It is a graphic image of the harsh realities of war: the fatally wounded young marine lying crumpled in the mud, his vulnerable face turned to the camera.

It is one the United States Defence Secretary would rather you did not see.

Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard, pictured at right being tended to in southern Afghanistan, died of his injuries soon after. Now, the release of this record of the 21-year-old's last moments has divided the US, prompting furious debate over the sanitisation of war at a critical time for the military offensive.