Photojournalist Nick Ut Celebrates 40th Year with The Associated Press

By: DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press (AP) Nick Ut has taken literally thousands of photos in his 40 years with The Associated Press, but one still defines him: The 1972 image of a little girl, naked and screaming in agony, as she flees a napalm bomb attack during the Vietnam War.

Ut, 55, had cause to reminisce about that and other photos when approximately 200 people, including several TV news crews, arrived at The Associated Press' Los Angeles bureau Wednesday after word leaked out that a small party was being held to mark the photographer's 40th anniversary with the news service.

"There are still so many pictures to take, I plan to work another 40 years," said Ut, who won the Pulitzer Prize, journalism's highest honor, for that 1972 photo. It and many others were on display at the AP bureau.

Ut joined the wire service to help support his family after his brother, also an AP photographer, was killed in 1965 while covering the Vietnam War.

Since arriving in Los Angeles, Ut noted that he has gained a second reputation, as the photographer who takes pictures of celebrities in trouble. Those have included Michael Jackson at his child molestation trial and O.J. Simpson at his murder trial.

He's also photographed numerous celebrities at happier events, and Johnny Grant, who as honorary mayor of Hollywood unveils each Hollywood Walk of Fame star, was among those who dropped by.

"Nick is truly a star," said Grant, who handed the photographer a plaque with a star on it.

But it is the Vietnam War photo that everyone remembers.

The AP's veteran Hollywood reporter, Bob Thomas, who has a star of his own on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recalled being relegated to "nobody" status every time Ut worked on a celebrity interview with him and the subject of the photo came up.

Veteran court reporter Linda Deutsch recalled watching the reaction of "Pentagon Papers" leaker Daniel Ellsberg when he learned he was being photographed by Ut.

"When Nick walked up, he threw his arms around him and he said 'You helped to end the war,'" Deutsch recalled.