What does this picture of an injured U.S. Marine represent for you?

Burned Marine & his bride on their wedding day: and I think this question needs serious editing.

Here, if you are interested in learning about the photo and the couple.

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0703/a-thousand-words.html

I just feel it represents the many military men who have been injured. I don’t understand why this photo would be more “viral” than any other photo of a physically injured serviceman.

@JLeslie, I think the reason is because of how significantly iconographic this particular image is. You can see the discomfort in the bride’s face as well as the despair in the Marine’s. Instead of dying, he is forced to live with severe facial disfiguration. Because of this, this image tells more of a story than your average injured soldier photo, and the results are particularly gut-wrenching.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I agree. There is something captivating here. In fact the only reason I was introduced to it was because of FaceBook threads. And it being FaceBook no source was given, so I wasn’t sure if it were real or not. In fact I thought it might have been a promotion somehow for the outrageous popularity of our current Post Zombie Apocalypse Hollywood Trend. To find out that it’s real is stunning.
So for me, many things come to mind from the photograph itself. I wonder if they were posed that way on purpose. I see a sadness in the way it is set up. I also see more brightness on the mans face (the intensity is greater than the white on her dress). Also I doubted it to be real for the simple fact that when I Googled wedding photos, nearly all photos showed happy couples and I’m just so used to happy looking wedding photos, so the gloomy nature of this photograph raised an eyebrow. I remember when I got married my wife was obviously emotional. But what I gather here is an absence of emotion.
This is definitely an iconic photograph a sign of the times if you will. Totally fresh perspective.

The photo was part of an assignment for People magazine. It never ran in the magazine, but won first place in the Portraits-Singles section of the World Press Photo Awards. You can bet it was staged.

I have no idea why it’s viral, but like @bkcunningham I feel it’s a staged photo.

I much prefer this soldier & bride story from a few years ago. And this follow up to their love story.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I don’t know. There are injured soldiers throughout our country. Some have no physical wounds, but the psychological toll on them and their family is huge. I have friends who have parents and grandparents who fought in WWII and Vietnam and they live with some pretty bad memories, addictions, disabilities, etc. I never forget the difficulties our soldiers go through. Don’t get me wrong, a disfiguring injury is really awful. I am not taking away from this particular soldier’s injury and comparing it to others, only saying I don’t understand why people dwell so much on this photo.

@SpatzieLover Now thats the more of the same feeling I felt upon my wedding day! :D

@JLeslie well I think most people sadly don’t really think about PTSD and other psychological wounds that so many fighting men and women have to deal with, so that’s why I think something as shocking as the photo in the OP is more likely to grab the attention of a general audience.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard I’d have to agree with you there.