In the spring of 1965, within weeks of 3,500 American Marines arriving in Vietnam, a 39-year-old Briton named Larry Burrows began work on a feature for LIFE magazine, chronicling the day-to-day experience of U.S. troops on the ground – and in the air – in the midst of the rapidly widening war. The photographs in this gallery focus on a calamitous March 31, 1965, helicopter mission; Burrows’ “report from Da Nang”, featuring his pictures and his personal account of the harrowing operation, was published two weeks later as a now-famous cover story in the April 16, 1965, issue of LIFE.

Photo: Man your battle stations: The crew chief of helicopter Yankee Papa 13, lance corporal James C. Farley, mans an M-60 machine gun during a mission near Da Nang, Vietnam on March 31, 1965. (Photo by Larry Burrows/Time & Life Pictures)

'Military woman' is a constantly updated gallery of images of women wearing uniform: military, police and so on. We truly hope that our beloved visitors won't remain passive and will take part in this project making it even more interesting! Note that all the images featured in the gallery are taken from publically available sources: their copyright belongs to their respective creators and the trade mark to the owners. ...

A spring breaker takes a shot of tequila during a pool party at a hotel in Cancun March 8, 2015. Like previous Florida spring break hot spots Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach, Panama City Beach is facing a crisis of conscience over the trade-offs involved in hosting a binge for some 300,000 students who arrive through mid-April with coolers, beer funnels and credit cards. (Photo by Michael Spooneybarger/Reuters)

As an American in 1990s Cuba, Tria Giovan risked being branded a traitor. But the photographer continued to visit and, from the dance hall to the hair salon, she captured the resilient spirit of the Cuban people. The 120 images in Tria Giovan’s “The Cuba Archive” are from the period in the 90s when, as an American, travel to Cuba could have seen her branded a traitor, as the country was subject to a US trade embargo. Her trip required lots of planning – and patience. (Photo by Tria Giovan/The Guardian)

An exhibitor takes a photo with a Huawei Mate 10 Pro during the 2018 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 9, 2018. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 12 and features about 3,900 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 170,000 attendees. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Reuters)

Anne Owen and Abigail Owen-Pontez strap into “Elee”, a car made of cutlery from American Airlines during the Everyones Art Car Parade May 14, 2005 in Houston, Texas. The silverware was purchased by Houston artist Mark Bradford when the airline had to convert to plasticware after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The parade includes around 280 cars and is part of Art Car Weekend along with a street festival, parade, carnival, ball and other events. (Photo by Dave Einsel/Getty Images)

Rio de Janeiro's state military policemen aim their guns during a violent protest in a favela next to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro on April 22, 2014. Violent protests broke out in Rio's landmark beachfront district, Copacabana, following the death of a resident last weekend during clashes with the Army in a nearby favela. (Photo by Christophe Simon/AFP Photo)

A visitor celebrates after attending a bare hand fishing event in a frozen river during the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival at Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon province, South Korea, 09 January 2016. The festival runs under the theme “Unfrozen Hearts, Unforgettable Memories” from 09 January to 31 January 2016. (Photo by Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA)