(Gary Cooper / Stars and Stripes)

Gary Cooper ©Stars and StripesSouth Vietnam, July, 1966: Sgt. John Smith is treated for wounds suffered when his 12-man squad from 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, returning to home base after a restless night at an outpost close to the Cambodian border, was attacked by the Viet Cong. "Things were touch and go for minutes," Stars and Stripes photographer Gary Cooper recalled, "and I thought it best to shoot an M-16 rather than my Nikkormat (camera)." Cooper managed to do both, however, and his photos from the attack earned him first place in the picture story category of a Military Pictures of the Year competition.