NAM
After looking through hundreds of images, I went against the conventional design wisdom of using a color image and chose to work with this black-and-white photo for the jacket. In my opinion, you just can't beat direct eye contact if you're trying to create an interesting cover design!
While working on the project, I often wondered what ever happened to the soldier? Did he survive the war? As an art director and designer I selected the image because it made me stop for a moment and think. That's what most, if not all, book cover designers are trying to do with their craft. Make the perspective buyer stop, pick up the book, and hopefully purchase it. There is, however, a human factor present when selecting images for any history product, especially for books in the military genre. The people in the photographs are real. They have hopes, dreams, goals, and emotions just like any of us. It was clear from the expression on the soldier's face that he was not having a great day, but did he ever get home? My question was answered about a year after the book was published when I received a letter in the mail from the individual in the photograph! He had indeed survived the war, and I was able to speak with him via telephone which was a special moment for me. The soldier was a medic during the war and although he did not remember the cover photo being taken, he remembered the day and the incident.