The Vietnam War was the first major armed conflict to be broadcast live into American homes through TV news. Nightly, Americans witnessed the brutal realities of war – aerial bombings, infantry battles in jungles and rice paddies, villages engulfed in flames, and the suffering of the Vietnamese people.

The war was also captured in unforgettable images from brave photographers around the world, including Pulitzer Prize winners Horst Faas and Sal Veder. Despite grave risks, these photojournalists recorded the combat and aftermath with striking photographs. Some, like Dickey Chapelle, lost their lives documenting the war’s harsh truths. She became the first female American correspondent killed in action

To assemble a collection of some of the most terrifying images of the Vietnam War by a variety of photographers – some of them unknown – 24/7 Tempo reviewed historical photo archives from sources including Getty Images and the Library of Congress.

America was involved in combat operations in Vietnam from 1964 to 1973, one of the nation’s longest wars. By the war’s end, 58,000 American soldiers had perished. (It was one of the wars in which the most Americans died.)

The war split the nation in two and damaged confidence in America’s role as a superpower. At home and in Vietnam, photographers captured the tremendous fear, chaos, anguish, and division spawned by the conflict. (Here’s how every war in U.S. history ended.)

Click here to see 29 horrifying images of the Vietnam War