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Quote by Richard Engel

“Reporters go through four stages in a war zone. In the first stage, you’re Superman, invincible. In the second, you’re aware that things are dangerous and you need to be careful. In the third, you conclude that math and probability are working against you. In the fourth, you know you’re going to die because you’ve played the game too long. I was drifting into stage three.”

Quote by Richard Engel

Book:And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
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And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East

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Richard Engel
Richard Engel

Richard Engel is an American journalist born on September 16, 1973. He is known for his reporting in war zones and in-depth investigations, having won multiple journalism awards. more

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Book:And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
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“From seven hundred journalists at the beginning of March, the number had dwindled to about one hundred and fifty—print reporters, TV correspondents, photographers, cameramen, and support personnel. At the press center I encountered Kazem, who only a week before I had asked for help with my visa. “Why are you staying when everyone else is leaving?” he asked. I took a chance and replied in Arabic. Some journalists, I said, are as samid as the Iraqi people. Samid means “steadfast” and “brave” and is the adjective most often used by Iraqis to describe themselves. Kazem laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder.”

IraqJournalismIraq WarWar Correspondent
Book:And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
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“The bombing started up again, with explosions all around us, in broad daylight, but no one in the restaurant even flinched. Iraqis seemed numb after a quarter century under Saddam’s whip-hand rule. It was heartbreaking to see what a harsh dictatorship can do to the human soul. In less than a week, I had grown almost inured to explosions and fires.”

IraqIraq WarWar Correspondent
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“Then someone cried out, “Suicide bomber!” The crowd panicked. In the ensuing stampede, terrified pilgrims ran in both directions, many colliding in the middle of the bridge. A side railing collapsed under their weight, and scores leaped into the water whether they could swim or not. Hundreds were trampled to death. More than a thousand died. Hundreds of pairs of sandals were scattered around the bridge, left behind when pilgrims made their desperate dives into the river. I was given all of seventy-five seconds to tell the story on the Nightly News.”

IraqJournalismJournalistWar Correspondent
Book:And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
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“I may have been in stage four, but I wasn’t completely crazy. At least eighty-six journalists had been killed in Iraq, more than in any other conflict since World War II, and another thirty-eight had been taken hostage. More would die in the years to come. I knew I had to limit my movements and take special care when I did go out.”

JournalismIraq WarWar Correspondent
Book:And Then All Hell Broke Loose: Two Decades in the Middle East
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