Long Khank Province.

The advent of the helicopter in the early 20th century had a profound impact on transportation, communication, and myriad other areas of human endeavor. Heavily armed helicopters offered a fearsome component to ground operations as close air support. The Korean War witnessed a much wider usage of helicopters, most famously with the H-13 and its role in the medical evacuation of wounded personnel to field hospitals, but in minor troop insertions and in a limited reconnaissance role, as well.During the Vietnam War, the United States relied on the helicopter as never before. The Korean War witnessed a much wider usage of helicopters, most famously with the H-13 and its role in the medical evacuation of wounded personnel to field hospitals, but in minor troop insertions and in a limited reconnaissance role, as well. In this image, an American soldier carries out these orders with a flame thrower. Soldiers on a search-and-destroy mission move through an area that had been previously cleared by supporting artillery. That was the Cav unit portrayed in “Apocalypse Now”. 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 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.

July 1970. Bien Hoa. 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. January 1968.Gas mask-clad soldiers stay low to the ground as they prepare for combat. Date unspecified.Soldiers fire a mortar at a Viet Cong landing position. Mobility and firepower would be the keys for American operations in Vietnam, and the helicopter provided an abundance of both. Solders climb a ladder into a Chinook helicopter during Operation Cedar Falls. Heavily armed helicopters offered a fearsome component to ground operations as close air support. Date unspecified.A member of the Department of the Army Special Photographic Office, a small, highly trained unit of Army photographers, looks through his camera. This post tries to list the most important choppers. 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.

Recognizing the immense potential of the helicopter, military planners focused on developing a rotary wing force to buttress the American arsenal. November 1968. Female Viet Cong POWs cover their heads as they wait to be transported to the release point. January 1967. The United States military has had designated photographic units since the Signal Corps began taking photographs in the 1880s. June 1967. Photographer Ted Acheson questions a Vietnamese family whose home was destroyed. April 1967. Over 90,000 patients were airlifted (over half of them Americans). September 1967.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 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. Ultimately, what is the point of creating a visual history if no one sees it?44 Declassified Vietnam War Photos Taken By U.S. Army Photographers44 Declassified Vietnam War Photos Taken By U.S. Army PhotographersPsychic Steamed To Death As Part Of Taoist Ritual [VIDEO]12 Titanic Survivors Whose Stories Reveal The Tragedy's True ScopeWhat Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The MostAfter 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. May 1967.Two soldiers watch as a suspected Viet Cong house collapses into flames. Date unspecified.A soldier takes cover behind a stone wall in Tam Ky. 1969.Soldiers take cover behind a line of shrubbery as helicopters fly overhead. In the rare cases where they were published or broadcast, the photographers were rarely credited.This pattern is not unique to the Vietnam War. Binh Doung Province.

November 1967.SP4 Manuvel Y. Martines administers a penicillin shot to a Vietnamese farmer. The Vietnam War proved that the dogfight was alive and well and missiles were not yet ready to replace proven gunfighters. It is neither a gritty, unfiltered depiction of combat nor a highly censored attempt to make Americans look honorable.