We Were Soldiers Once...and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle That Changed the War in VietnamEach year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. In November 1965, some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at the landing zones X-Ray and Albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. How these men persevered--sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up--makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joseph Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of men who fought there, including the North Vietnamese commanders. This devastating account rises above the specific ordeal it chronicles to present a picture of men facing the ultimate challenge, dealing with it in ways they would have found unimaginable only a few hours earlier. It reveals to us, as rarely before, man's most heroic and horrendous endeavor. |
Contents
Heat of Battle 3934 45 | 3 |
The Roots of Conflict | 9 |
Boots and Saddles | 41 |
The Land and the Enemy | 45 |
XRAY | 55 |
Into the Valley | 59 |
The Battle Begins | 70 |
Closing with the Enemy | 83 |
It Aint Over Till Its Over | 219 |
A Walk in the Sun | 233 |
Hell in a Very Small Place | 249 |
Death in the Tall Grass | 271 |
Escape and Evade | 290 |
Night Without End | 300 |
The Sergeant and the Ghost | 316 |
Mentioned in Dispatches | 331 |
The Storm of Battle | 100 |
Brave Aviators | 115 |
Fix Bayonets | 129 |
Night Falls | 144 |
A Dawn Attack | 156 |
Friendly Fire | 171 |
Rescuing the Lost Platoon | 184 |
Night Fighters | 196 |
Policing the Battlefield | 208 |
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Common terms and phrases
1st Battalion 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry Albany Alpha Company American Army artillery asked attack battle began Bravo Company Brigade Brown called Captain carried Charlie Company clearing close Colonel column coming command cover dead Delta Division Edwards enemy fight fire five Force forward four front Galloway going grass grenade ground guys hand head headquarters heard helicopter hundred Ia Drang John killed knew landing zone later leader letter Lieutenant lives looked Major medic minutes Moore mortar moved never night North Vietnamese November officer operations ordered perimeter platoon position radio remember rifle says Sergeant shot side soldiers South Specialist started talking thing thought told took trees troops trying turned unit Vietnam walked wanted weapons wounded X-Ray yards young