Lt. Harold Moore's We Were Soldiers Once And Young

We Were Soldiers Once. And Young is a great book written by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway. The authors wrote this book to show the bravery of the young soldiers who died in the Battle of Ia Drang and make sure we never forget their sacrifice. Harold Moore was a United States general who served in the Vietnam War. He graduated first in his class at West Point, and fought in the Battle of Ia Drang. Joseph Galloway was a civilian and chose to come to the battle to take pictures and report the fight. He was a War Correspondent. This book caught my attention because I am very intrigued by wars, and I think the Vietnam War is especially interesting because it was different from the previous wars. America did not “win” and the style of

Americans had to use artillery fire when the enemies were very close to them, which almost caused casualties to their own men. None of the men could sleep at night in fear of being ambushed by the surrounding enemy. A small battalion of men got separated from the rest of the platoon and they were sadly all killed. However, on a good note they were able to push the North Vietnamese back through the use of air support and heavy bombardment. The book ends with the authors’ explanation of how they told the fallen’s families about their deaths. The authors’ thesis of the book was to have readers recognize the bravery and sacrifice made by those who fought in the battle of Ia Drang and the Vietnam War as a whole. Not just Americans, but also North Vietnamese soldiers. My opinion is that the authors did achieve their goal because when you read about what the soldiers went through during those four brutal days, they were able to do so. It makes you appreciate anyone who does service for their country and especially those who lay down their life for their country, no matter what country. One example is, “Then I got hit in the neck and the bullet went right through. Now I couldn’t talk or make a

They were a worthy enemy.” That whole quote is a tribute to the enemy of the battle they were fighting in. Many people would hold grudges against the country that killed their friends and their fellow soldiers, but not Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway. Another quote that proves there wasn’t any bias towards America is, “As the new airmobile division moved toward becoming a reality, the situation in the theater of its most likely employment—what Lyndon Johnson called, ‘that damned little pissant country,’ Vietnam.” This shows that the authors didn’t depict America as this saint of a country. It showed how they didn’t respect their enemy and didn’t think they were a threat. They were proved wrong by the adage. In conclusion, We Were Soldiers Once. And Young is an action-filled story that makes you want to keep reading. I learned how much the soldiers had to go through during the war. Under constant fire, can never sleep, and the enemy is always around you. I would recommend this book if you like war. I am very interested in learning about the wars that America was involved in, so I really enjoyed this book. The book’s wording makes the battle come to life and it is very fun to