Determination: silver. Adam Pelech (No 3) of the New York Islanders and Brian Boyle of the Florida Panthers crash the boards during their game at Barclays Center in New York. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Shortlist, open competition, lifestyle. Healing Vibes – the hot springs of Bagno Vignoni in Italy flow out at a temperature of about 49°C. They were appreciated by the Romans for their healing powers, and have been used as therapeutic treatments since the 12th century, under Emperor Federico II. (Photo by Stefano Butturini/Sony World Photography Awards)

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)

A protester sprays paint on the window of a bank during a rally against Expo 2015 in Milan, Italy, April 30, 2015. The Milan Expo will open in the city on May 1. Officials are counting on some 20 million visitors to the six month-long exhibition of products and technologies from around the world. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

Emma Coburn (L) and Colleen Quigley of the U.S. look at the scoreboard after competing in the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China August 26, 2015. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

Tourists play in front of a 3D painting on the wall of a house in Luoyuan village, Jinhua, Zhejiang province, August 26, 2015. The village hired a team to put on 3D paintings all over the valley as a method to attract tourists and improve the income of local villagers, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

A recent undated handout picture released by the Guinness World Records on September 9, 2014, shows 49-year-old trick golf artist Karsten Maas, from Denmark, who secured his place in the 2015 Guinness World Records book for creating the world’s longest usable golf club. It measures 4.37, (14ft 5in) in length and has been used to drive a ball a distance of 165.46m (542ft 10.16in). The 60th anniversary edition of the Guinness World Records book will reflect on six decades of record-breaking, whilst also featuring the latest additions to the oddball hall of fame. (Photo by Ranald Mackechnie/AFP Photo/Guinness World Records)

The Just For Men World Beard and Moustache Championships crowned 18 title winners, highlighting the best and boldest examples of facial hair from across the globe on Saturday, October 25th, 2014 in Portland, OR. (Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer/AP Images for Just for Men)