May 15, 2014 11:44 AM EDT
I n June 1969, LIFE magazine published a feature that remains as moving and, in some quarters, as controversial as it was when it intensified a nation’s soul-searching 45 years ago. On the cover, a young man’s face—the very model of middle-America’s “boy next door”—along with 11 stark words: “The Faces of the American Dead in Vietnam: One Week’s Toll.” Inside, across 10 funereal pages, LIFE published picture after picture and name after name of 242 young men killed in seven days halfway around the world “in connection with the conflict in Vietnam .”
To no one’s surprise, the public’s response was immediate, and visceral. Some readers expressed amazement, in light of the thousands of American deaths suffered in a war with no end in sight, that it took so long for LIFE to produce something as dramatic and pointed as “One Week’s Toll.” Others were outraged that the magazine was, as one reader saw it, “supporting the antiwar demonstrators who are traitors to this country.” Still others—perhaps the vast majority—were quietly and disconsolately devastated.
[Read readers’ responses below, and see how ‘One Week’s Dead’ looked when it ran in LIFE ]
Here, LIFE.com republishes every picture and every name that originally appeared in that extraordinary 1969 feature. Below is the text, in full, that not only accompanied portraits of those killed, but also explained why LIFE chose to publish “One Week’s Dead” when it did—and in the manner that it did.
From the June 27, 1969, issue of LIFE:
The faces shown on the next pages are the faces of American men killed—in the words of the official announcement of their deaths—”in connection with the conflict in Vietnam.” The names, 242 of them, were released on May 28 through June 3 [1969], a span of no special significance except that it includes Memorial Day. The numbers of the dead are average for any seven-day period during this stage of the war.
It is not the intention of this article to speak for the dead. We cannot tell with any precision what they thought of the political currents which drew them across the world. From the letters of some, it is possible to tell they felt strongly that they should be in Vietnam, that they had great sympathy for the Vietnamese people and were appalled at their enormous suffering. Some had voluntarily extended their tours of combat duty; some were desperate to come home. Their families provided most of these photographs, and many expressed their own feelings that their sons and husbands died in a necessary cause. Yet in a time when the numbers of Americans killed in this war—36,000—though far less than the Vietnamese losses, have exceeded the dead in the Korean War, when the nation continues week after week to be numbed by a three-digit statistic which is translated to direct anguish in hundreds of homes all over the country, we must pause to look into the faces. More than we must know how many, we must know who. The faces of one week’s dead, unknown but to families and friends, are suddenly recognized by all in this gallery of young American eyes.
Here are some of the reactions from readers, published in the August 18, 1969, issue of LIFE—an issue in which the entire Letters section of the magazine was given over to responses to “One Week’s Dead”:
“Your story was the most eloquent and meaningful statement on the wastefulness and stupidity of war I have ever read.” — From a reader in California
“Certainly these tragic young men were far superior to the foreign policy they were called upon to defend.” — From a U.S. Marine Corps Captain (resigned)
“I feel you are supporting the antiwar demonstrators who are traitors to this country. You are helping them and therefore belong to this group.” — From a reader in Texas
“I cried for those Southern black soldiers. What did they die for? Tar paper shacks, malnutrition, unemployment and degradation?” — From a reader in Ohio
“While looking at the photographs I was shocked to see the smiling face of someone I used to know. He was only 19 years old. I guess I never realized that 19-year-olds have to die.” — From a reader in Georgia
“I felt I was staring into the eyes of the 11 troopers from my platoon who were killed while fighting for a cause they couldn’t understand.” — From a Marine second lieutenant in New Jersey who commanded a rifle platoon in Vietnam
LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969, featuring a portrait of U.S. Army specialist William C. Gearing, Jr., one of 242 American servicemen killed in a single week of fighting during the Vietnam War. LIFE Magazine Joseph L. Rhodes, 22, Marines, L. Cpl., Memphis, Tenn. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael C. Volheim, 20, Army, SP4, Hayward, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Craig E. Yates, 18, Army, Pfc., Sparta, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ramon L. Vazquez Nieves, 21, Army, Pfc., Puetro Nuevo, P.R. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert E. Layman, 20, Army, WO1, Poquonock, Conn. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Calvin R. Patrick, 18, Army, Pfc., Houston, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Valentine Dwornik, 20, Army, SP4, Detroit, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Bruce Saunders, 21, Army, 2nd Lt., Queens, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert J. Rosenow, 20, Army, Pfc., La Farge, Wis. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John C. Pape, 25, Army, Capt., Amityville, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William L. Alexander, 19, Army, SP4, Flint, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jose M. Galarza-Quinones, 21, Army, Pfc., Hato Rey, P.R. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Roy E. Clark, Army, Pfc., Culloden, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James P. Hickey, 19, Marines, Pfc., West Quincy, Mass. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John L. Rosemond, 21, Army, Pfc., Dallas, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Mario Lamelza, 21, Army, Pfc., Philadelphia, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David Tessmer, 20, Army, Pfc., Wausau, Wis. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Johnnie L. Brigman, 23, Army, Pvt., North, S.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary A. Wallace, 19, Army, Pfc., Louisville, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Cleveland Browning, 22, Army, Pfc., Miami, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Charles C. Fleek, 21, Army, Sgt., Petersburg, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Patrick Francis, 22, Army, S/Sgt., Napa, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Joe E. Bragg, 20, Army, SP4, Versailles, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William C. Gearing Jr., 20, Army, SP5, Rochester, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary D. Carter, 19, Marines, Cpl., Tyler, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Matthew T. Lozano Jr., 21, Army, Pfc., San Antonio, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Winston O. Smith, 24, Army, Pfc., Madisonville, Tenn. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert B. Read, 24, Army, Pfc., Hamden, Conn. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Mark J. Haverland Jr., 21, Army, Sgt., Poca, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ralph J. Mears Jr., 19, Army, SP4, Norfolk, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Philip W. Strout, 21, Army, SP4, So. Portland, Maine LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John A. Gillen, 25, Army, SP4, Broadville, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Edward O'Donovan, 19, Marine, Pfc., Chicago, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael D. Melton, 20, Army, SP4, Little Rock, Ark. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Melvin Green Jr., 31, Army, S/Sgt., Manhattan, Kan. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary C. Fassel, 20, Army, Pfc., Buffalo, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John W. Kirchner, 19, Marines, Pfc., La Crosse, Wis. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Keith B. Janke, 26, Army, Sgt., Poplar, Wis. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William L. Anderson, 18, Army, Sgt., Templeton, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David L. Mills, 22, Army, SP4, Decatur, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Carl R. Martin, 26, Army, SP5, Rapid City, S. Dak. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Daniel L. Pucci, 22, Marines, Cpl., Berea, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Howe K. Clark Jr., 22, Army, S/Sgt., Rockdale, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas P. Jackson Jr., 23, Army, Pfc., Westbury, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Clifford Haynes Jr., 19, Marines, Pfc., Carnegie, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Scott E. Saylor, 22, Army, SP4, King of Prussia, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David R. Mann, 20, Army, SP4, Earlville, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Henry R. Hausman Jr., 19, Army, Pfc., Hilliard, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert J. Randall, 19, Army, Pfc., Miami, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David F. Bukowski, 20, Army, SP4, West Islip, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John M. Vollmerhausen Jr., 18, Army, Pfc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David A. Hargens, 19, Army, Pfc., Nickerson, Neb. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Matthew J. Baurle, 20, Marines, L. Cpl., Gloversville, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Richard F. DuBois, 20, Marines, L. Cpl., New Orleans, La. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Duane C. Bowen, 20, Army, SP4, Ramona, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John N. McCarthy, 20, Army, SP4, Glen Cove, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Andrew W. Rice Jr., 20, Navy, GMG3, Bedford, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Byrle B. Bailey, 19, Marines, Pfc., Omaha, Neb. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Charles P. Smith Jr., 20, Army, Pfc., Richmond, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert H. Carter Jr., 35, Army, Lt. Col., Morganton, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Stephen L. McCarvel, 19, Army, Sgt., Great Falls, Mont. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jackie D. Bass, 21, Army, Pfc., Cochran, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William A. Evans, 20, Army, Sgt., Milwaukee, Wis. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Richard L. Patterson, 25, Army, 2nd Lt., Harriman, Tenn. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert W. Getz, 19, Army, Pfc., Decatur, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Boston Jr., 20, Army, Pfc., Gainesville, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael F. May, 22, Army, SP4, Vassar, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Freddie Lee Coffman, 20, Army, Pfc., Wardensville, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Milton S. Johnson, 20, Army, Pfc., Savannah, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ophrey A. Irvin, 25, Army, SP4, Chillicothe, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas W. Myers, 26, Army, Pfc., Middlesex, N.J. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary A. Neavor, 25, Army, SP4, Davenport, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Clarance Taylor, 25, Army, Pfc., Greensville, Ala. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas F. Barth, 18, Army, Pfc., Lakewood, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ralph A. Vitch, 20, Army, SP4, Tampa, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Patrick M. Hagerty, 19, Army, SP4, Youngstown, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Albert J. Cartledge III, 23, Marines, Cpl., Dallas, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Drew, 20, Army, SP4, Kansas City, Mo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Peter S. Borsay, 24, Army, Pfc., Salt Lake City, Utah LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert C. Yates, 18, Army, Pfc., Hondo, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Henry L. MacArthur, 18, Army, Pfc., Fuquay Varina, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ronald E. Morgan, 22, Army, Pfc., San Diego, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Rudy A. Carnley, 23, Army, SP4, Lake Wales, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Barry L. Unfried, 20, Marines, Pfc., Oroville, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary R. Clodfelter, 20, Army, SP4, High Point, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Larry D. Muller, 18, Marines, Pfc., Ojai, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James A. Wright, 21, Army, SP4, Boring, Ore. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William W. Olsen, 22, Army, Sgt., Pocatello, Idaho LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert F. Rose, 19, Army, SP4, Ashland, Ore. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael K.L. Dixon, 19, Army, Pfc., Hawthorne, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Edward T. Kiezkowski, 20, Army, SP4, Butler, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David J. Ewing, 20, Army, SP5, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Kenneth D. Pettigrew, 19, Army, Pfc., Redding, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Warren Nix, 26, Army, Pfc., Tuscon, Ariz. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Terry D. Clark, 18, Army, Pfc., Wallace, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jimmy W. Phipps, 18, Marines, Pfc., Culver City, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Curtis Breedlove, 31, Army, 2nd Lt., Bryson City, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Forrest L. Smith, 27, Army, S/Sgt., Columbus, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Isaac Sapp, 21, Marines, Pfc., Williston, S.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David L. Tiffany, 19, Army, SP5, Riverside, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William W. Smith, 21, Army, Pfc., King City, Mo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Calvin E. Cooper, 20, Marines, Pfc., Kingstree, S.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary R. Guest, 22, Marines, Cpl., Dorchester, Mass. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas R. Bliss, 20, Marines, L. Cpl., York, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Clovis L. May, 24, Army, Sgt., Deming, N. Mex. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Dennis L. Babcock, 19, Army, Pfc., Pacific Grove, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Donald J. Deevers, 19, Army, Pfc., Hinton, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Douglas J. Sommer, 18, Army, Pfc., Kearns, Utah LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Joe T. Conkle, 25, Army, 1st Lt., Hampton, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Elmer E. Fields, 20, Army, Pvt., Fairfax, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jeffrey A. Richardson, 20, Army, Pfc., Red Lion, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Russel Evans, 20, Army, Pfc., Sylvania, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Emmett L. Davis, 18, Army, Pfc., Lakeland, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Charles A. Jones, 29, Army, Sfc., Modesto, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John H. Platt, 20, Army, Pfc., Early, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Chris R. Martinez, 21, Army, Cpl., Alameda, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James M. Leonard, 20, Army, Sgt., Edmond, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael M. Hatzell, 19, Army, Pfc., San Jose, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas E. Hays, 20, Army, WO, Oklahoma City, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Iran C. Brown, 19, Marines, L. Cpl., Roanoke, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ralford J. Jackson, 20, Marines, Pfc., Tuba City, Ariz. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Timothy K.P. Foster, 18, Marines, Pvt., Honolulu, Hawaii LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Virgil V. Hamilton, 20, Army, SP4, Brooksville, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Donny R. Lawson, 21, Marines, L. Cpl., Grandview, Wash. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Clarence Creaghead, 21, Army, SP4, Detroit, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Keith A. Kahlstorf, 20, Marines, Pfc., Britt, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael A. Powell, 19, Marines, L. Cpt., Atlanta, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Byron B. Bowden, 21, Army, SP4, Arcata, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Chris M. Pyle, 21, Navy, HM2, Hardesty, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Patrick M. Dixon, 23, Army, 1st Lt., Dixon, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Joseph C. Chisholm, 24, Army, SP4, Union Lake, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert A. Pitts, 21, Army, Pfc., Galveston, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Albert O. Nelson Jr., 20, Marines, 2nd Lt., Alexandria, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary McCollough, 20, Army, Pfc., Charlotte, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Charles D. Ervin, 18, Marines, Pfc., Lamont, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Titmas III, 19, Army, Pfc., Glendale, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William J. Thornhill, 20, Army, Pvt., Baltimore, Md. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John M. Randall, 20, Army, SP4, Phoenix, Ariz. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Max Lisenby, 21, Marines, Cpl., Lawton, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gail G. Sanderson, 19, Marines, Pvt., Anthon, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert P. Scibilia, 21, Army, SP4, Nashua, N.H. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William A. Seigle, 20, Army, Pfc., Sapulpa, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gerald W. Posten, 20, Army, Pfc., Placerville, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Howard S. Hill, 22, Army, Sgt., Irwin, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures David W. Kinney, 20, Army, Pfc., Charleston, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ernest C. Munoz, 36, Marines, S/Sgt., San Antonio, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Cordell B. Rogers, 30, Army, Capt., Remsen, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Larry E. Boyer, 22, Marines, Cpl., Williamstown, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ronald A. Brown, 20, Army, Sgt., Huntington Park, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John Winters, 18, Marines, L. Cpl., Clark, N.J. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Floyd E. Barber, 23, Army, SP4, Franklin, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Marvin C. Briss, 20, Army, SP4, Binford, N. Dak. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Garey L. Grubbs, 20, Army, Pfc., Denver, Colo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Merlin J. Laber, 21, Army, SP4, Sykeston, N. Dak. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John M. Hohman, 22, Army, CW2, Leominster, Mass. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gordon D. Perry, 19, Marines, Pfc., Morgantown, W. Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James J. Wise, 20, Army, SP4, Detroit, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert T. Bensberg, 28, Army, Capt., Columbus, Ga. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Kenneth M. Seward, 22, Army, SP5, Greeley, Colo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Edward Frowner, 20, Army, Sgt., Manila, Ala. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James S. Colombero, 24, Army, SP5, McCloud, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Donald P. Seburg Jr., 19, Army, Pfc., Jackson, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Milford E. Cobb, 33, Army, S/Sgt., Tempe, Ariz. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ronald A. Yashack, 21, Army, Pfc., Diagonal, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Edison R. Phillips, 19, Army, Pfc., Plymouth, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary C. Towle, 26, Army, Pfc., Concord, N.H. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Douglas R. Matheson, 20, Army, Sgt., Columbiaville, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Santiago V. E. Quintana, 20, Army, Pfc., Santa Fe, N. Mex. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Charles A. Hilbert, 20, Army, Pfc., Parksville, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert L. Anderson, 21, Army, Cpl., Middletown, N.Y. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Troy Ralph, 21, Army, SP4, Hobart, Ind. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Orville Hampton, 37, Army, S/Sgt., Lawton, Okla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Cris Holliday, 20, Army, Pfc., Meridian, Miss. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Billy W. Pettis, 21, Army, Pfc., Castleberry, Ala. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William H. Darden, 20, Army, Pfc., Lanett, Ala. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jan Rauschkolb, 22, Marines, Cpl., Denver, Colo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Steven C. Owen, 22, Army, SP4, Long Beach, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures John W. Abbott, 23, Marines, 1st Lt., South Bend, Ind. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William J. Peterson, 23, Army, 2nd Lt., Ephrata, Wash. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Wayne E. Garven, 21, Army, Pfc., Mt. Vernon, Ohio LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures William H. Beske Jr., 21, Army, Pfc., Lathrup Village, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Ralph H. Crowley, 20, Army, Sgt., Remus, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Yvon E. Girouard, 20, Marines, Pfc., Littleton, N.H. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Errol W. Perreira, 21, Army, Pfc., Hilo, Hawaii LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Harold James Warmsley, 24, Army, SP4, Mansfield, La. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Allen M. Graff, 21, Army, Sgt., West Covina, Calif. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert Sigholtz Jr., 23, Army, Capt., Annandale, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Edward F. Clennon, 23, Army, Pfc., Joliet, Ill. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Billy L. Thomas, 19, Army, SP4, Stinnett, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Richard L. Brumfield, 21, Army, Sgt., Denham Springs, La. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Steven K. Sprinkle, 20, Army, SP4, Winston-Salem, N.C. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Steven E. Murray, 19, Army, SP4, Indianapolis, Ind. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Euan J. Parker, 22, Army, Pfc., Brigham City, Utah LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Emerson Martin, 21, Marines, Pfc., Gallup, N. Mex. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James D. Johnson, 20, Marines, L. Cpl., Bedford, Texas LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Kenneth D. Shoaps, 20, Army, Sgt., Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Joey L. Boles, 21, Army, Pfc., Winchester, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Bobby G. Newby, 21, Army, Pfc., Winchester, Ky. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas B. Paynter, 21, Army, SP4, Seattle, Wash. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James F. Hilliard, 23, Army, Sgt., Kalamazoo, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Michael E. Gerber, 20, Army, SP4, Conway Springs, Kan. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Donald W. Ide, 25, Army, 1st Lt., Beirut, Lebanon LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary M. Paul, 19, Marines, L. Cpl., Norway, Mich. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Gary W. Leighton, 19, Marines, Pfc., Washington, Pa. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Derrill L. Price Jr., 20, Army, SP4, El Dorado Springs, Mo. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Farrell J. Vice, 21, Army, SP4, Abbeville, La. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Scott E. Cochran, 18, Army, Pfc., Eugene, Ore. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Philip L. Gamble Jr., 26, Army, 2nd Lt., Newport, R.I. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Philip L. Gamble Jr., 26, Army, 2nd Lt., Newport, R.I. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Terry V. Miller, 23, Army, Pfc., Ottumwa, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Herman L. Judy Jr., 23, Army, Pfc., Alexandria, Va. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures James Herbert III, 20, Marines, Pfc., New Orleans, La. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Willie L. Kirkland, 20, Army, SP4, Avon Park, Fla. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Thomas A. Nebel, 20, Army, Pfc., Keota, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Jim J. Walters, 20, Marines, Pfc., Sioux City, Iowa LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Dick E. Whitney, 22, Army, SP4, Newberg, Ore. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Robert L. Boese, 22, Army, Pfc., Marion, Kan. LIFE Magazine—Time & Life Pictures Above: Twenty-five men, killed in one week in the late spring of 1969, who did not have their pictures in the June 27, 1969, issue of LIFE. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures "Vietnam: One Week's Dead," LIFE magazine, June 27, 1969. Time & Life Pictures More Must-Reads from TIME Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next Sabrina Carpenter Has Waited Her Whole Life for This What Lies Ahead for the Middle East Why It's So Hard to Quit Vaping Jeremy Strong on Taking a Risk With a New Film About Trump Our Guide to Voting in the 2024 Election The 10 Races That Will Determine Control of the Senate Column: How My Shame Became My Strength