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Summary: We were soldiers once and young
Review: This is one of the best books any Vietnam veteran can have on his bookshelf. Unfortunately, it was one of the worst experiences to have, if you got over there with the Cav during the opening years of the war. Gen. Moore did a superb job saving the day, but it is obvious the North Vietnamese were learning about our military tactics as well as we were learning about theirs. As Harold Moore insists at the end of the battle, nothing happened here at this moment, that didn't happen over and over again. The NVA just hopped over into their Cambodian sanctuaries to regroup and fight us all over again. The stories of the young officers reminded me of the many young infantry lieutenants and captains that wanted so much to get into the thick of this tropical war back in 1965; the pictures of them with their wives and children show that so much. Who would believe it today??
I'm looking forward to the movie, and recommend Larry Gwin's book BAPTISM on the following days of the Ia Drang massacre which he experienced. For me, I was glad to be a helicopter pilot in the Delta a few years later with the Outlaws, and miss all this jungle warfare with the Cav; my flight school buddies of the class of 66-14 sure didn't however. We fleshed out the Cav with our class rather completely!
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Summary: An Infantry Classic...
Review: I waited four years before I finally picked up a copy in a used bookstore, by chance, a hard cover first edition. I devoured it over the next week. I didn't want to finish it too quickly. Instead, I wanted to savor it. Even after all this time, the book still resonates with me.
General Moore's book will remain a classic of not only Vietnam, but of infantry warfare. That the book has drawn comparisons to some of the greatest books ever written about warfare and warriors should surprise no one who has read it and it is certainly deserving of them. It's tone is mournful, sad, and the General still is in awe of those heroes who went with him into the Ia Drang. Anyone whoever doubts the fighting ability and dedication of the American soldier (even if it's in a place as morally ambiguous as Vietnam) should read this book and thank God that this country is so blessed to have such young men who make such sacrifices.General Moore, I salute you and the heroes you have lead. God Bless.
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Summary: Best Vietnam book
Review: I have read several hundred books on the subject of the Vietnam war and to me this one is the best relating to the ground war. The account of the heroics and stupidity that combined to make the Ia Drang battle one of the most significant of the war is well documented. Very readable history. As a helo pilot in Vietnam I took part in many insertion operations and the author captured the heart in the throat feeling of being there. For those who fought in Vietnam this book will bring it all back. For those reading about a far away place and a distant time, this is real history, not the hollywood version.
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Summary: I'm a selfish idiot
Review: I've been reading a lot of books featuring stories of combat forces lately: Black Hawk Down, Ghost Soldiers, Flags of Our Fathers, and now this book by Lt. General Moore. I guess what I'm looking for is some sense of what this abstract quality is that causes men (and now women) to place themselves in harm's way and potentially give up their lives and their futures for their country. I'm not sure I've found it yet in these books, but I've seen hints of it. The only thing I know for sure about this quality is that I don't have it and the men in this book do. Lt. Gen. Moore, the author of this book, was the commander of the 450 men of the 1st battalion, 7th cavalry when they engaged in combat in the Ia Drang valley in November, 1965. This was very early in the war and these men were not sure what to expect. This book tells the story of the horrific battle that followed from a very human standpoint. While there was significant carnage, General Moore treats not a single casualty as a statistic. He describes every soldier in the most human of terms, who they were, where they were from, and their actions in this battle. The tactics and flow of the battle are described flawlessly, but mostly this is a human story. One of the closing chapters of the book is given to the families of the men who died, to tell their side of the story of losing their husband, son, or father. I'm not a man often moved to tears...but I was moved to tears. Battle can never be considered casually. The cost is just too high. I don't think I've found the answer to my question yet and probably never will, but this book moved me a step closer. At the very least, I've concluded I'm a selfish idiot with a comfortable life whose biggest concern is whether to order the chicken or the fish. The people who wear the uniform...are heroes.
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Summary: The best I've read
Review: I've read alot of first hand accounts of combat and having been involved in it myself, I've got a good idea of what it's like. This book is an absolute page turner, I had trouble putting it down. Some of the scenes described in it are horrific and all I have to say is I'm glad I wasn't there. Read this book.
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Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Lt Gen Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway's book "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" is simply once of the best books on a combat situation that I have ever read! It is informative and very easy to follow. Once I started reading, I found it very hard to set it down.
Unlike many of the stories, movies, and books about the Vietnam veterans which question the abilities, leadership, and bravery of the US fighting man, this one shows then for what they are...simply the best of this country!
I can strongly recommend this book and only hope that you also might have the opportunity that I have had to meet General Moore in person. That experience only brings these stories to life in a matter that no book can do. Don't miss this one!
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Summary: Read it now before the Movie!
Review: This is the best rendition of tactics in Vietnam and a must read for small unit leaders. We Were Soldiers Once...And Young takes us on a journey with then Lieutenant Colonel "Hal" Moore and Joe Galloway, the reporter who climbed on a helicopter heading for a "hot" landing zone, into the Ia Drang Valley. The North Vietnamese baited the 7th Cav into a firefight in order to determine how the U.S. would fight, and they learned quickly in the first major engagement of the war. As the battalion commander of the 1/7 Cav, LTC Moore engages in a battle for the lives of everyone in his unit. The lessons which Mr. Galloway and LTG (Retired) Moore illustrate in the first section of the book will drive home the need for discipline and leadership during combat. The first section makes the book worth the read, all by itself. Fortunately, there are two other sections, equally as dramatic. The second section lets us walk with the 2nd battalion, 7th Cavalry Division into an ambush quickly established by the NVA. This time almost the entire unit is wiped out. Due to poor discipline (not putting out security, letting soldiers smoke and talk on break, etc..) the 2/7 is completely surprised. This book uniquely juxtaposes the difference in success between two similar units, with very different leadership, morale, and discipline. The lessons are stark and vivid. The third section, titled Aftermath, describes life on the homefront - not the protests and demonstrations, but the military families waiting to hear how their soldiers are doing. The description of Western Union hiring taxi drivers to deliver death notices is emotional. Some wives were awakened at 4:00am in the morning and handed a yellow slip with the words, "The Secretary of the Army regrets to inform you that your husband .... was killed in action, etc.." If you don't want to go to bed crying, don't read this powerful account of how coldly the institution cared for families during the Vietnam era. My wife and I have both spent over ten years of service in the Army and found this section to be a powerful motivation for helping to care for military families. As the title of this review indicates, the movie is coming soon. Mel Gibson will play Joe Galloway, and other famous actors will take part. I highly recommend this account of courage, leadership, discipline, success and failure. This book spent several weeks on the New York Times best seller list, and almost every senior leader in the Army recommends it as mandatory reading for leaders at the tactical level. You won't be disappointed!
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Summary: The night was clear and the moon was yellow
Review: I read this book in 1993, right after it first came out. It was the marine commandant's choice for Marines who wished to read in their field of concentration. Joe Galloway, a war correspondent and Col. Hal Moore, the commanding officer in this horrific battle in the Ia Drang valley in Vietnam, co-wrote this superb depiction of one of the first set piece battles of the Vietnamese war. That these men survived this battle at all is mute testimony to their irrepressible fierceness, to their dogged determination, and to the fearless efforts of their air and artillery support. They fought a courageous enemy who was bent on one purpose, the annihilation of their American foe. It's a brilliantly told tale of military heroism and perseverance. The recent death in the WTC bombing of one of the primary participants in the battle, Rick Rescorla, and the articles dedicated to his selfless display of bravery as he made certain that his charges were evacuated from the WTC, caused me to review this book once again. Most Americans are sadly deficient when it comes to any knowledge of military history and its impact on the course of civilization. It seems too often that we are a nation of full stomachs and empty heads. However, the emotional trauma of the recent Taliban attacks on our soil has shaken us loose from our stupor and an interest in affairs military has been thusly ignited. As one who remembers WWII, and whose family is filled with men who went to every war this country has ever fought, my fervent wish is that our citizens will one day wake up to what actually happened in SE Asia in the mid to latter part of the 20th century. My second wish is that people will grow to understand that terrorists are not patriots, and that they are not leaders of their people. Cromwell, Bolivar, George Washington, all of whom refused the crown, they were leaders of their people. Mao, Lenin, Stalin, Ho Chi Minh, Castro, they were and are killers of their people. America fought a cold war, rebuilt Western Europe and Japan, and liberated South Korea from the Communists like the aforementioned. Vietnam was a battle in that Cold War. The Taliban, who have taken many lives to further a fanatical agenda, are merely the latest iteration of terrorists who seek to do what our constitution was written to prevent. This book is a great story about men who fought and died for principles that too many know too little about to understand. Perhaps now that the country is on high alert we'll gain back some ground form the empty heads that have presided over the media and academia in America. Buy this book and read it, you'll be very glad you did.
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Summary: Easy Historical Read
Review: A very good account of the Korean War in an easy-to-read fashion. Not a droning history book, but a fluid interesting book that takes you inside what went on during the war from everyone's perspective.
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Summary: A detailed look at early battles that were precursors.
Review: "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" is a story of two of the first battles fought by US soldiers in Viet Nam. Although the soldiers fought well, the military failed to appreciate that the Viet Cong also fought well, and that this was not going to be a walkover. By concentrating on two actions, the authors examine details that would be lost in a larger survey. One of the most chilling is the lieutenant who tells his friends that he is going to win the Medal of Honor. Of course, what he achieves is to get himself and much of his platoon killed in short order. This book is an accurate guide to the tactics used in the early parts of the Viet Nam war. Finally, it shows how the Army expected the war to be won, and thus is a precursor for what would happen for years to come. An essential book to understanding how the war was fought.
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