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Summary: ~An Excellent Book~
Review: I just bought this book two weeks ago and I couldn't put it down! Just reading the Prologue made me cry. I haven't watched the movie yet but I can't wait till it comes out at the military post in Korea...I also can't wait to watch it because that lil' ...Barry Pepper is gonna be in there! He is so fine~! "We Were Soldiers" is the next best war movie next to "Saving Private Ryan" except I think "We Were Soldiers" is based on a true story.
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Summary: great research = great reading? no, not always...
Review: Critics of 'We Were Soldiers....' have lauded it as the definitive statement on how life really was on the battlefields of Vietnam. And certainly the detailed research collected and presented in this book is extremely impressive; full kudos to Messrs. Moore and Galloway. But does 'We Were Soldiers...' make for good reading entertainment? For this reviewer, no.Firstly, the book is simply a (non-fiction) account of a 1965 battle at the Ia Drang area in Vietnam. Harold Moore was one of the leading commanders at that battle, Joseph Galloway was a reporter watching all the fighting. Clearly it was a horrific, gastly battle (..actually, several battles over a few days). Hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Vietnamese soldiers perished, many more suffering from terrible physical/emotional injuries. Moore/Galloway do fine justice in capturing the horror. Unfortunately the authors spend a tremendous amount of time giving mention, sometimes briefly, on all the hundreds of American participants during the battle. With so many characters and the minute details of their actions I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. No doubt Moore/Galloway wanted to make sure every participant in this nightmare got their full credit, which is certainly commendable. But as for a reading experience ... I found it pure drudgery after only a hundred pages. Less would have been more. In addition the book make me feel uncomfortable about Harold Moore and others fighting at Ia Drang, in an unexpected way. While Harold Moore goes into some length criticising the Johnson administration about its Vietnam policies, he then talks about his visit to Vietnam (many years after Ia Drang) to speak with Vietnamese generals who fought on "the other side". I felt his comments did not do justice to these guys who lost a great many more soldiers than the Americans. And a couple of the quotes which call Vietnamese as "gooks" brought back a most unpleasent sense of deja vu. Bottom line: stellar research wrapped into a difficult, and disturbing read. Mandatory for military history bluffs, a definite miss for all others.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Review: "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young" ranks as one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War and is definitely a must read if one is studying the Vietnam War. One really appreciates the courage and sacrifice of the American soldiers who fought this battle. An aspect of the Vietnam War that it covers is the use of "neutral" Cambodia by the North Vietnamese/Viet Cong Communist forces. US forces, thanks to President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert "We Were Wrong" MacNamara, were not allowed to pursue Communist forces into Cambodia. As is mentioned in the book, the free use of Cambodian sanctuaries allowed the Communist forces to choose when to fight in South Vietnam, or when to retreat if casualties become too heavy. With this tremendous advantage, is it any real surprise that the North Vietnamese emerged victorious in 1975?
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Summary: Extraordinary heroism
Review: I was 8 years old when the battle of Ia Drang took place. Vietnam was a faraway place I had never heard of. This book brings it home. There are scenes of great heroism and tragedy. Ia Drang was one of the bloodiest battles fought by American soldiers in the post-WW II era. While the new movie starring Mel Gibson tells some of the story, there is a great deal more to be learned in the book. However, the most moving part of the book comes towards the end as the lives of the wives and parents and children are impacted. They are informed by telegram that their husband, son or father is missing or killed in action. The commentaries are heart rendering. Vietnam scarred my generation, and we have been treated to too many hopeless accounts. This book is different. This book tells the story of heroes. There is no shame, no bug stomping crazy people, no vulgar accounts. This is the story of men who bled, died and fought because they believed in the dream that is America. They went because they were ordered to go. They fought because that was their job. It is not pretty, but it is the truth unvarnished by political correctness. Read the book, you owe the warriors at Ia Drang that much.
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Summary: Alex on We Were Soldiers Once...
Review: Overall, this was a good book. The authors did an excellent job of describing the harsh realities of war. This was definately not the glossed-over Hollywood version of the war in Vietnam. These men were not the drugged-out hippie draftees portrayed in movies, they were soldiers just doing their job. This is definately not a children's book, as it is rather graphic and fairly long. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. history, especially those interested in the the highly controversial Vietnam War.
Rating:
Summary: Good Book; But Soooo Many Characters
Review: I really enjoyed this book - it is incredible how anyone survived any kind of assault - the only thing I found difficult was trying to keep track of who was who; I found myself going back and forth in the book and looking at the pictures to remember the characters. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway experienced an event that is truly remarkable - it gives me a greater appreciation for what troops went through in Vietnam.
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Summary: Ia Drang Valley Battle
Review: I had alredy seen the documents of the battle, then I got the book from a VN veteran. Then I saw the movie.
The book is absolutely worth of reading. True story of a brutal
fight where the chopper pilots aldo did what they could but most of all Hal Moore and his men did win !!! This reminds me a lot of our own war agains russians, I am from Finland, Finnish had smal units against huge enemy and in the winter war The FInns won many fights.
Read the Ia Drang book and go to see the movie, they are worth of.
Let's salute all the veterans.
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Summary: Movie was Great; Book is Even Better
Review: This is undoubtedly one of the best books on warfare ever written. It's a gripping, edge-of-the-seat narrative told in a style reminiscent of Ambrose, with heavy reliance on first-person recollections. The book recounts the 1965 Ia Drang Battle, the first set-piece engagement between U.S. and NVA armies in battalion strength. People who've seen the recent, excellent movie may think they know the tale. But the movie tells only half the story, ending with the conclusion of hostilities at Landing Zone X-Ray. Left undepicted by Hollywood is the ferocious fighting at Landing Zone Albany, where the U.S. 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry is ambushed and encircled by numerically superior NVA reserve forces. The description of the LZ-Albany carnage and gallantry is some of the best writing on warfare I have ever encountered. I was pleased to see that the movie (one of my favorites of recent vintage) raised public consciousness of the sacrifices and bravery of our Viet Nam servicemen. The book makes the case even more poignantly. Even unpopular wars produce heroes who serve with honor, courage and distinction. My hat is off to all of them.
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Summary: Josh on We Were Soldiers
Review: I started reading this book and I couldn't put it down. I think it is good to read books like these, especially about the Vietnam War, because alot of people don't really know what happened over there. I liked this book because it told you what it was like to be in this battle. It made it very easy to imagine what it would have been like to be in this battle. Also, I liked it because it told the truth, it did not cover up the facts. Lt. Gen. Harold Moor and Joseph L. Galloway told the truth about what really happened in the Ia Drang Valley. However I do not think that this is a book for everyone, it is also very graphic. If you like history though this is a great book to read.
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Summary: Learning Experience
Review: Being born in 1970, I didn't grow up watching the nightly news regarding the war in Vietnam. This was very educational. It's an eye opener for sure. I think to a certain extent, the things that happened in Vietnam have been glossed over by the U.S., or misinterpreted by the public. This goes to show you how courageous our troops were and how they deserved much better than what they received upon arriving home.
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