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Summary: Definitive account of Ia Drang, albeit heart wrenching
Review: I read the book twice and saw the movie twice. The movie does not do justice to the book. It is the best historical record of a brutal battle in Vietnam in 1965. However, the book does not flow easily. Nonetheless, it is painful to imagine the staggering losses on both sides with the Americans having a 5 to 1 kill advantage. But 200 troopers killed in this battle from Custer's old 7th Cav made me reflect that history repeated itself somewhat because Custer lost about 200 troopers too. Hal Moore had high technology to back him up in the way of air support and artillery. Custer had neither. And yet the losses are the same. Politicians should read this book rather than us military histry buffs to learn what the human cost is to wage war. Like Fredericksburg, Ia Drang drives home the old saying that war never decides who is right, only who is left.
Rating: 
Summary: You will want to read it more than once!
Review: Perhaps a new modern classic on warfare, certainly one of the definitive books written about the Vietnam War. Moore has given us both a military history of the battle of Ia Drang and a intensely personal story of those who served there. It reads like a book written by a military man. You will not find the beautiful prose of a William Manchester or Bruce Catton, but heart stopping action that will leave you breathless. In this book you will see both the competence and courage of the ordinary grunt, and the incompetence and mistakes of their commanders. This was not a strategic battle planned out in the corridors of the Pentagon, but, like the Battle of Gettysburg, it just happened. Thus, we have an unfolding of an unplanned battle that changed the course of the war. Moore refuses to vilify the enemy. Like any good solider, he has respect for the men who opposed him. They are portrayed as men of courage, insight and dedication. If you only had opportunity to read one chapter, read chapter 20: Death in the Tall Grass. It tells of the story members of the 2nd Battalion surrounded in a field of grass, the terror of that fight is unmatched.
Rating:
Summary: We were Soldiers. A classic.
Review: As one who has a fixation with the Vietnam war, I have read numerous non-fiction novels pertaining to this conflict. That being said, if I had to comprise a "Top five list", this book would not only compete with Christian G. Appy's "Patriots", it just may come out on top. Yes, the writing does not flow perfectly. Nor does combat. Remember that when you read this american classic.
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Summary: Simply breath taking!
Review: "This story is about time and memories. The time was 1965, a different kind of year, a year where one era was ending in America and another was beginning..." And so begins the increadible acount of the battle of the Ia Drang Valley written by the man who was there through it all. I thought this was a wonderful book about what war is like on both sides: the soldiers and their families. I would often find myself imagining the scenes that were so detailed, I could literally almost smell it! I kid you not! If you liked the movie, then you'll defenatly love the book! I'm not an emotional person, but I found myself almost crying over the words written on the page, they were so intense and beautiful! A must read book!
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Summary: a must read
Review: The authors did an outstanding job writing this book. I had a hard time putting this book down, and will probably read it again before long. Everthing they went through is written in perfect detail. I would recommend this book to anyone who would want to learn more about the vietnam erra.
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Summary: Outstanding Oral History of the 1st Big U.S. Vietnam Battle!
Review: For those who enjoy military history, or want to read a few of the most significant books on the Vietnam war, this book is a must. While newcomers to the topic should start with a more general history of the war, such as Stanley Karnow's "Vietnam," this book, along with Neil Sheehan's "A Bright and Shining Lie," will always be one of the classics on this war. The book vividly tells the story of two very bloody battles in the Ia Drang valley, Pleiku province, in 1965: at Landing Zone (LZ) X-ray and, a few days later, at LZ Albany. Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, commander at LZ X-Ray (then a Lt. Col.), and reporter Joe Galloway, who lived through the horror of that battle, aptly describe the chaos of battle in the war's first major encounter between U.S. troops and the North Vietnamese regular army. The authors recount oral recollections of survivors. The book also describes the background of the war, the preparation of the 7th Cav as a new type of unit--air mobile by helicopter--and the mismanagement of the Johnson administration in so many ways: the loss of experienced personnel by the one-year assignment practice, the six month limit on battalion and brigade commanders, and allowing the enemy sanctuary in Cambodia. One of the strongest points of the book is its strong and moving sense of the cost of war to individuals and families: Hal Moore, besides being a top-knotch commander, is a true human being who felt deeply the loss of each of his men, over the years visiting their families and weeping at the graves of his fallen soldiers. This book is a battle history which does not glorify war, but shows it for the bloody, heart-wrenching chaos it is. It teaches that our nation should be slow to go to war, but when we must, it must be conducted with sound policies and tactics that will bring a swift end to the bloodshed and achieve the political goals of the conflict. Families today still mourn daily the loss of soldiers from long-ago battles. The price of war is the highest price human beings can pay. Yet without at times paying this price, both Americans and other peoples who love political and economic freedom would historically have lived in slavery to one political ideology or another. The difficult thing for us as a nation collectively is to have the wise judgment to know when and how to fight. This outstanding book teaches us the importance of such wise judgment when it comes to the nightmare of war.
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Summary: Utterly gripping, hands down the best from its era
Review: We Were Soldiers shows how the Ia Drang battles were a microcosm of the American experience in Vietnam - exhibiting both the valor and courage, and the almost laughable incompetence of the bureaucratic U.S. military of the time. The book also breaks new ground in directly approaching the real NVA commanders from the battle and getting their inputs and insight. This book tells two clear tales: the first half involving a highly experienced commander leading highly skilled and experienced men into a ferocious 3-day battle, and clearly emerging victorious by a huge margin; the second half involving an inexperienced commander leading raw troops into a disastrous ambush, and effectively losing his battle by a similar margin. The first half of the book clearly and simply describes what has to be one of the great American military encounters in the nation's history. It also illustrates just how important smart leadership and training is in battle. Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry (1/7) deserves to be placed in the same pantheon as the great military units in history, including the Spartans at Thermopylae, Napoleon's Imperial Guard, the 7th Regiment Maine at Little Round Top, and sundry others. The 1/7 inflicted a 4-1 casualty ratio on a far more numerous enemy. Drawing on a slender helicopter-fed supply line, Moore's tiny unit effectively destroyed a force five times its size, and held the ground at the end of the battle. Moore and Galloway manage to put you right there in LZ X-Ray. Electrifying. I have had dreams about that place since reading this book. It is that powerful, and little more needs to be said. The tale of the Lost Platoon is particularly powerful and gripping. The second half of the book, about the battle for LZ Albany, is as plain-spoken as the first and tells a very different and far more heart-breaking story. It illustrates a long list of tactical mistakes committed by the division leadership (none of which, by the way, were committed with Moore's unit) all of which led the poorly trained sister unit of Moore's outfit, the 2nd Battalion 7th Cav (2/7), into needless disaster and succeeded in helping the NVA salvage victory from defeat. Reading this section is like watching a car wreck in slow-motion, powerless to do anything about it, and saying "no, no, nooo...." Because neither Moore or Galloway were actually on the scene, this part of the book loses a little of its immediacy; nevertheless this is a painful but worthwhile read. The irony of the LZ Albany battle is that it shows the roots of America's disillusionment with the war by showing the genuine incompetence and impaired decision-making of American leadership at the highest levels. The 2/7 commander, Colonel McDade, though a powerfully experienced soldier, was effectively set up to fail as a commander. From his immediate supervisors on up, everyone turned their backs on him and gave him none of the resources demanded by the experienced and suspicious Moore. None of McDade's troops had any experience in air cavalry doctrine when they were sent to Vietnam. Moore flew into his LZ; Dade was forced to march overland without a clear objective. Moore's men had training; the 2/7 did not. One unit, though chronically understaffed, was given ample training and preparation for their upcoming fight. The sister unit was thrown together at the last minute and tossed to the lions. It was a clear failure of leadership from the division level to the top levels of the Johnson administration. To his great credit, Moore does not mince words and shows great compassion for his brother commander. He also provides an anecdote showing Commanding General Westmoreland's complete cluelessness regarding his troops; the remnants of McDade's battalion were treated to a roadside chat in the rain with Westy while they held their thanksgiving dinner in their hands. Needless to say, all of them cared more about their food than about the general. If every American unit had been trained to or near the level of Moore's, the Vietnam war might have had a different ending. The wisest decision, in the end, would have been not to go at all. This book is not poetry; it is not written to the level of Xenophon's Anabasis or Victor Hugo's description of Waterloo in Les Miserables. This book, however, will stand as a part of true war literature. Perhaps the best battlefield descriptions ever done. Also the clearest account of why it was wrong to go to Vietnam, and exactly what mistakes we made there. A lot of anti-war people would do well to read this book.
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Summary: Good story, but the writing does not flow.
Review: As a soldier and soon-to-be officer, I wanted to read this book because there are so many lessons to be learned from it. However, I quickly found the book to be less of a story than I expected. A lot of the book is just the words of men who fought there with LTG Moore transitioning to the next event. Repeatedly he stops to redefine an acronym or tell you who someone is for the fourth of fifth time. Sometimes he'll do this after giving that information only three pages previously. All of this really hurts the flow. It became clear to me that the intention of this book was more to memorialize the men who fought on the ground that day by listing their name, age and hometown and telling their story than to actually paint a picture of the battle and point out its successes and shortcomings. I don't think that it reads like an after-action review. However, it does not read much like a book either. Hal Moore does find time to include all the positive comments about himself in this book. He quotes his co-author, battle participants and opposing leadership and the quotes are pretty think with praise for Moore.
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Summary: Remarkable first hand account of battle at Ia Drang
Review: I didn't see the movie and I'm not a military history buff. I just happened to read the book because I couldn't find anything else that was interesting to read, and the photo insert of the men and their families caught my attention. Needless to say, I was incredibly moved by this book. It was written in a way that was real rather than polished. It was painful and heartbreaking, and I was truly touched by a story I never knew could have happened. I didn't find it to be a difficult story to follow at all. I kept referring to the pages where the authors conveniently listed and described the main players. I did require some outside assistance when it came to the authors' description of the weapons used. Harold Moore was awesome--an extraordinary leader who inspired his men. The gritty images and honest message of this book will stay with you for a long, long time.
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Summary: Moving and Compelling - Eye Opening For The Young
Review: As a young 36 year old woman, I was born about seventeen months after the events in this book occurred. My Grandfather served in the British Special Forces during the second world war, and in the army for close to 20 years spanning before and during that war. I guess, my interest in his war time experiences, (which left him with some terrible physical and emotional scars), has ultimately led me to this truly compelling book, even though it is of another war and time. I saw the movie, "We Were Soldiers" recently, and was totally stunned and blown away by it. I wasn't simply crying as it drew to an end, I found myself attempting to control the strong urge to sob, as the tears flowed freely, and had found the tears came quickly through various parts of the film as well. After watching it, I took a note of the name of this book, "We Were Soldiers Once... And Young", and went on line here and purchased it immediately. This book is incredible and riveting reading, and so very shocking and eye-opening to a 36 year old woman who has only ever known war through her Grandfather's stories. I find the book and its companion movie a truly poignant and moving account of love and courage and comradeship and incredible self sacrifice. The soldiers and other service men (and women) deserved far, far more than the limited recognition they received during and after Vietnam for their courage and self-sacrifice during the years of the conflict. "We Were Soldiers Once... And Young" is a book I believe all young people should read, in order to open their eyes about what their fathers, uncles, older brothers, cousins and fellow countrymen, (regardless of their country of origin - I live in Australia myself and many men [and women also] from here served in Vietnam), went through during this conflict, and what they had to do for each other in order to survive. This war may not have been popular politically, but that was not the fault of the servicemen involved in fighting it. These men simply did, what they had to do to survive, and to try to keep their comrades around them alive. As Lt. General Moore says in his book... "No greater love hath no man..." (than to lay down his life for another). So very poignant and moving. I feel privileged to have read this book, and to have felt (to still feel) deep into my heart and soul the emotions and the love within it. Deepest, sincere thanks to Lt. General Hal Moore and Joe Galloway for putting down in print the stories of these fine, brave men in combat. I highly recommend this book as essential reading. Thank You. (Christine, Sydney, Australia. June 8, 2003).
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