A machine gunner scans for hostiles while his helicopter is on patrol over the Mekong Delta.

As the first televised war, the conflict in Vietnam was seen by many Americans in harrowing detail on the news and in the pages of Life magazine.

British photographer Larry Burrows was responsible for capturing some of the most powerful and brutally honest scenes from the war, often placing priority on getting the perfect shot over concern for his own life. From 1962 until his death in 1971, Burrows' images in Life magazine brought the reality of the war into the homes of Americans across the country and helped to provide a concrete record of this dark and difficult time in US history.

In 1971, Larry Burrows was killed while documenting Operation Lam Son 719, along with three of his fellow photojournalists — Henri Huet, Kent Potter, and Keisaburo Shimamoto — when their helicopter transport was shot down over Laos.

Since the war's end in 1975, Burrows' pictures have been revered for their explicit depictions of both the humanity and the inhumanity of Vietnam as well as a brutal reminder of the true cost of war.

Here are some of the most powerful pictures taken by Larry Burrows during his coverage of the Vietnam War.

*Warning: Some people may find these pictures disturbing.*