November 26, 1965 LIFE sent an editor and photographer to spend six weeks with Marines in Vietnam, producing a 20-page photo essay on the brutal reality of war and the humanitarian spirit that could be found if one looked in the right places. "We cannot defeat this armed enemy unless we win the people; yet unless we defeat the armed enemy, we cannot win the people."LIFE Magazine
Fifty years ago, President Johnson announced the dawning of a “Great Society,” peaceful protesters clashed with state troopers in Selma, The Sound of Music made movie history and Operation Rolling Thunder launched in North Vietnam—and all of that before the clocks sprang forward. The year would be defined by the war on poverty at home and the one in the tunnels below and the skies above Vietnam, by explorations on frontiers as near as the human body and as distant as outer space. And even when the threat of bodily harm loomed large, LIFE’s photographers were there to capture the moment in the vivid detail only images can convey.
January 15, 1965 Cover story chronicled Senator Ted Kennedy's recovery from spinal injuries sustained in a 1964 plane crash. His recovery, according to his doctor, "was a combination of excellent physical condition and will power."LIFE MagazineFebruary 5, 1965 Grenadier Guards carry the casket of Sir Winston Churchill, following his death on Jan. 24, 1965. His casket traveled by boat through the Thames River to Waterloo Station, where it was transported for burial near Bladon. "When the sad but certain word came that Sir Winston Churchill was dead, his fellow Britons set about to honor him in a thousand different ways."LIFE MagazineMarch 19, 1965 LIFE covered the events of "Bloody Sunday" in Selma, Ala., during which Alabama state troopers beat peaceful protesters marching for voting rights, in vivid detail, noting, "The Savage Season Begins."LIFE MagazineApril 30, 1965 Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson's color photographs of stages of fetal development offered the first comprehensive glimpse of the fetus before birth. "After the baby has spent his appointed 266-or-so days in the tranquility of his mother's womb, he is abruptly shoved out ... into the hostile world."LIFE MagazineMay 7, 1965 Profile of John Wayne focused on the actor's treatment for lung cancer and subsequent return to star in his 165th movie, The Sons of Katie Elder. "My family is more important than ever ... Every day is precious to me now."LIFE MagazineJune 18, 1965 LIFE featured 16 pages of color photographs taken during the orbit of the Gemini 4 and astronaut Edward White's historic spacewalk. Photos were taken by both White and his command pilot, Major James McDivitt. "White felt a bubbling euphoria at seeing his world as no fellow Astronaut had ever seen it before."LIFE MagazineJuly 30, 1965 Cover story chronicled New York Yankee Mickey Mantle's fading professional baseball career. "Frustration and bitterness are Mantle's regular companions this season."LIFE MagazineAugust 27, 1965 The Watts Riots in Los Angeles, sparked by growing racial tension, unemployment and a host of other issues, were covered by nine LIFE photographers. "They were rocked and threatened and reviled--and given warnings to get out while they were still alive."LIFE MagazineSeptember 17, 1965 Cover story detailed the gruesome carnage in the war between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, which both countries claimed. "Since the war has bitterly religious overtones--Hindu against Moslem--the greatest immediate danger is that riots against the minorities could lead to slaughter surpassing even that which attended the founding of the two countries in 1947."LIFE MagazineOctober 1, 1965 LIFE profiled Alaska, the 49th state, then just six years into statehood. The story covered the state's people, natural beauty and economy. "It's 250,000 people are suspended, a bit uneasily, between memories of a pioneer, hardscrabble past and dreams of a glittering and prosperous future."LIFE MagazineNovember 26, 1965 LIFE sent an editor and photographer to spend six weeks with Marines in Vietnam, producing a 20-page photo essay on the brutal reality of war and the humanitarian spirit that could be found if one looked in the right places. "We cannot defeat this armed enemy unless we win the people; yet unless we defeat the armed enemy, we cannot win the people."LIFE MagazineDecember 3, 1965 Cover story recounted the visit of Princess Margaret and Earl of Snowdon to the White House. "A visit by British royalty is a most special event that must be observed in a most special way."LIFE Magazine
