We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Product Description
Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway return to Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley more than four decades after the battle they recalled in their #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. Renewing their relationships with ten American veterans of the fabled conflict—and with former adversaries—the authors explore how the war changed them all, as well as their two countries.
We Are Soldiers Still is an emotional journey back to hallowed ground, putting a human face on warfare as the authors reflect on war’s devastating cost.
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Tagged with: Back • Battlefields • Journey • Soldiers • Still • Vietnam
Filed under: Book
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Joe Galloway is a preeminent war correspondent, writer and reporter. He and Lt. Gen. Harold Moore, USA (Ret.) one of the ground commanders Galloway followed during the Vietnam War, have written another excellent book about the war and its soldiers. This book should be in everyone’s library.
Rating: 5 / 5
AN EXCELLENT READ FOR A VIETNAM VET LIKE I AM, OR A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO GIVE INSIGHT ON WHAT WAR IS REALLY LIKE – ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BULLETS – JUST HUMANS TRYING TO KILL HUMANS FOR FAT POLITICIANS WAVING FLAGS AND MAKING MONEY – ON BOTH SIDES. LBJ AND UNCLE HO WERE ALL CROOKS. 58,000 AMERICANS DIED FOR OUR CROOK. OVER 2 MILLION VIETNAMESE KIDS DIED FOR THEIR CROOK. AND THE BANK PLAYS ON TODAY. NEW WAR. NEW CROOKS.
Rating: 5 / 5
I was a member of the original cast of their first book. Today we are met in Franklin, Tennessee, to remember the 17th November of ‘65, the happy few who made it out of Albany, the second part of the Ia Drang Valley battle that Randall Wallace would not film about. I’m sure that this book will be as good as the one I had the great honor though maybe not the pleasure of participating in its making. I only heard that it was finally out in print today and as many of those of us who are here gathered rushed to acquire an early copy. When I have read it, I shall send a sequel review and though I’ll have to wait til my return home to peruse it, I highly recommend it, cite unseen.
Rating: 5 / 5
On November 13th 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley an American battalion of only 450 men engaged three regiments of North Vietnamese soldiers in the first major battle between American and Vietnamese forces. The Americans were outnumbered by TWELVE-TO-ONE! “Over the next four days and nights 234 American soldiers perished in desperate hand-to-hand combat along with THOUSANDS of attacking North Vietnamese troops.” This battle was “the bloodiest of the entire Viet Nam War.” The co-author’s Lieutenant General (Ret) Moore who was a Lieutenant Colonel at the time and Joseph Galloway a reporter at the time (and by force of necessity and courage, became a soldier during that battle) were also the author’s of the now infamous book “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young”, which was also made into a big name Hollywood movie. The basis of this follow up book… was to have some of the remaining survivor’s from the American side… not only go back to the actual physical battlefield where the ghosts and souls of their fallen comrades remain… but to meet face to face their counterparts from the North Vietnamese Army.
Completing this story to the satisfaction of the author’s, entailed multiple trips back to Vietnam, and the overcoming of multiple hurdles made of red tape. There were many gut-wrenching situations that included tears and overcoming deeply engrained biases, that festered for four decades. It is amazing the mutual respect that was shown between the two countries commanders… and the eventual friendship… between two men… whose only goal in 1965 was to kill each other… and kill everybody associated with them. There were many lessons learned… that were learned too late to save thousands of lives. As a Vietnam era veteran myself… what was rewarding for me… as well… I believe… as for the loved ones of all the departed… was the utmost respect each commander had, not only for the bravery and courage of their own troops… but that each held the same opinion of the opposing soldiers. Both men stated in their own words, that after post battle intel was discussed… both commanders collaborated, that so many of the dead from both sides… were literally intertwined… so fierce was the “HAND-TO-HAND-COMBAT”.
There are very detailed and interesting historical discussions regarding the Battle of Dien Bien Phu where the French were defeated by the Vietnamese in 1954. Vietnamese Senior General Giap said: “that he simply didn’t understand why the Americans had not carefully studied the French war in Vietnam and the Battle Of Dien Bien Phu, particularly since, by the end, the United States was financing more than 70 per cent of the cost of the French military actions and providing much of the equipment and ammunition in that war. He told us if we Americans had studied what happened to the French surely we would never have come halfway around the world to take their place in Vietnam and pursue a long bloody war that ended just as badly for us as it had for the French.”
On November 8, 2003 at one of the annual Ia Drang reunions in Washington, D.C. one of the survivor’s Jack Smith gave a speech:
“AT ONE POINT IN THE AWFUL AFTERNOON AT ALBANY AS MY BATTALION WAS BEING CUT TO PIECES, A SMALL GROUP OF ENEMY CAME UPON ME AND THINKING I HAD BEEN KILLED (I WAS COVERED IN OTHER PEOPLE’S BLOOD), PROCEEDED TO USE ME AS A SANDBAG FOR THEIR MACHINE GUN, I PRETENDED TO BE DEAD. I REMEMBER THAT THE GUNNER HAD BONY KNEES THAT PRESSED AGAINST MY SIDE. HE DIDN’T DISCOVER THAT I WAS ALIVE BECAUSE HE WAS TREMBLING MORE THAN I WAS. HE WAS, LIKE ME, JUST A TEENAGER.
THE GUNNER BEGAN FIRING INTO THE REMNANTS OF MY COMPANY. MY BUDDIES BEGAN FIRING BACK WITH RIFLE GRENADES-M79′S TO THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW ABOUT THEM. I REMEMBER THINKING: OH MY G-D, IF I STAND UP THE NORTH VIETNAMESE WILL KILL ME, AND IF I STAY LYING DOWN MY BUDDIES WILL GET ME. BEFORE I WENT COMPLETELY MAD, A VOLLEY OF GRENADES EXPLODED ON TOP OF ME, KILLING THE ENEMY BOY AND INJURING ME. IT WENT ON LIKE THIS ALL DAY AND MUCH OF THE NIGHT. I WAS WOUNDED TWICE AND THOUGHT MYSELF DEAD. MY COMPANY SUFFERED NINETY-THREE PERCENT CASUALTIES… NINETY-THREE PERCENT!”
To undertake this trip… to not only go back to the battlefield your friends were killed on… as you killed the enemy… to keep from being killed yourself… but to meet and befriend that same enemy… I can tell you from first-hand experience… that takes a unique-different individual… and not everyone on this earth who’s been through war… could come to grips with that. I know I still have too much inside of me… in hidden… and un-hidden chambers… of my very soul… to want to take such a journey. G-d bless America… and an extra blessing deservedly goes to all of us who have served.
Rating: 4 / 5
Written as a sequel to “We Were Soldiers Once..and Young” this book is far more that that.
Offering a historical perspective on Vietnam’s struggle for autonomy, it blames politicians for failing to learn key lessons from the defeat of French forces at Dien Bien Phu.
The book also is filled with sage advice from one who deeply loves his country. The chapter on Leadership should be required reading for any individual or organization in a position of responsibility.
The storyline is a heart-felt personal journey of General Moore as he once again leads key members (both American and former NVA) of that horrible 1965 battle to find peace and even brotherhood.
Many thanks to Joe Galloway and Gen. Harold Moore for their service to America in 1965, and for writing these two inspiring books.
Rating: 5 / 5