Vietnam War Photos Flames
After supplies and weapons were found in a Viet Cong tunnel network, a soldier burns a nearby hut used for rice storage by the Viet Cong. Bien Hoa. January 1966.
Prisoner In Transit
Two Viet Cong prisoners are led to an ARVN Command Outpost at Ha Tien. May 1970.
Gathering Around A Guitar
Soldiers gather around a guitar player and sing songs after a long day during Operation Yellowstone. January 1968.
Combat In Gas Masks
Gas mask-clad soldiers stay low to the ground as they prepare for combat. Date unspecified.
Con Son Prison
Prisoners eat a meal in their cell at Con Son Prison, which would later become the sight of the infamous "Tiger Cages" photographs. July 1970.
Search And Destroy
In search-and-destroy missions, soldiers were ordered to destroy the homes of suspected Viet Cong in the hopes that it would cripple the resources and morale of the guerrilla force. In this image, an American soldier carries out these orders with a flame thrower. Date unspecified.
Man On Ground
Vietnamese Army personnel interrogate a Viet Cong prisoner. June 1962.
Soldiers Questioning Old Villagers
Captain Carlisle Bastian and his company question three old villagers in the outskirts of Phu Dien Hai. 1967.
Helmet Adornment
A soldier who has chosen to decorate his helmet with a plastic ox pauses and looks backwards. Date unspecified.
Smoke On A Hill
Mortar Fire
Soldiers fire a mortar at a Viet Cong landing position. Long Khank Province. May 1967.
House In Flames
Two soldiers watch as a suspected Viet Cong house collapses into flames. Date unspecified.
Questioning Blindfolded Prisoner
A South Vietnamese Army interpreter questions a Viet Cong prisoner and translates the answers to Captain Dennis K. Anderson. September 1967.
Letter From Home
Private First Class John J. Schult smiles as he reads a letter from home. Chu Lai. November 1967.
Medic Administering Vaccination
SP4 Manuvel Y. Martines administers a penicillin shot to a Vietnamese farmer. Quang Nai Province. May 1967.
Two Hands Up
A young Vietnamese man raises his hands in surrender as two American soldiers question him. Date unspecified.
Soldier Holding Gun
Soldier Crouching Behind Wall
A soldier takes cover behind a stone wall in Tam Ky. 1969.
Soldier Looking Into Bunker
Taking Cover In Field
Soldiers take cover behind a line of shrubbery as helicopters fly overhead. Date unspecified.
Motion Picture Photographer
A member of the Department of the Army Special Photographic Office, a small, highly trained unit of Army photographers, looks through his camera. Date unspecified.
Wounded Vc Boards Helicopter
Two American medics remove a wounded Viet Cong fighter from a Medivac helicopter. Chu Lai. November 1968.
Bound Pows Awaiting Transfer
Four prisoners captured in a Viet Cong tunnel complex wait for transfer to a prisoner-of-war camp. Thanh Dien. January 1967.
Women Prisoners Of War
Female Viet Cong POWs cover their heads as they wait to be transported to the release point. Can Tho. February 1973.
Prisoners Wait For Transfer
People taken prisoner by the ARVN wait for a helicopter to transfer them to a release point. Tay Ninh. March 1973.
Female Prisoners Sewing
A member of the South Vietnamese Women's Army Corps oversees a sewing class at a prison camp. November 1968.
North Vietnamese Pow Release
North Vietnamese POWs leap out of boats upon their release from captivity and are greeted by military personnel. North Quang Tri Province. February 1973.
Soldiers In Haze Vietnam War Photos
Soldiers on a search-and-destroy mission move through an area that had been previously cleared by supporting artillery. April 1965.
Civilians Surrendering
Soldiers Approaching Helicopter Grass
Soldiers load into a Chinook helicopter as they prepare to be airlifted to their next position. April 1966.
Running From Helicopter
Soldiers leave a helicopter and seek new positions. Xa Cam My. April 1966.
Soldiers And Helicopters
Troops At Airfield
Questioning Civilians In Wreckage
Photographer Ted Acheson questions a Vietnamese family whose home was destroyed. Date unspecified.
Phone Call From Field
An armored helicopter prepares to land troops in an area where a suspected Viet Cong outpost is located. Quang Ngai Province. April 1967.
Climbing To Helicopter Vietnam War Photos
Solders climb a ladder into a Chinook helicopter during Operation Cedar Falls. January 1967.
Soldiers Wading Through Water
Exmaining Sick Vietnamese Child
SP5 Paul S. Hernandes examines a Vietnamese child's throat during a medical aid operation in Xuan Vinh Refugee Resettlement Camp. September 1967.
Soldiers Looking At Papers
Soldiers Walking Through Water
Soldiers Lights Civilian's Cigarette
SP4 Warren Cunningham, a grenadier, stands by civilians who were found in a village during a search-and-destroy mission and lights of their cigarettes. In all probability, the homes of these civilians are being burned down out of frame. Quang Nai Province. January 1968.
Commander With Cigarette
Captain William J. Winham prepares to lead his company on a search-and-destroy operation with foliage in his helmet to provide camouflage, and a cigarette. Binh Doung Province. June 1967.
Troops Near Helicopter
Soldiers Watching Helicopter
History is not a fixed set of facts. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. Photographs, and visual media generally, play an especially important role in this process of shaping collective memory of an event.
During the Vietnam War, for example, photographs and footage brought the conflict home to the American people. Shocking images such as Nick Ut's "Napalm Girl" and Eddie Adams' "Saigon Execution" have become synonymous with the widespread outrage and disapproval of the war in the United States.
Given how large the canon of Vietnam War photojournalism is and the level of infamy much of it has achieved, it may be surprising to learn that a wellspring of Vietnam War photos from a source other than photojournalists has been largely ignored: the works of military photographers.
Though their works have been declassified over time and physical copies are carefully preserved at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, it is estimated that less than a quarter of military images from Vietnam were ever made available to the press. In the rare cases where they were published or broadcast, the photographers were rarely credited.
This pattern is not unique to the Vietnam War. The United States military has had designated photographic units since the Signal Corps began taking photographs in the 1880s. They were created to document operations, equipment, and people, as well as to create a visual record of the conflict.
When acknowledged in popular media, however, military photography is often written off as a public relations mouthpiece for the U.S. military, à la Full Metal Jacket. However, the fact that these Vietnam War photos were not intended for publication suggests that photographic units and their commanders perhaps had less incentive to misrepresent or sanitize American military actions in conflict zones.
In interviews, Vietnam War-era military photographers have revealed that they do not recall being told to depict any subjects in a way that favored the U.S. military. Instead, military photographers were often simply told to "go find some action," and were allowed to use their discretion when it came to documenting things like violence and gore.
The result is an extensive and nuanced body of work. It is neither a gritty, unfiltered depiction of combat nor a highly censored attempt to make Americans look honorable. Though the images rarely focus on the carnage of war, they offer surprisingly frank depictions of search-and-destroy missions and prisoner-of-war camps. They place as much emphasis on the thrill and terror of combat as they do on the agonizing waiting periods that fall between the action.
These Vietnam War photos are a key part of understanding soldiers' experiences during the conflict and provide insight into operational specifics that were unknown to the press.
Though these Vietnam War photos have not yet pierced the public consciousness in the same way that civilian photojournalists' images have, the historical record is truly not complete without them. Ultimately, what is the point of creating a visual history if no one sees it?
Next, see what the Vietnam War looked like for those who fought it in this CBS News footage that captured a battle in action in the jungles of Vietnam near Cambodia in March 1970:
After viewing the Vietnam War photos above, have a look at two of the era's most iconic images: "Napalm Girl" and the Saigon execution. Then, see the war's horrifying aftermath with this look at the Agent Orange victims who suffered through one of history's worst chemical attacks.
The post 44 Declassified Vietnam War Photos Taken By U.S. Army Photographers appeared first on All That's Interesting.