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)

England fans react as they watch a live broadcast of the Women's Euro final football match between England and Spain, at Boxpark Wembley in London on July 27, 2025. (Photo by Niklas Halle'n/AFP Photo)

Susan Njeri (C), mother of late face mask vendor Boniface Mwangi Kariuki, breaks down at Kenyatta University Funeral Home in Nairobi, Kenya, 11 July 2025. Kariuki was shot by police on 17 June during protests over the death of a Kenyan blogger in police custody. He died two weeks later while receiving treatment. (Photo by Daniel Irungu/EPA)

A group of friends react during “Ladies Day” at the Randox Grand National Festival held at the Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, Britain, 12 April 2024. The Grand National Festival is held over three days, culminating in the world famous 6.9 kilometer handicapped steeplechase, running for the 176th time in 2024. (Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA/EFE)

Here Goes River captures Japanese photographer Aya Fujioka’s home town of Hiroshima in 2017. The award-winning series documents the quiet, everyday spaces of the city – mundane, almost incidental scenes that are suffused with the invisible weight of the past. (Photo by Aya Fujioka)

Models present a creations by Maggie Ma collection during the SS2026 China Fashion Week, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, September 9, 2025. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

England’s Natasha Hunt pours champagne into the mouth of Zoe Aldcroft as she holds the trophy after England beat Canada 33-13 in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham in London on September 27, 2025. England became world champions on Saturday in front of 81,885 spectators at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium, while overall 444,465 tickets were sold during the tournament. (Photo by Garry Bowden/ProSport/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

An elephant calf, Tula-Tu plays with a pumpkin, as the Oregon Zoo celebrates Halloween during the 27th annual Squishing of the Squash, in Portland, Oregon, U.S., October 16, 2025. (Photo by Oregon Zoo/Handout via Reuters)