Overview

'Imagine you are a member of the U.S. Army Photographic Section brought over to Italy in 1943 by an American General to create a record of his advance north to liberate Rome. Imagine that while you see your job as building a faithful photographic history of events, he views it only as a means to produce the publicity he needs for further career advancement. Imagine that in a campaign that goes wrong from the outset, your experience becomes far less about memorializing his military success, than of facing the likelihood of him authorizing the bombing of the most venerated abbey in Europe, which he says is occupied by Germans. Imagine that only you know there is no-one inside that abbey, save for many hundreds of defenseless refugees and priests. And imagine that the general who intends to destroy it anyway is your godfather. What would you do? This is what lieutenant Patricia Hampton did.'