'Marlboro Marine' - Two lives blurred together by a photo

This is the photo that made Marine Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller -- the 'Marlboro Marine' -- famous.

Timesphotographer Luis Sinco made James Blake Miller an emblem of the war.The image would change both of their lives and connect them in ways neither imagined.
By Luis Sinco, Times Staff Photographer, First of two parts
November 11, 2007
The young marine lighted a cigarette and let it dangle. White smoke wafted around his helmet. His face was smeared with war paint. Blood trickled from his right ear and the bridge of his nose.

Momentarily deafened by cannon blasts, he didn't know the shooting had stopped. He stared at the sunrise.

His expression caught my eye. To me, it said: terrified, exhausted and glad just to be alive. I recognized that look because that's how I felt too.

I raised my camera and snapped a few shots.

With the click of a shutter, Marine Lance Cpl. James Blake Miller, a country boy from Kentucky, became an emblem of the war in Iraq. The resulting image would change two lives -- his and mine.

SNIP This is Part one of a two part report. The Rest can Be Found Here

You can also find Three Video's Parts One, Two, and Epilogue Here

{Part one was printed on 11-11-07 Veterans Day, part 2 too follow on 11-12-07.}