, Chappelle was assigned to cover the battle of Okinawa, where she produced what was arguably her finest work.
Following the war, Chappelle traveled the world and went to great lengths to cover war stories of any kind.
In a tragic event that shook the world of journalism, Chappelle was killed in Viet Nam when she stumbled over a tripwire land mine on 4 November, 1965. Her last moments were ironically captured in a photograph by Henri Huet.
Dickey Chappelle was the first female war correspondent killed in Viet Nam, as well as the first American reporter to be killed during battle. Her legacy will never be forgotten.
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