We Were Soldiers Once ....and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam

The Families left behind

The book was one of the most moving stories I've ever read. What struck me was the footnotes at the end of the book with remarks of the families who were left behind. The lives lost were sobering because of all that they represented. One in particular: an officer who was being medevaced out of the valley was getting on the copter when he gave up his seat to a more seriously injured soldier. Subsequently that officer was shot in the back and mortally wounded. He left a wife and infant daughter. At another website I saw an interview with that daughter and she talked to the soldier that her father made room for. She led her whole life wondering about that person. When she met him she said he was a wonderful person and that she would never forget meeting him. All the people who survived Ia Drang, and their families, are members of a very original brotherhood. I respect all of them and their families. They were outstanding people. I read the book twice and treasure it as one of the best reads in my life.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

American Courage at its Most Poignant

I was not even alive during the Vietnam war and the only feelings I gather that were prevalent at the time are old news clips of anti-war protests and movies like "Platoon" and "Full Metal Jacket" that painted the war as disturbing; what war isn't disturbing? "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" gave me a detailed, realistic account not of the politics of the war but of the essence of war itself.
Too often we find ourselves so wrapped up in the politics of war that we forget the most important aspect of the discussion which is the valor, courage, and life of our soldiers. The book highlights these redeeming qualities of war time virtues and sets soldiers in the context of a battle with bullets, blood, and brutality. It allows us a glance and a vicarious interaction with the men of the Air Cav as well as the men in the tan uniforms on the other side.
We are reminded what war is really about, for those of us who have not experienced it and who may not know, it is about the man next to you in battle. It is about the man or the men who have been cut off from the rest of the group whose lives are being held on a very thin and quickly deteriorating string. It is about the guy who operates the artillery pieces five miles away who does not see the carnage or the faces of death but who through his efforts saves countless lives and prevents more carnage and death.
I fully agree with General H.Norman Schwarzkopf, that this "should be 'must' reading for all Americans, especially those who have been led to believe that war is some kind of Nintendo game." You become absorbed in the death as well as the brotherhood of battle. You learn such virtues as "heroism and sacrifice." If you want to know the raw essence of war, read this book. It is raw, realistic, and unscathed by the body of politics; an instant classic in the genre of military non-fiction and epic.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Go Get It !

This book was outstanding it took a very large ordeal and shrunk it to the story of the 1st battalion, 7th cavalry. And the personal accounts that these people had in the Ia Drang valley in Vietnam. This was one of the most significant events in America¿s history. There were some 450 men in this battalion; they were immediately surrounded by some 2000 Vietnamese soldiers that would only stop fighting when they were all dead. It told the story of the unselfishness that our American soldiers have for each other; probably one of the most touching events through out the book. These soldiers cared for each other all the way through the battle. I recommend this book to people who like attention grabbing books because this was definitely one of them. Also if you like learning about Americas history this is the book for you it hits many points and makes you question what we did and why did we do it. I personally don¿t like to read but this book was well worth it and I did not want to put it down once I started reading it. So I do highly recommend this to everyone it¿s a great read full of action and now I want to go rent the movie to see all the action that I visualized while reading. So don¿t sit there and read anymore of this and go get the book what are you waiting for? Go get it now¿

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

enter the valley with hal moore and remember forever !

if you enjoyed the movie, you will be fasinated with this read.i had never seen the movie before reading the book and have to say i was thankful for it.as this personal and heroic story unfolds you become completely captivated with the larger than life characters, who truely are our american heros.i was left with so many vivid accounts and historical facts. i often find myself referencing back to the book to find a piticular paragragh which i cant get out of my thoughts... highly recommended for anyone who is fond of history.after seeing hal moore being interviewed on a news program i had to get his story--- fasinating

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The best war story I've ever read

I borrowed the book from a friend more than 10 years ago, watched the movie when it was released, then bought my own hardcover, and surfed the web for all related articles. If that's not an indication of the power of this story, what is? However, it is just now becoming clear that the American government and its military are ready to waste American lives just to experiment on the ways to 'improve' warfare and test it's men and equipment in the guise of freedom and honor. How interesting but at the same time, how sad!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An outstanding depiction of the first battle of the Vietnam War

As a Vietnam Veteran (Air Force) I highly recommend this book. Although a factual account of the Ia Drang battle, it reads like a fiction novel. It was mandatory reading for Marine Corps officers in the year it was published - it should be mandatory reading for EVERY member of the military and every politician who governs the conduct of war. General Moore aptly points out the inneptitudes and uncaring attitudes of President Lyndon Johnson, his SecDef Robert McNammara, and his chief Military Advisor General William Westmoreland. Those individual in concert directed the conduct of this war in all the wrong ways. Ater the Ia Drang battle Johnson computed the kill ratio and determined that at a 10:1 ratio we would just outlast the Vietnamese. He insisted on maintaining neutrality with Cambodia allowing the NVA to pick the time and place of their battles knowing they could retreat into Cambodia without American Forces pursuing to finish the battles (as in the battle of Ia Drang). He insisted on a one year rotation for the troops in Vietnam which resulted in a lack experience in conducting the war. All of these decisions doomed us to failure in this war; a war which resulted in the loss of 58000 American lives and 3,000,000 Vietnamese lives. The movie which covers only the LZ Xray portion of the battle was quite faithful to the book. I highly recommend the movie as an adjunct to the book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A must read book

This is one of the best books I have read about the Viet Nam war yet. You get both sides of the story. You can see that a lot of work went to this book. I like to read about U. S. history and this is one of the best.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

As real as one can get....outstanding

As I was reading this book i felt like i was right there in the battle. The real life accounts as told by the soldiers who were there made this a truly remarkable book.I have read about 7 books about vietnam and found this one the best.Very easy to read...

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

please read with a box of tissues and an open mind.

I saw the movie with Mel Gibson as H.A. Moore, it was a movie I know I'll never forget in my life. It was so brutally honest and true it had to be real. i still cry for the lost from the Viet Nam (War)How could our government and population treat our own so dirty?
Anyway I had to read this book and found one of my hometown boys that died in this war. My husband is reading it now and he is changed after reading it.
It is highly regarded by me and mine.

T.A. Moore

Amazing Story

Written by the most important man in the battle and a reporter. This book goes great with the movie. Once you read the book, the movie makes much more sense. One of my favorites.

best book i ever read- and i read a lot

on a pace scale from 1-10, 10 being maximum ride, this book is a 15. don't start it unless you have time because it is extreamly hard to put down. you have to know more than the average joe about war to read it though. i recomend reading it while listening to music

The rest of the story

If you have seen the movie We Were Soldiers then you need to read this book. The movie only told half of the story. The story of the men who fought and who lost their lives on the way to LZ Albany is on that should be heard.

Lt. Colonel Herald Moore's "We Were Soldiers . . . and Young!

Colonel Moore's contribution to modern warfare is revolutionairy. He was a very aggressive commander in the Korean War and was selected to test a new way of waging war in the early days (for us) in the Vietnam War. He was given command of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Calvary (General Custer's "Last Stand" command in the Indian Wars) a frightening choice for testing a new strategy. He and his troops were to ride into battle on a new steed.
Custer's men rode horses, Moore's men rode Huey Helicopters. Army Intelligence had located North Vietnamese soldiers in the Ia Drang area of northwestern Vietnam. The number of NVA soldiers was unknown when Col. Moore attacked with a battalion of 450 soldiers and was quickly surrounded by more than 2,000 NVA (North Vietnamese Army) experienced troops.
The North Vietnamese soldiers attacked time and again and each time, the 7th Cav repulsed them with very heavy losses for the NVA. At first, the Hueys (helicopters) were able to get in with ammo and other supplies, and evacuated the wounded. All landing zones were quickly over-run by the NVA as Col. Moore canceled all incomming helicopters. All landing zones had been over-run by the NVA. The men were left in a 'do or die' predicament. Sergeant Freeman continued flying in all night long, evacuating 30 seriously wounded soldiers saving their lives.
He also brought water, ammunition, and medical supplies saving even more lives. That pilot, Sergeant Freeman was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 by President Bush. Sgt. Freeman's unarmed helicopter flew many missions all night long into the Ia Drang Valley as he carried out rescue missions on Nov. 14, 1965, during what was considered one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War.
This was the first use of helicopters moving to and enemy, and providing medical evacuations, directing air strikes by fighters and bombers from the air, and evacuating wounded and bringing in needed supplies. A simple statistic will clarify what was revolutionairy about troops on helicopters: In WWII, the average combat Marine spent 24 days of the year in combat. In Vietnam, the average combat soldier spent 240 days in combat - ten times the fight. That was a major reason our troops defeated the enemy in every battle in Vietnam.

Way better than the movie, with Mel Gibson & Barry Pepper

good book

So much to learn

Trully, the greatest learning experience I ever had. I don't have much knowledge about Vietnam, but what a great way to start. There is so much more to the Ia Drang battle that the movie does not show.

Tears

I have just watch the movie. I think it has been a long time since I have cried so hard. The true story comes out after so many years. I am very pro military and I stand aside of the President....But I wonder what a world would be with no war anywhere.

stunning accounts of bravery and heroism for any history buff

this was very interesting and took this conflict from a large scale picture to a very personel and brave account.the characters stand out in my mind as vivid as if i was actually there..........

Great book for a great group of US heroes..

Reading this book inspired me to make contact with several of the men and woman of the book. I have never met a greater group of people in all my years. These are truly a Band of Brothers.

If you want to know about Vietnam, read this book!

I read everything I can on America at war. This is one of the best books I ever got my hands on. The movie helped put this book on peoples radar, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Insightful, heartbreaking, the list goes on and on.....Top books on the War btwn North Vietnam and America!

excellent

A recounting of a horrific battle. Tells a great story but also exeplifies honor and courage.