We Were Soldiers Once..and Young

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Summary: Reality... the only way to honor those who fell in Ia Drang
Review: As casualties begin to mount in America's "War on Terrorism," the American public is being reminded of the true color of freedom, the color red for the blood of her men and women who go into harm's way to defend the freedoms we all take for granted. Past battles and wars still linger in our minds, but few of us try to remember the full story of war. We linger on the valor and courage while forgetting the pain and anguish. We hold on to the thought that those men and women who died in battle died with full knowledge of their demise when, although they knew the risks, they had full intentions of returning to their mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and children. It is important for us as Americans to remember the brutal facts of war when examining the honor the men and women who died on the battlefield showed us in their final moments before dying in defense of the ideals of our country. It is a great treasure when we can find a person or persons willing to tell the stories of those who died with an honesty that allows us to catch a glimpse of what these soldiers were going through so that we may begin to understand the true sacrifices of the men and women of our armed forces. The book We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, co-authored by retired Lieutenant General Hal Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway, is such a treasure. In the book, we see the devotion of the men under the then Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore as they fought to defend the lines assigned to their platoons. We see the bravery and selfless devotion of the soldiers as they fought not for the politicians in Washington or the American people back home who were still unaware of the challenge that lay ahead in Vietnam. Rather, these men fought for each other.

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Summary: Dustoff Medic/ Cu Chi-1970-71
Review: The 7th Air Cav. paved the way for Airmobile Operations for other units to follow in later years in Vietnam Campaign. Later 1st Cav. Medical Evacution (Medevac) only unit arm w/ Machine Guns used for evacuation. Dustoff air ambulance / unarmed would be escorted by 2 helicopter gunships. I thank the 1st Air Cav. for that operational procedure. The movie is most accurate in relation to the book.159th DustOff was a separate unit which supported 25th Infantry Divison and 1st Cavalry Division.

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Summary: An Impressive First Person Account
Review: I read this book while on vacation last summer and I still find myself thinking about it and its' many unforgettable images of war. This is a first-hand account of the first major US battle of the Viet Nam conflict. The author is the commanding officer of the conflict and, while he allows himself a bit of the glory, he makes his men the heroes of his combat history. We get a reasonable amount of background of the events leading to the conflict and the units that will be engaged for the US. This is helpful yet not overdone and we find ourselves following the troops into their field assignment. They were hoping to engage the enemy and the battle began shortly after the first troops were land by helicopter. The strength of this book is the way Colonel Moore takes us through the ensuing battle moment by moment. If this sounds like it would be tedious reading, it isn't. The US forces were facing numbers roughly five times their own and the combat was relentless. We come to know many of the American GI's and, to his credit, Moore gives us the name of everyone involved no matter how brief his appearance in the book. There is a helpful "Where are they now" section at the end that is much appreciated; the reader goes through a lot with these men and most of us do want to know how their lives turned out. As the one battle subsides and many are relieved, another battle soon erupts between the relieving forces and the enemy some distance away. This battle gives us an even greater sense of presence in the combat. One battle is a great success while another is quite a different outcome. Moore does a good job in evaluating why. As a matter of fact, he does a good job of analyzing where we went wrong in our Vietnamese experience. For those of us who came of age during this conflict, it might be hard to acknowledge some of the facts that he lays on us. However, it isn't hard to find ourselves caught up in the courage and sacrifice of our troops. Although it comes a generation or two too late, it felt good after all these years to chear for the good guys.

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Summary: Engrossing!
Review: I won't go into a lengthy description about this book as I see that has previously been wonderfully done, but I would like to say that as a person who watched a boyfriend go off to die in Vietnam, who has never understood the way our Vietnam vets were so terribly treated, nor why they cannot be recognized for the heroes they are, hopefully this book will bring this war more into the forefront. So much damage was done to our young soldiers during this war, so many came home not only physically damaged but mentally as well. We need to understand what they faced, what they went thru, and how they survived. Bravo, Mr. Moore and Mr. Galloway, and thank you!

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Summary: An incredible memorial to the men lost at landing zone X-Ray
Review: We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: IA Drang--the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam is an extraordinary account of one of first major engagements in the Ia Drang Valley in the infancy of the Vietnam War. This book written by General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway is just an incredible book that tells the story of 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore. They were dropped into a small clearing in the la Drang Valley where they were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers where one of the fiercest and significant battles of the Vietnam War was fought.

I've had the pleasure of meeting General Moore and hearing him speak several times ... about this book and the battle and it instantly becomes apparent why he is a legend and how lucky his men were to have him as their commander. His affection for the men under his command is very apparent and NY Times said it best when they said 'the men who fought and died in Ia Drang could have no finer memorial than this one'.

If you're looking for a book that glorifies war, this is not that book. I think the authors want to portray the realities of war and all of the death and destructions that it lays in its path. General Moore also wants to highlight the American spirit and how the friendship and love soldiers in the field develop for each other and how it keeps them going and fighting.

This book has also been turned into a movie called We Were Soldiers staring Mel Gibson.

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Summary: War is hell
Review: With the movie coming out this week, it's time to get serious about SOLDIERS and discuss the book (although from all accounts the movie is faithful to a remarkable and, for Hollywood, surprising degree).
The silly old saw is that there are two kinds of people, and it goes downhill from there. In this case, there ARE two kinds of people: those who have fought to the death in battle, and the rest of the world. The soldiers in SOLDIERS fought one of the bloodiest, nastiest, ugliest and most brutal actions in the history of war, and this book describes their experiences with dreadful clarity.
The remarkable thing about this book, beyond the vigor and quality of the writing, is its directness and lack of histrionics or unnecessary drama. This was a very bad place to be and there was, literally, no way out for most of those involved. If anyone has any illusions about the supposed dignity of war, SOLDIERS will dispel those illusions for ever.
I intend to see the movie and try to watch without turning away or pretending that such shocking violence and death does not occur and need not touch anyone not directly involved. The awful truth that comes across in the book is that the men who fought and died did so as surrogates of other humans on both sides and that there is no way for those others to avoid responsibility for these events.
Why not indulge in an exhaustive analysis of the book itself? There is no need, because 90+ other reviewers have done it well. I just wanted to get past the paper-and-ink facets to explain what this book does to the mind and heart and why every thinking person should read it and consider his or her attitude to war.
War is indeed hell. Are there any other alternatives? Will we ever learn? How low can humans get if they can condone what has been happening to our species for millennia and what otherwise thoughtful, sensible individuals can do to each other?
I have suggested, not entirely in jest, that Planet Earth is actually a penal colony to which we have been sent for past bad behavior in some part of the galaxy or other. This comes to an apotheosis in SOLDIERS.
Read it and weep for all of us, for all time.

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Summary: The essence of leadership - a textbook for all Americans
Review: Today we have become complacent to short wars, "smart" weapons and few casualties. Journalists constantly poll for our opinions and ratings on "how the war is being managed". War is neither about management nor polls. War is about leadership, survival and sacrifice.

Gen. Moore and Joe are survivors and leaders. These men understood what they were getting into. They did not fight for medals, Pulitzer prices or news polls. They performed their duties courageously against a strong and equally determined enemy.

If you want to know what war is, this book brings the message home loud and clear. War is about the failure of political leadership and about the incredible leadership of soldiers who carry on orders knowing what the outcome maybe. Leadership is about the guts to tell those under your command that some will die yet no one will be left behind. That when the fight starts, you will be the first one to walk into the battlefield and the last one to leave it. This kind of leadership is not accomplished through fancy PowerPoint presentations or "briefings" kept to within 10 minutes. This is accomplished through character and this story contains tons of examples, from the rifleman to the platoon leader to the Command Sgt. Major, all real people all real heroes.

This book also teaches us about respect and humility. Gen Moore and Joe talk about their foes with respect for in the end it was their battle too. Warriors who did not hide behind non-combatants nor used cowardly tactics as so called freedom fighters.

Gen. Moore teaches us that as hard as it may be a senior officer's job is first and foremost commanding his troops. A senior officer has no business getting into the fight. They let their company grade officers and NCOs run that part, while they ensure everyone stays focused and alive. Imagine how awesome our school systems would be if we allowed teachers to teach and parents to raise their children. Do your job, let others do theirs and help when you're asked.

For NCOs this is also a textbook in what is required of them, for they too are leaders and their example will determine the outcome of a battle as well as the lives of those under their care. They influence enlisted and officers alike.

After the events of September 11, 2001, it is extremely important to understand what it means to sacrifice ones life through service to their country (military service personnel, firefighters, teachers) so that others may live, be free and have a chance to a better life. Rick Rescorla, whose picture appears in the front cover of the book, knew this first hand. He sacrificed for the last time on that fateful day by directing many others to safety while ignoring his own at the World Trade Center tower.

This book has a message for all Americans who care and respect their country.

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Summary: A book about great leadership, not just about war
Review: The North Vietnamese soldier that Colonel Harold Moore's men captured in the Central Highlands of Vietnam on November 14, 1965 delivered chilling news: "There are three battalions [of Vietcong] on the mountain who very much want to kill Americans but have not been able to find any." A few hours later, those Vietnamese made contact with the 7th Cavalry --- and thus began the first battle of the Vietnam War to pit Americans directly against the Vietcong.

The killing began right away. Not the killing of Vietnamese. The killing of Americans. Five died in the first few minutes. The hills were a concert of screams and explosions. Hiding behind a termite hill, Moore thought of another man who'd led the 7th Cavalry: George Armstrong Custer. Moore promised himself that he wouldn't let this battle --- Ia Drang --- repeat the sorry history of Little Bighorn.

We Were Soldiers Once...and Young is the story of how close Moore and his men came to being slaughtered like Custer's troops. The numbers are spine-chilling: In four days of fighting --- with the enemy sometimes as close as 75 feet to the American line --- 234 Americans died. In this remarkable minute-by-minute account, you get to meet these men. And more: You watch each soldier die. And you get to grieve for every single one.

The book's real subject isn't war. It's leadership. Consider the situation. Americans had been advisers in Vietnam, but they had never really engaged the enemy. Moore was career Army: West Point, Korea, advanced studies in fast-moving, guerilla warfare. In June of l965, he began training his battalion for combat in Vietnam. In August, the Army pulled all six of his newly-acquired second lieutenants out. In August, any soldiers who had 60 days or less to serve were separated from the 7th Cavalry. So when Moore and his unit sailed to Vietnam, they had already lost 100 of their most experienced men.

The difference between an under-trained unit that survives a fierce battle and one that becomes legendary in defeat is leadership. Listen to some of the ways Moore managed his troops. He told his men:

--- "Only first-place trophies will be displayed, accepted or presented in this battalion. Second place in our line of work is defeat of the unit on the battlefield, and death for the individual in combat."

--- "Decision-making will be decentralized: Push the power down. It pays off in wartime."

--- "Loyalty flows down as well."

--- "I check up on everything. I am available day or night to talk to any officer of this battalion."

Or this: Before the battle started, James Galloway (a United Press reporter who became co-author of Moore's book 25 years later) was watching Moore's soldiers shave as he boiled water for coffee one morning before the battle. Moore passed by. "We all shave in my outfit --- reporters included," he snapped. Galloway immediately repurposed his coffee water for shaving.

And, finally, this: "In the American Civil War, it was a matter of principle that a good officer rode his horse as little as possible. There were sound reasons for this. If you are riding and your soldiers are marching, how can you judge how tired they are, how thirsty, how heavy their packs weigh on their shoulders?"

Moore applied this philosophy conscientiously. He flew in to Ia Drang on the first helicopter. He led his men from the front. When he saw men from another company beginning to haul one of his dead soldiers out of a foxhole with a harness, he snapped, "No you won't do that. He's one of my troopers and you will show some respect. Get two more men and carry him to the landing zone." When it was over and it was time for Moore to turn over command, he requested a full battalion formation. One soldier recalls, "We stood in formation, with some units hardly having enough men to form up. Colonel Moore spoke to us and he cried. At that moment, he could have led us back into the Ia Drang."

But it still wasn't over for Moore. His wife attended as many funerals as she could. And when he got back to the U.S., in April 1966, he visited some of the families of his lost men. One family thought his visit would last a few minutes. He stayed five hours. And he made sure he went with the family to visit the grave, and there he asked to spend some time alone there, kneeling in prayer and memory.

This story --- the story of the relationship of a man to the men he leads and the families who sent those men to be in his care --- is why you want to read this book, and read it now. If you're an executive in charge of workers or if you're a parent trying to raise your children, you above all other readers will be able to read through the ugliness and the pain and understand why Moore's men fought and died for him.

Should you ever be in Washington, D.C., the names of the soldiers killed at Ia Drang --- and there are 305 of them, in total --- can be found on the third panel to the right of the apex, Panel-3 East, of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. But you don't have to visit the Memorial to learn from them; thanks to Hal Moore, their deepest legacy is in the wisdom he can, in their names, pass on to you.

Rating:
Summary: worth every penny
Review: Bought and read when it was first published.One of the best books about Vietnam ever written. Very dramatic and tragic at the same time. First person accounts by participants make the book. Showed what American soldiers can do with proper training and good leadership. If you only read one combat book on the war make it this one, you will not be sorry and your money will have been well spent!

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Summary: Necessary Side of Vietnam to Consider
Review: In this work, Moore carefully reconstructs the battles of the Ia Drang Valley in great detail by employing both his personal memories of the experiences, as well as those of other men involved in the bloody conflict. The personal nature of the accounts presented in this work adds great credibility to Moore's claims. Each man, though incapable of knowing the exact details of every aspect of the battles, adds greater clarity to the overall picture through his personalized interpretation of his experience. The horrible realities and incomprehensible fear of taking part in such a conflict come to life for the reader through the painful memories of the men who experienced the battles first-hand, both taking bullets and having to watch their friends die at their sides. One unifying theme runs throughout the accounts of the contributing soldiers; each soldier gained a healthy respect for the perseverance and fighting capability of their under-armed, but not incapable enemy of the North Vietnamese Army. Though the American fighting force enjoyed much more powerful equipment and maneuverability with their Airmobile divisions, the North Vietnamese fought with unquestionable bravery and ferocity regardless of the strength of the enemy's weaponry and technology. Moore believes this indicated a great deal about the enemy's determination that would continue throughout the duration of the bloody conflict.

Though the Americans inflicted casualties upon the North Vietnamese regulars at a ratio of 12:1, Lt. Gen. Moore knew this statistic did not accurately represent an overwhelming success for the American fighting forces involved in the battles of Ia Drang Valley. He and the soldiers that fought under his command witnessed firsthand the unquestionable sacrifices the North Vietnamese proved willing to make in fighting the American forces for their cause. Not only did the Vietnamese prove exceptionally determined in fighting for their cause, but they also exercised a battlefield effectiveness that demanded the respect of the American fighting force. In short, Moore argues that from the outset of the battles of Ia Drang Valley, the American military had engaged an enemy that they could not afford to underestimate in neither capability nor determination and willingness to take on the larger and better-equipped American military.

Another important aspect of Lt. Gen. Moore's narrative includes the insight he provides into the realities of the American foot soldier's experience in this conflict. Surrounded by dying comrades and making unimaginable personal sacrifices, the men who fought for America in Vietnam forged a bond that only they can fully comprehend and respect. The love and loyalty depicted in the accounts of Moore and the other men involved in the Ia Drang engagement helps the reader to identify with the situation of the American soldiers fighting a war that they had not fully grasped, nor understood the severity of, until their closest friends fell victim to enemy fire in a merciless conflict. In this respect, Moore's and his soldiers' accounts of the battles of the Ia Drang Valley give the reader an understanding of the conflict in Vietnam that transcends the impersonality and limitations of mere battle statistics concerning numbers of killed and/or wounded. Moore shows that many heroes fought in the Ia Drang Valley, on both sides of the conflict, and regardless of overall judgments and interpretations of the Vietnam War, these men warrant respect for their bravery during those horrendous days in mid-November 1965.