'Reaching Out,' Vietnam, 1966 | LIFE Behind the Picture: Larry Burrows’ ‘Reaching Out,’ 1966 | LIFE.com:
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LIFE BEHIND THE PICTURE: LARRY BURROWS’ ‘REACHING OUT,’ 1966

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Larry Burrows—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Wounded Marine Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Purdie (center, with bandaged head) reaches toward a stricken comrade after a fierce firefight south of the DMZ, Vietnam, October 1966.

BEHIND THE PICTURE

'60s

In October 1966, on a mud-splattered hill just south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Vietnam, LIFE magazine’s Larry Burrows made a photograph that, for generations, has served as the most indelible, searing illustration of the horrors inherent in that long, divisive war — and, by implication, in all wars. In Burrows’ photo, nowadays commonly known as Reaching Out, an injured Marine — Gunnery Sgt. Jeremiah Purdie, a blood-stained bandage tied around his head — appears to be inexorably drawn to a stricken comrade. Here, in one astonishing frame, we witness tenderness and terror, desolation and fellowship — and, perhaps above all, we encounter the power of a simple human gesture to transform, if only for a moment, an utterly inhuman landscape.

The longer we consider that scarred landscape, however, the more sinister — and unfathomable — it grows. The deep, ubiquitous mud slathered, it seems, on simply everything; trees ripped to jagged stumps by artillery shells and rifle fire; human figures distorted by wounds, bandages, helmets, flak jackets; and, perhaps most unbearably, the evident normalcy of it all for the young Americans gathered there in the aftermath of a firefight on a godforsaken hilltop thousands of miles from home.

A black-and-white negative of a color image, depicting the scene on Mutter's Ridge a few moments after Burrows shot the picture that would become known as "Reaching Out."

Larry Burrows—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

A black-and-white negative of a color image, depicting the scene on Hill 484 a few moments after Larry Burrows shot the picture that would become known as Reaching Out.

The scene, which might have been painted by Hieronymus Bosch — if Bosch had lived in an age of machine guns, helicopters and military interventions on the other side of the globe — possesses a nightmare quality that’s rarely been equaled in war photography, and certainly has never been surpassed.

All the more extraordinary, then, that LIFE did not even publish the picture until several years after Burrows shot it. The magazine did publish a number of other pictures Burrows made during that very same assignment, in October 1966 — pictures seen here, in this gallery on LIFE.com, along with other photos that did not originally run in LIFE — but it was not until five years later, in February 1971, that LIFE finally ran Reaching Out for the first time. The occasion of its first publication was a somber one: an article devoted to Larry Burrows, who was killed that month in a helicopter crash in Laos.

In that Feb. 19, 1971, issue, LIFE’s Managing Editor, Ralph Graves, wrote a moving, appropriately understated tribute titled simply, “Larry Burrows, Photographer.” A week before, he told LIFE’s millions of readers, a helicopter carrying Burrows and fellow photographers Henri Huet of the Associated Press, Kent Potter of United Press International and Keisaburo Shimamoto of Newsweek was shot down over Laos. “There is little hope,” Graves asserted, “that any survived.” He then wrote:

I do not think it is demeaning to any other photographer in the world for me to say that Larry Burrows was the single bravest and most dedicated war photographer I know of. He spent nine years covering the Vietnam War under conditions of incredible danger, not just at odd times but over and over again. We kept thinking up other, safer stories for him to do, but he would do them and go back to the war. As he said, the war was his story, and he would see it through. His dream was to stay until he could photograph a Vietnam at peace.

Larry Burrows—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Larry Burrows (1926 - 1971) in Vietnam, 1965.

Larry was English, a polite man, self-effacing, warm with his friends but totally cool in combat. He had deep passions, and the deepest was to make people confront the reality of the war, not look away from it. He was more concerned with people than with issues, and he had great sympathy for those who suffered …

He had been through so much, always coming out magically unscathed, that a myth of invulnerability grew up about him. Friends came to believe he was protected by some invisible armor. But I don’t think he believed that himself. Whenever he went in harm’s way he knew, precisely, what the dangers were and how vulnerable he was.

John Saar, LIFE’s Far East Bureau Chief … often worked with Larry, and today he sent his cable:

“The depth of his commitment and concentration was frightening. He could have been a surgeon or soldier or almost anything else, but he chose photography and was so dedicated that he saw the whole world in 35-mm exposures. Work was his life, eventually his death, and Burrows I think wouldn’t have bitched.”

All these years later, it’s still worth recounting one small example of the way that the wry Briton endeared himself to his peers, as well as his subjects. In typed notes that accompanied Burrows’ film when it was flown from Vietnam to LIFE’s offices in New York, the photographer apologized — apologized — for what he feared might be substandard descriptions of the scenes he shot, and how he shot them: “Sorry if my captioning is not up to standard,” Burrows wrote to his editors, “but with all that sniper fire around, I didn’t dare wave a white notebook.”

In April 2008, after 37 years of rumors, false hopes and tireless effort by their families, colleagues and news organizations to find the remains of the four photographers killed in Laos in ’71, their partial remains were finally located and shipped to the States. Today, those remains reside in a stainless-steel box beneath the floor of the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Above them, in the museum’s memorial gallery, is a glass wall that bears the names of almost 2,000 journalists who, since 1837, have died while doing their jobs.

Kent Potter was just 23 years old when he lost his life doing what he loved. Keisaburo Shimamoto was 34. Henri Huet was 43. Larry Burrows, the oldest of the bunch, was 44.

— Ben Cosgrove is the Editor of LIFE.com

Related Topics: 1966, color photography, Larry Burrows, U.S. Marines, Vietnam War

18 comments

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CraigZenker

1 hour ago

First THANK YOU . for every body that was in befor well and after iIwas in the Army.

Now why do we want to see a woman in the pic. being Med Vact . Bad that it was a man . come on

aeroiter

2 hours ago

The Marines even in 1966 looked pretty raggedy. The Corps brought to Vietnam , a 1950s Marine Corps, ill equipped with weapons and equipment that did not work in Nam. The 3.5 rocket launcher shown in the initial pictures was a throwback weapon that was used for nonexistent North Vietnamese tanks. The list is long, including the Ontos, and 106 recoilless rifle. The rags called the OD green jungle utilities were useless (note the black color on the green utilities) but continued to be issued to Marines in the bush until 1968, and the flak jackets a mid 1950s invention. The USMC represented 30% of the fighting force and 30% of the casualties. In 2013 the grunts are still probably getting screwed in Aghanistan.

wbterry6

2 hours ago

If these brave young men were allowed to go in and do the job that they were trained for instead of making Vietnam a political circus by cowardly politicians in Washington then that war would have had a different ending. I am 100% certain of that. It's a shame that so many brave young service members died for nothing in that political circus!

zapper66

3 hours ago

Great pictures of our Vietnam vets. Now, show a picture of John Traitor Kerry, swearing before the world that we were all marauding killers, rapists and looters. Show Hanoi Jane Fonda sitting on Charlie's cannon and some other democrats spitting on deros-ing grunts. Let's see that picture of John Traitor Kerry hanging in the Ho Chi Minh war museum for helping defeat the Americans. And finally, let's see a picture of the new Secretary of State - Mr. John Traitor Kerry! There is no end to the Democrats neglect, scorn and abuse of Vietnam vets.

JohnBenya

3 hours ago

Some of us in support had it too easy comparatively speaking. We live with survivers remorse. I salute my fellow Marines who stayed and suffered. I wish I could have helped more. Everything looks different in retrospect.

AngelinaMemon

3 hours ago

I am an Amerasian(half Vietnamese and American). I have recently written a book about my life story as an Amerasian living in Vietnam. The book is called "Misplaced" by Angelina Wentz Memon. Here is brief summary of the book:

In war-torn Vietnam, a young Amerasian girl struggles to find herself. Witnessing the horrors of war, and man’s inhumanity to man, she finds no place in her life is safe and the only person she can count on is herself. A “half-breed,” as she is referred to by other children, Angelina Wentz Memon finds little acceptance from others as she grows older. Experiencing frustrating multiple setbacks with Vietnamese governmental red tape, it appears as if she may never realize her dream of moving to America. Once in her newly adopted country, she adapts quickly and thrives, excelling in her studies and educating family members to become productive US citizens. The inspiration for this journey? The unspoken bond between father and daughter. Two connected souls unwillingly separated by nearly half the world. Their unwavering love and mutual admiration provides the catalyst for a long-awaited and overdue reunion of a father and daughter who had been separated when she was just three days old.

Thank you and salute to all Veterans!

MISPLACED

~ Angelina Wentz Memon (author)More about this product

Price: $16.95

ShawnCarney

5 hours ago

Thank you to all of you who have served this country and who are serving now! Come home safe.

mattebolen

5 hours ago

Thats my dad in pic #4 - on the right in the glasses.. very proud of him

husker1816

3 hours ago

That is so awesome...my dad served in Korea and was awarded a Purple Heart...saw many friends die...we must never forget them...thank your father for me.

tuypoil

5 hours ago

1st Air Cavalry Division ,The original Airmobile concept began with this Unit. A lot of days you may do 2 or more assaults, An Khe first base camp. Camp Halloway, They All fought Hard. I feel honored to have been with that Division. Oct. 66-Oct. 67

rachelquire

5 hours ago

"His dream was to stay until he could photograph a Vietnam at peace." That gave me chills. What a brave man.

andreshcorpuzjr

6 hours ago

many are telling that war in vietnam is a waste of money and manpower. i was still young then but as i grow i have learned to appreciate how it is to live in a world where you can talk, where you like to talk and what you like to talk without anybody dictating you. To all the guys who fought and to those who lost their lives there i am indebted with you for the freedom i am now experiencing guys you are heroes to me. Hope someday i will be able to visit your war memorial. God permit. Thank you to all of you

striper48

6 hours ago

HAVING THE SAME LOOK AND FEELING , YOU HAVE NO CONTACT WITH PEOPLE WHEN YOU RETURN HOME FOR THAT SIMPLE REASON..YOU NEVER KNOW IF THEY ARE GOING TO BE THERE.. THANK EVERYONE WHOM SERVED TO PROTECT OUR FREEDOM..68-69 1ST CAV

onevetwhomeansnothing

11 hours ago

And not one lokked afraid, just afraid that their comrade might not be there to share one more talk or a beer....we all loved our beer and talking about the world (united states)....so believe me when I say...all these mens are heroes...just as any who put their butts on the line who took the same oath as our president did on inauguration day....the same oathe...over 56000 men died in the jungle of nam...please never forget these brave sould for them...we can still have our beautiful freedom.....God Bless You all who ever put on the fatiques!!!

rrd41847

11 hours ago

I left Camp Eagle mid-April of 1968. I was stateside one day then discharged. Back to a 'normal' world with a not so normal demeanor. Sometimes I still cry for my comrades, their families and the Vietnamese people. War is the ultimate insanity.

gzahler

6 hours ago

Thank you for your posting... yes, WAR IS INSANE. I think we should pass a law that anytime U.S. soldiers are sent abroad for combat, every U.S. Congressman and Senator who has a child of military service age should be reqired to send their child to war... we'd see how fast the wars would stop. Failing that law, every congressman and senator should have to do a two week front line tour of the combat zones.

110soldier

12 hours ago

I guess Khe Sanh 68 was a different photographer. The four guys you could not even tell what color they were as if they cared. Was talking to a guy I only knew as Sarge 30 odd years later. He was there the whole 77? days..rocket or mortar about every 30 seconds on average. Asked if he saw the C-130 get hit.(Another front page) See it..I had to help pull the guys out. I even shared whiskey with Charles Kurault one night he told me. Lots of fights over these hill on up into the 70's. They overlooked the Ah Shau valley and the Ho Chi Minh trail.