A harsh image to process, the photo below captures a moment in 1960 when a bunch of Montagnard Children have their cigarettes lightened by an American soldier. Many of these children were drafted against their will to join the forces, and others joined because their father was already a fighter.
It would be hard to find a more accurate depiction of the loss of innocence. Once recruited, these boys would lose any chance at a normal childhood, along with the purity and innocence that came with it.
Orphaned Children
Although the exact number of orphaned children is still unknown, it is reported that over 3,000 children were left orphaned and homeless. This photo is a heartbreaking portrait of one of the worst consequences of war: the repercussions on children. These three young north Vietnamese children are left to fend for themselves in the early 1970s.
It is devastating to see these kids' expressions - confusion, unimaginable sadness, and exhaustion. The worst part was the war wouldn't be over for another five years, and the number of orphaned children would just keep rising.
Taking As Much As Possible
Below, we see a photo of South Vietnamese civilians carrying as much stock as they can after sacking the Newport commissary once it was closed down after Americans knew of the impending evacuation that was to follow the fall of South Vietnam, and the end of the war, in 1975.
The first U.S. military commissary opened in Saigon in 1959, and by the early 60s, more branches started to open around Vietnam, mainly in and around Saigon. These commissaries served as supply shops for American army men and their families living in base housing, and they usually carried all the top American brand names they were accustomed to.
Preparing for Battle
Vietnam has a tropical climate, consisting mostly of hills and dense forests, which meant it provided soldiers with infinite ways and places to camouflage in, but its extreme weather conditions also made it extremely difficult for soldiers to move around sometimes. This photo shows a rife platoon as it prepares for battle in a Vietnamese field.
The tall grass provides these soldiers with a natural hiding place, but it would also make it very difficult for them to see their targets from afar since they would also get lost amongst the leaves.
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.