AP Vietnam War photographer Dang Van Phuoc dies at 91

Dang Van Phuoc, a combat photographer for The Associated Press who was wounded multiple times and lost an eye while covering the Vietnam War, has died. He was 91.

Phuoc died Saturday in Southern California after collapsing suddenly, according to his nephew, Van Nguyen.

Hired in 1965 by AP’s former photo chief, Horst Faas, to replace another local photographer killed on assignment, Phuoc quickly gained a reputation among journalists and troops for his ability to find the center of the action. He was known for walking with the point man on combat patrols, a position that yielded powerful images but also placed him in extreme danger.

He was wounded at least five times during his decade with AP in Vietnam. His first injury occurred just five months after he was hired, when a grenade explosion left shrapnel in his chest and leg. He returned to duty within months to continue covering the conflict. In 1968, he sustained a concussion from a rocket while covering street fighting in Saigon. That same year, he risked sniper fire to carry a wounded U.S. soldier to safety, an act for which he received a commendation from the Ninth U.S. Army Infantry Division.