...Movie Review We Were Soldiers Burt Thomas Liberty University CRIS303 – B01 Movie Review We Were Soldiers We Were Soldiers is a movie written and directed by Randall White. It is based on a book, We Were Soldiers Once…and Young: Ia Drang, the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway. It details the account of both men, as well as the men under Moore’s command during the battle of the Ia Drang Valley. The battle takes place early in the Viet Nam War and the movie provides a historical, as well as dramatic recount of the battle and the lives of the men who fought it. Movie Synopsis A narrator begins the movie by retelling the story of the French involvement in the early days of the Viet Nam War. There is a graphic depiction of violence as the French soldiers are killed, and the viewer is briefly introduced to Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An. Lt. Col An would later command the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) soldiers during the battle with Moore’s soldiers. Eleven years later, the army is establishing an air cavalry division and Lt. Col. Moore is selected to command them. Mel Gibson, in the role of Lt. Col. Moore enlists the help of Maj. Bruce “Snake” Crandall, played by Greg Kinnear. Crandall’s crew of pilots is made up of a motley group of men and his pilots and equipment are considered to be some of the best in the Army at the time. The division is redesignated as the 7th Cavalry, and Moore notes the irony in its designation - this is the same...
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...Patrick Rogers Compare and Contrast Essay 27 June 2015 The Two books that I have chosen to write about in my compare and contrast essay are “Chickenhawk,” by Robert Mason and “We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam,” by BG Harold G. Moore (Ret) and Joseph L. Galloway. These two books focus on the Vietnam War and more importantly the 1st Cavalry Divisions time in the Vietnam war. Both books are autobiographies written from a soldier’s point of view and both offer a unique look at life for different types of soldiers during the Vietnam War during the same period of time (1965) and even during the same Battles (Ia Drang Valley). Chickenhawk, by Mason, is written from the point of view of a huey “slick” pilot in the army’s first use of air assault or airmobile techniques. The book begins with Mason starting his career in the army and his transition through flight school and eventually making his way to the Vietnam War. The majority of the book focuses on his time in Vietnam and the daily life of an Army Huey pilot in the 1st Cav as well as his transfer to the “Blue Stars”, which occurs at the end of his tour. The last few chapters of the book discuss his time after Vietnam. “We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam,” by Moore and Galloway is written from the point of view of Moore, an army infantry Lieutenant Colonel and Galloway a combat photographer. Moore was the battalion...
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...Joseph L. Galloway and the Realities of War Corresponding Abstract War corresponding is an essential part of journalism in today’s society. War correspondents risk their lives to report the events of war. It is a very challenging job, and not everyone is cut out for it. One significant war correspondent of the 20th century is Joseph L. Galloway. He spent most of his working career dealing with war, with his most notable achievements being reporting from the front lines of the battle at Landing Zone X-ray in the Ia Drang Valley during the Vietnam War, being a best selling author, and receiving the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his courage at the aforementioned battle. Joseph L. Galloway and the Realities of War Corresponding War correspondents have been around as long as the journalism career and as long as there have been wars to report. The first war correspondent is said to be Willem van de Velde. In 1653, he took a small boat across the sea to observe a naval battle between the English and the Dutch (War correspondent). War corresponding has come a long way since those days. With every war comes more and more correspondents to cover the news, battles, and outcomes. “War correspondents help the public understand the consequences of government policy, military strategy, and battlefield tactics (Steele, B)”. Without them, the rest of the world would be left in the dark and be unaware of the events of major wars. War correspondents play a crucial yet dangerous...
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...Communist main-force units in the Ia Drang Valley of the Central Highlands. On this morning, Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry conducted a heliborne assault into Landing Zone X-Ray near the Chu Pong hills. Around noon, the North Vietnamese 33rd Regiment attacked the U.S. troopers. The fight continued all day and into the night. American soldiers received support from nearby artillery units and tactical air strikes. The next morning, the North Vietnamese 66th Regiment joined the attack against the U.S. unit. The fighting was bitter, but the tactical air strikes and artillery support took their toll on the enemy and enabled the 1st Cavalry troopers to hold on against repeated assaults. At around noon, two reinforcing companies arrived and Colonel Moore put them to good use to assist his beleaguered soldiers. By the third day of the battle, the Americans had gained the upper hand. The three-day battle resulted in 834 North Vietnamese soldiers confirmed killed, and another 1,000 communist casualties were assumed. In a related action during the same battle, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, was ambushed by North Vietnamese forces as it moved overland to Landing Zone Albany. Of the 500 men in the original column, 150 were killed and only 84 were able to return to immediate duty; Company C suffered 93 percent casualties, half of them deaths. Despite these numbers, senior American officials in Saigon declared the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley a great victory. The...
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