Iconic Vietnam Images Colorized

Saigon 1968.

Amidst the calamity of Vietnam, court proceedings and other formalities went out the window. As Adams said, "I'm not saying what he did was right but you have to put yourself in his position."

The Battle of Saigon became one of the focal points of the Tet Offensive. (Griffiths/Magnum Photos)

Philip Jones Griffiths: The Battle Of Saigon

In 1968 U.S. Policy in Vietnam established a policy of corralled peasants into towns and cities for safety as the U.S. military carpet-bombed the countryside. Fighting in the Vietnam jungles gave the Viet Cong a huge home-field advantage. The wild cover of their home turf worked perfectly with their guerilla tactics, frustrating the much more advanced and powerful U.S. military.

35 Vietcong battalions fell upon Saigon.

The carpet-bombing of the countryside also fit with America’s plan to restructure Vietnamese society. By removing the people from their traditional value system, they would be more prepared to accept western consumerism. That “restructuring” took a huge blow when the fighting moved from the countryside into the cities. Griffiths published “Vietnam Inc.” in 1971 which became one of the most desirable collections of photography.

Faas earned two Pulitzer Prizes for his work in Vietnam. (Horst Faas/ap)

Horst Faas: U.S. Helicopter Northwest Of Saigon

Vietnam was often referred to as “the helicopter war.” Thanks to the lack of infrastructure and development of roads, moving troops around the country required wings. As Donald Porter of Air & Space wrote, “For most of the war, there was no formal Army training to prepare scout pilots and observers. Army headquarters developed doctrine by building on what worked in the field, rather than the other way around, and each unit in-country did things slightly differently.”

Huey helicopters became the most famous of Vietnam choppers.

That meant helicopter pilots flew by the seat of their pants and went with their gut. These fearless pilots endlessly risked their lives and saved countless more. Without aerial support, casualties would have risen to even bloodier totals.

No photo shocked the American public more than this one. (Malcolm Browne/ap)

Malcolm Browne: The Burning Monk

Vietnamese Mahayana Buddist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death in protest of the persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government. Leader Ngô Đình Diệm, a staunch Roman Catholic led the oppression that pushed Quang Duc to light himself on fire. As Browne right put it, "No news picture in history has generated so much emotion around the world as that one."

Acts of aggression against the Buddhists of South Vietnam became known as the "Buddhist crisis."

Nearly everyone has seen the photos of Quang Duc sitting unnaturally still as the roaring flames consume his body. His actions set off a chain of self-immolations across the world, during Vietnam and after. The disturbing self-immolation did not change Diệm’s stance on persecuting Buddhists monks. However, he was toppled by an American backed coup later that year. The picture won Browne the World Press Photo of the Year.

Protests started on college campuses and spread across the country. (Marc Riboud/Magnum Photos)

Marc Riboud: Protests In America

As these grisly images filtered into America, more and more people began protesting the war. In front of the Pentagon, Marc Riboud captured one of the most famous anti-war images of Jan Rose Kasmir. With just a flower in hand, Kasmir approached the guns and bayonets of the National Guard.

By '67 the war was costing Americans more lives and dollars than the public could justify.

As Riboud remembered, "She was just talking, trying to catch the eye of the soldiers, maybe trying to have a dialogue with them. I had the feeling the soldiers were more afraid of her than she was of the bayonets."