Dith Pran was born on September 27, 1942 Siem Reape, Cambodia into a family of 5 other kids. He is known for being a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide. Dith Pran learned French in school and English by himself when he was young. It helped him become a translator for US Military Assistance in Cambodia. He had a wife named Ser Moeun Dith and four children with her. The capital Phnom Penh fell to Khmer Rouge when Dith Pran was working with a British film crew at that time. Pran's family moved to Phnom Penh and in 1973, he became friends with Sydney Schanberg, a New York Times reporter, who helped his family escape. As time went on, Khmer Rouge was gaining more power, so they had to leave. Sydney arranged for Pran's family to leave but Dith stayed behind to finish the story. When Sydney and the other reports was about to leave, Dith was about to go with them but the passport was invalid. Dith Pran had to stay in Cambodia and act as a villager during the Year Zero. Dith Pran had to work in the fields every day and only got a spoonful of rice each day. During this time, many were killed by Khmer Rouge but Pran was able to escape to Thai border. He was able to contact Sydney who came to get Dith and take him to the US to his family. Dith Pran was a strong person who was able to survived harsh conditions during Khmer Rouge time and could walk a 60 mile journey to the border. He wanted to give back to his country, so he created the Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project that helped reconnect family members that were left in Cambodia. Dith Pran died from pancreatic cancer on March 30 2008. He will be remembered as a journalist who survived the Cambodian Genocide. R.IP. Dith Pran.