(Gary Cooper/Stars and Stripes)

Near the Cambodian border, South Vietnam, June 1966: Squad leader Sgt. John Smith is treated for his wounds during a firefight.

In the summer of 1996 Pacific Stars and Stripes reporter Gary Cooper, a Navy journalist, was with a 12-man squad of the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in South Vietnam close to the Cambodian border near Pleiku when 50 to 60 Viet Cong attacked. The U.S. infantrymen sought cover in tall grass or behind trees as they fought off the attackers. Cooper, though under fire, took this remarkable photo.

Read Gary Cooper's account of the fire fight here.

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