April 20 marked the 10-year anniversary of the deaths of conflict photographers Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros, who died from a mortar attack while covering the front lines in Misurata, Libya on that date in 2011. Hetherington was director and producer of the Afghan war documentary Restrepo, and Hondros worked for the Getty Images agency.
Two other photographers, Guy Martin and Michael Christopher Brown, were wounded in the attack but survived their injuries.
Hondros won the OPC’s 2003 John Faber Award and a Robert Capa Gold Medal Award in 2005. Hetherington shared the 2007 David Kaplan Award with an ABC News Nightline team along with Sebastian Junger, Brian Ross, Steven Baker, Madeleine Sauer and Karen Brenner for coverage of Afghanistan.
Many colleagues and news organizations shared remembrances to mark the anniversary.
Getty Images posted a photo of Hondros and a thread on Twitter, saying “Chris covered the world’s conflicts for Getty Images, including conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Liberia, with dedication, compassion and a soulful purpose. His work and his distinctive ability to bring shared human experiences into the public eye was not only admired by his colleagues at Getty Images but by the industry, having received many honors across his career including World Press Photo and being a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist.”
Junger, who spent a year with Hetherington filming Restrepo, wrote “there are a lot of brave people in the world, and Tim was one of them. I am profoundly lucky to have known Tim and to be able to call him a brother.” Junger linked to a foundation Hetherington’s family established in his name. “I miss him terribly,” Junger added.
The Bronx Documentary Center posted on Facebook with a quote from its director, Michael Kamber, who said Hetherington and Hondros “were passionate about education and about a more just world,” and said “we work today so that Tim and Chris’s photographs, values and ideas will continue to inspire others—just as they did when they were alive.”
Bobby Ghosh, a friend of Hondros, linked to a tribute he for TIME magazine in 2011 recalling days when the two covered Iraq together. “All of us who’ve been fortunate to know Chris will miss his incredible talent, his bravery and his generosity. Most of all, I’ll miss that big guffaw, the sound of reassurance,” he said.
In 2011, the OPC posted a remembrance page with thoughts from Past President David Andelman and highlights of each photojournalists’ connections to the OPC, including book night with Hetherington and Junger on November 17, 2010 in which they discussed their books, Infidel and War, respectively, and their film Restrepo.
Click the window below to watch a tribute video the OPC played during the Annual Awards Dinner in 2011.