Remembering The Flower Girl: Jan Rose Kasmir, a Chrysanthemum, and the Vietnam War

"A 17-year-old high school girl named Jan Rose Kasmir walked up to a row of soldiers holding rifles with bayonets...
She held a single chrysanthemum bloom in her hands."

October 21, 1967

On this day, 100,000 demonstrators attended the March on the Pentagon - one of the most massive demonstrations of the Vietnam War.

 

A 17-year-old high school girl named Jan Rose Kasmir walked up to a row of soldiers holding rifles with bayonets.

Jan courageously stood directly in front of the bayonets.

She held a single chrysanthemum bloom in her hands.

The little daisy-like flower was the only thing between Kasmir's face and the tip of a blade.

 

This image, The Flower Girl, became one of the most iconic photos of the Vietnam War era. 


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The Flower Girl - Colorized Image
The Flower Girl - Colorized Image
The Flower Girl - Original Image
The Flower Girl - Original Image

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