This captivating photo, taken in 1965, depicts Nguyen Toi, a militant machine gunner having a conversation with a 14-year-old boy in a village in Quang Binh Province, located along the north-central coast of Vietnam. The machine gunner was in charge of protecting the Northern province from U.S. planes, and this boy, named Truong Huong, was the one that provided him with a steady supply of ammunition.
If it weren’t for the massive machine gun, this would almost be an endearing photo showing the friendship between a man and a boy as they have a nice conversation on a field. In fact, when Toi was awarded a Medal of Merit by the Vietnamese National Assembly, the boy received several mentions for the vital role he played in the victory.
South Vietnamese Resistance
The Americans weren't the only ones fighting the communist North of Vietnam. In fact, before the U.S. even got involved, the war had already started between the South Vietnamese Army and communist North Vietnam. The photo below shows the marching soldiers of the South Vietnamese Resistance.
Even though this is a fairly common photo of soldiers on duty, there is something haunting about the expressions on these soldiers' faces; a mix of bravery and willingness to fight and the look of fear and exhaustion on the last two soldiers in the back of the line.
The Booby Traps
Because of its dense jungles and leafy terrains, Vietnam was the perfect place to set up booby traps. They could be easily covered in seconds. This heartbreaking photo shows a soldier getting help from a comrade after being severely injured after landing in a phosphorous booby trap.
There were several types of booby traps, but phosphorus ones were one of the most dangerous since phosphorus is a highly reactive chemical element that could explode in a matter of seconds.
Anti-war Protests in the U.S.
This photo shows one of many anti-war protests that happened all across the U.S. in the 60s. There were many people that were fervently against the Vietnam War, and a lot of those people were Americans that couldn't understand, much less support, the idea of why the U.S. had to get involved in the first place. Even though the anti-war movement began with small gatherings by peace activists and students, it swept the nation in 1965 after the U.S. started incessantly bombing North Vietnam.
From 1965 to 1968, the number of anti-war protests was on a steady rise, reaching its peak in 1968 when the Tet Offensive by North Vietnamese soldiers showed the world that the war wasn't going to end anytime soon and the toll it had taken was already far too high.
A Gathering of Soldiers of the ARVN
From its creation in 1955 to the fall of Saigon in 1975, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was the ground troop of the South Vietnamese army. The photograph below shows a gathering of soldiers of the ARVN in April of 1967. There is something beautiful about this image; it shows that despite facing terrible atrocities every day during the battle, at the end of the day, these were just ordinary men that enjoyed being amongst friends.
Even though it is probable they were discussing an attack strategy or topics about the war in general, some of these men look quite happy and entertained. Sadly, it is estimated that the ARVN suffered over 1,394,000 casualties during the war.