1965 Photo Contest, Spot News, 1st prize
Photographer

Kyoichi Sawada

United Press International

06 September, 1965

Loc Thuong, Binh Dinh, Vietnam. A mother and her children wade across a river to escape US bombing. The US Air Force had evacuated their village because it was suspected of being used as a base camp by the Viet Cong. In September 1965, the US Marines started a clearing operation in the area north of their military base in the South-Vietnamese coastal town of Quy Nhon. The base was under constant attack from Viet Cong snipers, hiding in the surrounding villages. To secure the perimeter around the naval base, the Marines swept through the villages rounding up suspects while evacuating the villagers. The US Air Force also moved to bomb the villages from the air, attacking Viet Cong sniper positions.

About the photographer

Kyoichi Sawada

After graduating from Aomori Prefectural High School, Kyoichi Sawada (Aomori City, Japan 1936 - Cambodia 1970) worked in a photography store on the US military base at Misawa, wh...

Technical information

Focal length
205 mm

This image is collected in