We Were Soldiers Once..and Young

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Summary: Informative & Easy to Read!
Review: I enjoyed reading this work very much. You feel the experienced voice of someone who knows! As the author of "The Patriot's Way" I recommend "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young."

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Summary: The Crucial Beginning Of Air Assault in Vietnam
Review: General Moore's leadership style combined with Joe Galloway's journalist attention to detail results in a book that's on a level by itself. This has got to be the book which all other ground combat books about Vietnam is measured.

In the mid-70s I was on temporary duty at Readiness Command (REDCOM) at MacDill AFB, FL. With me was a Special Forces NCO that told a chilling tale. As a young man he'd been on a radio in Vietnam listening to the events unfold at LZ Albany. Toward the end of the engagement and before re-enforcements arrived the North Vietnamese Army soldiers were walking through the elephant grass executing American soldiers. At the time the location meant nothing to me but imagine my surprise a few years ago when I picked up "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" and discovered that was the engagement to which he referred.

Of all the events that are described in detail the one that will stay with me always involves the soldiers that have survived and been brought out of LZ X-ray to Camp Holloway. They're expecting a break for a few days but before the evening is over they're called to go back in and help their fellow comrades that are under fire at Albany. As they lined up and walk past the permanent party hooches to the waiting choppers the fence was lined with Rear Echelon Fellows who couldn't believe their eyes to see these same guys being put back into the fight. I'll bet you anything that everyone of those gallant troops will never forget that walk to the choppers.

On a technical level you'll gain a great understanding about the foundation of Air Assault in Vietnam as well as give you much more information than the hour program about the 1st Cav and the Battle of Ira Drang which appears from time-to-time on cable television.

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Summary: Sad & Inspiring
Review: As someone new to the genre of true life war books this was a real eye opener to me. Like a lot of people from my generation I was convinced by Hollywood that the Vietnam war was lost by America. While it may be true that the war as a whole was a failure it is plain from this book that the individual battles were a victory for the U.S. almost every time if you count in enemies killed. The accounts of heroism are awe inspiring I knew some Vietnam vets growing up and after reading this book I have gained a greater respect for what they did and the heros they are. A great book I absolutly reccomend.

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Summary: Courage, Life,and Death in a Combat Zone
Review: There has been an explosion of books recently about the Vietnam War and its history. THese books range from those focusing on personal experiences in and out of combat, and books that have brought forth reinterpretations of the war's causes, effects, and our failures there, and even of the Vietnamese's impressions of the war and its effects on their country. As the United States has opened its archives, so have China, Vietnam, the Soviet Union and other players in the war. Many assumptions about the war's legacy and impact on world history and politics are changing. But despite all the new information, the grim realities of combat rarely change, and this book is among the best at graphically portraying life in a combat zone. THe Battle of Ia Drang, one of the first significant engagements of the War between US and North Vietnamese troops, was one of the first indications that the enemy was determined, well-prepared and every bit as brave as our own troops, despite their significant disadvantage in firepower. Though we won the battle in terms of the body count, the Vietnamese learned they could stand face to face with American troops and inflict grave harm. It was a lesson for both sides. American military strategists and General WEstmoreland based their attrition strategy on this early encounter and the heavy kill ratio in our favor. The authors of the book give an almost minute by minute account of the details of the battle, naming the wounded, the dead and following many individual acts of bravery and courage. At the end of the book the authors also account for what happens to the soldiers after the war, and in the beginning of the book they list those who died. Its a heart wrenching, emotional account of warfare at its most basic level, and few can read the book and maintain any emotional distance. Those of you who are looking for something more than a gory and bloody reenactment of the battle and its longlasting effects on the men and their families are reading the wrong book though. Its not a history book on Vietnam. THough the authors (a former Colonel and a career war reporter) clearly have some thoughts about went went wrong there, they focus mainly on the battle itself and the men who fought in it. Among their criticisms of the conduct of the war are: the miltary policy of letting soldiers leave after one year of service, thus denying the military the ability to retain men of experience, the sending in of combat units with shortages of men and supplies, and the failure of the government to allow the troops to pursue retreating enemy soldiers as would normally be dictated by miltary strategy. THese things did happen, and no one who reads this book can question the bravery of American soldiers, or the Vietnamese for that matter, who's side is often told in this book. HOwever, history has shown that remedying these matters would likely have done little to change the outcome of the war. It was the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many military men (including the authors of this book) still seem unable to conceive of that. THe war was a civil war and cultural revolution we should have stayed out of. Its clear that the military was unable to think beyond military terms. So while this book is among the best at describing the harsh realities of combat, its certainly not one of the most significant books to come out of the Vietnam War, despite the words of Colonel David Hackworth (the most decorated living American soldier) on the cover. Its one of the best books on what war is really like, and its also a living testament to those who fought there, but if you want to understand the Vietnam war and the folly of our involvement, read something else. One other note worth mentioning, as one might expect of a book written by military types, the book, in many ways glorifies the sacrifices of those who died there, and at times, even glorifies the realities of combat. Its done in a subtle way, but its quite a contrast from other books such as A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo or Dispatches by MIchael Herr. There is no questioning of why they were there or what they were doing. Clearly they were good soldiers, but the book would have been even better if it had taken a critical look at what happend. BUt again, that is not its purpose and one must respect the authors for what it is the book does do. A must for war historians and those who want to know what war is like.

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Summary: The Best I Have Every read
Review: Gen. Moore has done an outstanding job of discribing, not only the Battle, in the Ia Drang , but many more of the battles that took olace in The Nam. This is a very very good book.I lost many hours of sleep while reading this book. Once I picked it up,it was very hard to put it down. Roadrunner 6 Out

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Summary: One of the Best
Review: It's one of the best military history books I've read. The authors describe vividly in minute-count details of what's happening in the battle. The reality of horror of what struck US force in the 1st bloodiest battle in Vietnam really sucked me into reading page to page. The description, explaination, the story of book was so real I felt one in the battle myself. Another plus, the book is based on 2 sided of the stories (US as well as Vietnam) thus making it so historically valuable.

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Summary: A great book
Review: I wasn't there, after reading this book I am glad I missed it! If people have the perception that that American soldiers did not achieve anything in Vietnam, or they believe the American soldier is not up to the job of combat, then read this book. It tells of camaraderie, bravery and heroism. Of men paying the ultimate price so that their comrades could live. It also tells of poor leadership, but also of good leadership and good command and control that eventually recovered the situation. It gives it as it was and pulls no punches and tells of 450 men fighting for their lives, as the only other option at the hands of the North Vietnamese Army was death. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down and I believe it to be one of the best accounts of the front line soldier fighting in Vietnam.

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Summary: War Up Close and Personal
Review: Moore has done a great service to those interested in the war in Vietnam as well as those who have not experienced the horror of combat first hand.

This book about a relatively large scale U.S. Infantry operation in the Ia Drang Valley is very well written. The author tells the story of his unit's fight and subsequent movement well. So well, that it is possible to visualize the battle, the defensive perimiter and keep the individual soldiers -- whose story it is -- straight. Not only is the tale of the battle well told, but the fears and uncertainty faced by cut off troops who could not see their enemy and knew they had to hold their perimiter is brought home to the reader. This story has plenty of heroics, but also a lot of fear, anger and luck.

The story also underscores the problem with U.S. strategy in Vietnam. Unlike World War II, our troops were not driving across the country to hold land and capture territory. Many missions, like Moore's, were designed to find and harass a jungle hid enemy, inflict casualties and then retreat to a well protected base. That type of war without gain must have played heavily on the minds of the soldiers who could not measure their sacrifice in ground gained or villages freed, measurements their fathers and uncles had been able to see in their great war.

This is a good book. Moore's US infantry are very sympathetic (the chopper pilots merrit special mention from the author), doing a hard job and doing it well. It reads quickly and is captured my attention from the outset.

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Summary: Gut Wrenching Awesome
Review: If a person can read this book and not have a tear(s) fill their eyes, then they have no heart, and have no place on this Earth. I've read the book twice and have the TV documentary on tape. I have yet to make it all the way through the documentary without having to leave the room. Awesome! Gut wrenching! It should be required reading for every high school student in America and every young person entering our Armed Forces.

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Summary: Superb Batle Study
Review: If you're looking for a book on Vietnam that tells the story of the troops on the ground and what it was like to fight in Southeast Asia this is definitely it. General Moore and Joseph Galloway have done a superb job telling the story of the first large battle involving American troops in Vietnam in the 1960s. It is full of heroism, leadership, mistakes, and hard fighting. It reads like a novel, is definitely a page turner, and it hits you part way through the book that you really are reading about young men fighting for their lives of far away battlefields at distances where you could throw rocks. Moore and Galloway are to be congratulated here for they have told a tale of bravery, endurance, and fortitude that few authors have been able to accomplish. Unblooded American troops met and defeated a skilled and determined enemy on his ground, though not without loss and mistakes. The bravery of the common soldier is unbelievable, as are the conditions under which he was asked to fight. This book is highly recommended and is one of the best this reviewer has ever read. It is accurate, well-written, and one of the best battle studies produced in a very long time.