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 unit led into an ambush by General Custer. The first part of the movie introduces the main characters and the training they endure before being deployed to Viet Nam. Sam Elliot portrays Sgt. Maj. Plumley, the senior enlisted member of the group, and Lt. Col Moore’s right-hand man. Chris Klein plays 2nd Lt. Jack Geoghegan, and his wife, Barbara, is played by Keri Russell. Before being deployed the Geoghegan’s give birth to a child. The movie demonstrates the care that Lt. Col. Moore has for his men by praying in the hospital chapel with Geoghegan. This care is also displayed by Geoghegan, who tends to wounds suffered by one of his men, Private Godboldt, during training. Once they are deployed into battle, these men are led by Moore and they fight for their lives for nearly four days. Geoghegan is killed in battle while attempting to rescue Godboldt, who had been critically injured. Crandall continues to deliver ammunition and supplies to the men during intense combat, and Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper), a UPI reporter, arrives to report on the battle. Galloway represents himself to be a noncombatant at the time, but as the fighting intensifies, and the Americans are being overrun, he picks up arms to help his new comrades. He befriends Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama (Brian Tee), who is later critically injured by a stray napalm bomb. Nakayama is burned severely and screaming as Galloway helps to load him onto a medivac helicopter for extraction. There are countless individual instances of battlefield trauma depicted in the film. Interestingly, the script does not focus solely on the efforts of the American soldiers, but also those of the NVA fighting the battle. One particular NVA soldier is followed periodically until he is killed while attempting to kill Lt. Col. Moore. The story also depicts the efforts of the wives of the men fighting the battle. As men begin to die on the battlefield, the Army delivers death notifications via taxi drivers. Julie Moore (Madeline Stowe) is Hal Moore’s wife and she and Barbara Geoghegan deliver the notifications until they receive notification of the death Geoghegan’s husband. These women are exposed to trauma with each notification they make. The movie ends with the 7th Cavalry defeating the NVA. Lt. Col An lifts a small American flag and remarks to a younger NVA soldier, that now that the Americans are involved in the war, many more will die.
Exploration of Crisis The predominant crisis depicted in We Were Soldiers involves death, grief, and life-threatening fights for survival by the soldiers who fought at the battle of Ia Drang. It is interesting to note that Ia Drang is translated into the Valley of Death. As the soldiers are fighting for their lives, they have brief periods of cease-fire to allow for brief recovery, only to be followed by more moments of intense terror as the fighting continues. The physical wounds suffered by the soldiers are only the visible symptoms of this crisis. Invisible wounds suffered as a result of the reaction to the abnormal circumstances these men are exposed to may lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD occurs in individuals who have experienced, witnessed, or were confronted by an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury to themselves or others. Their response involves feelings of intense fear, helplessness, or horror (Friedman, Resick, Bryant, & Brewin, 2011).
Therapeutic Implications Preventing PTSD would have a positive impact not only on military readiness, but also on a soldier’s quality of life. PTSD is not limited to survivors of war, however, and treatments could also benefit survivors of domestic violence and others who have been exposed to trauma. Some methods of preventing PTSD that are being explored involve pharmacological agents such as corticosteroids and propranolol. These methods are most effective, however, when combined with psychotherapy (Searcy, Bobadilla, Gordon, Jacques, & Elliott, 2012). Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is a group intervention which is led by a facilitator. Originally used for helping first responders and soldiers, it can be applied to virtually any traumatic situation. Most of these interventions follow a seven step model using both group sessions and one-on-one sessions. The CISD should occur within 3 to 4 weeks after the crisis and include the introductory phase, fact phase, thought phase, reaction (feeling) phase, symptom phase, teaching (educational) phase, and reentry phase. Each phase is designed to transition the participant through the recovery process, improve coping skills, and restore the individual (Wright, 2011).
Assessment of Grief Process As the plot for We Were Soldiers unfolds, we see the main characters of Lt. Col. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway in a variety of situations. Neither individual is afforded much time for grieving as the onslaught of the NVA continues. At times, Moore and Galloway take time to get to know each other and reflect on their lives previously. Moore, the battlefield commander, realizes his mission is to ensure the success on the battlefield and protect his men. Galloway, after actively participating in the battle, drops his rifle and returns to using his camera to document the battle and preserve the memory of the men who gave their life in battle. There is no clear example of the steps the men took through the grief process other than to return to their original duties and focus on their mission. Moore’s and Galloway’s book, We Were Soldiers Once…and Young: Ia Drang, the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam eludes to the healing process the men found in writing the book (Moore & Galloway, 1992).

References
Friedman, M. J., Resick, P. A., Bryant, R. A., & Brewin, C. R. (2010). Considering ptsd for dsm-5. Depression and Anxiety, 28(9), 750-769. doi:10.1002/da.20767
Moore, H. G., & Galloway, J. L. (1992). We were soldiers once -and young: Ia Drang, the battle that changed the war in Vietnam. New York, NY: Random House.
Searcy, C. P., Bobadilla, L., Gordon, W., & Elliott, L. (2012). Pharmacological prevention of combat-related ptsd: A literature review. Military Medicine, 177(6), 649-654.
Wallace, R. (Director). (2002). We were soldiers [Motion picture]. USA: Paramount Pictures.
Wright, H. N. (2011). The complete guide to crisis and trauma counseling: What to do and say when it matters most! Grand Rapids, MI: Bethany House Publishers.