Dith had lived been born and raised in Cambodia. He had lived the life style of a native Cambodian. Things were going great for Dith. In 1972 he had began working his new job as a journalist. He had also been the interrupter at the time for the New York Times. He and his partner Mr. Schanberg from the New York Times were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 1975. They had been in the destructive path of the Khmer Rouge ( Cambodian Communist). Unfortunately, Dith had been taken as a prisoner to the Khmer Rouge. Despite the long and harsh four years Dith had gone through, he had still survived. 

He had escaped the labor and practical starvation. To get out the situation he was in he had crossed the Thailand's boarder. Then soon after had met up with Mr. Schanberg. Wishing to start over again Dith had moved to New York and met up with his family. In that same year of 1980 he had also become a photographer for the New York Times. 

His life had impacted many due to his experiences and sharing his story. He was a respectable journalist as well as refugee or survivor of the Cambodian genocide. Due to his Pancreatic cancer he'd been hospitalized and shortly died after. All in all, no one will forget the strength and the courage that this man had . May he never be forgotten.