We Were Soldiers Once... And Young

...Too many men died bravely and heroically, while the men who had witnessed their deeds had also been killed. Uncommon valor truly was a common virtue on the field at Landing Zone X-Ray those three days and two nights. Acts of valor and sacrifice that on other fields, on other days, would have been rewarded with the Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross or a Silver Star were recognized only with a telegram saying "The Secretary of the Army regrets..." The same was true of our sister battalion, the 2nd of the 7th. - Page 407

We Were Soldiers Once.. And Young by Harold (Hal) Moore and Joseph L. Galloway not only tells the story of the Battle of Ia Drang Valley but is also a window into the makeup of the Army back in 1965 and also a microcosm of what happened in Vietnam and why.

Some may have seen the movie starring Mel Gibson but that movie only tells the first half of the tale. The second half of the tale involves the brutal fighting by the 2nd and 7th at Landing Zone Albany. Some have termed this second action as the most deadliest ambush of American forces of the entire Vietnam War but as Hal Moore explains it really wasn't an ambush since the Vietnamese weren't lying in wait. The two forces just sort of stumbled into each other.

This battle in large part convinced Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara that in 1965 we faced two options regarding Vietnam - either withdrawal or massive escalation and withdrawal was never seriously considered.

Hal Moore is very critical over the decision not to allow the military to pursue the North Vietnamese forces into their bases in Cambodia. Every General is taught that when you have the enemy on the run - you pursue until the enemy is killed or surrenders. The US forces were basically forced to quit pursuit when the enemy crossed a boundary that existed only on maps and it put them in a distinct disadvantage.

I had often worried that this same restriction was causing problems in Iraq early in the war when enemy forces would be using Syria (or Iran) much the same way the North Vietnamese were using Cambodia.

Hal Moore also points out that the military would clear out a town or an area and then hand it over to the South Vietnamese only to have to go back months later and have to retake the same real estate at additional cost of American lives. The failure of the State Department in making sure that the South Vietnamese were properly trained and competent was the real failure in Vietnam but the military unfairly has to shoulder the blame for the problems in Vietnam while the State Department flunkies are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise after nights on the cocktail circuit.

In Iraq, after the defeat of Saddam Hussein's military - the greatest mistakes of the war were made. However, unlike Vietnam, the military was either forced or took it upon themselves to make sure the handing over of real estate was done professionally and in such a way that American lives wouldn't be spent taking the same ground twice. This has led to things like the military training the Iraqi civilian police forces. Things that are never covered in basic training but things necessary to victory that the military has adapted to and overcome. The additional military put in place during the recent surge has been successful in large part, I believe, because of the mere presence of the professional and ethically driven soldiers.

Normally I cannot stand when people compare Iraq to Vietnam but I couldn't help myself. When reading We Were Soldiers Once.. And Young I often found myself making mental comparisons. I am not ashamed to say that because of the fine writing by Hal Moore and Joe Galloway I also found myself tearing up on a number of occasions as the bravery and sacrifice of the men of the 1st of the 7th and the 2nd of the 7th were documented.

I highly ecommend this book. And also the movie for that matter.