Keeping Watch
A creepy photograph of a human skull keeping watch over a camp of American soldiers deep within in the Vietnam jungle. The expression on this particular soldier’s face is one of indifference, almost as if he has become unphased by the atrocities of war, including not being bothered by having a human skull perched next to him.
Some soldiers believed a human skull served as a silent guardian to watch over the troops, inciting fear in any enemy armies that tried to approach.
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.
Refugee Ships
Once the communist North Vietnamese army took over Saigon and marked the end of a 20-year war, there were millions of Vietnamese citizens that were left homeless. Photographed below is the hold of a ship crowded with refugees in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang in 1975.
Many South Vietnamese refugees escaped to the United States in search of a new life and flee government persecution back in Vietnam. As one can clearly see in the photo, Vietnamese refugees had to endure terrible conditions as they were forced to leave their homes and survive a long journey to a foreign land.
The Power of Humanity
This beautiful photograph captures the moment when Staff Sergeant Edgar D. Bledsoe comforts a critically-ill baby in his arms. The sergeant can't hold his endearment towards the child, looking at it with such innocence and kindness.
The image is part of the collection of photos taken by Charles Haughey, a Vietnam War veteran that was assigned the job of battalion photographer. Haughey was tasked with keeping the camera out of the battlefield since the purpose of these photos was to boost the soldiers' morale.