“War Photographers Pass” – Donald H. Cravens
This is something you certainly won’t see everyday. A War World II “War Photographer’s Pass” issued to Donald H. Cravens. I photographed this yesterday at a showing of the photographs of Don Craven at the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts at College of the Desert in Palm Desert California.
Don Cravens was in the first cinematography class at USC when World War II began and he enlisted as a combat cinematographer. Don was there at the attempted assassination of French President Charles De Gaulle. He was in the D-Day Invasion of Normandy and on the front lines thereafter with a motion picture camera and a pistol.
After the war as a photographer he was assigned to cover many of the most historical events over years including the Nuremberg War Crime Trials through the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed some of the most often seen photographs of the times were shot by Don Cravens.
Don Cravens went on to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and other tragedies of those years finally moving to Beverly Hills and photographing movie and music stars and personalities of the 1960’s.
He has been awarded two Purple Hearts and in 2007 the French Medal of Liberty – the Legion d’Honneur for his war service.
An exhibit of photographs from a man who witnessed and recorded some of the most profound moments of history. Very happy I went to see it and learn more about the man.
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