Derrik Horman

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Cody Carlson
American Civilization 1700
7 June 2014
Film Review
We Were Soldiers begins as Lt. Col. Harold (Hal) Moore and his family move to Fort Benning
Georgia army base in 1964. His responsibility will be to take command and spearhead the training of
the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry. However, the cavalry is not using the traditional horse or tank, but instead
UH-1D Iroquois helicopters. This is the army's first air cavalry. Between Col. Moore, Sergeant Major
Plumley, Col. Moore's second in command, and pilot Major (Snake) Crandall, the battalion is trained
hard and intensively. Finally, President Johnson gives the order for the airmobile division to increase
the military strength which already exists in Vietnam. Prior to leaving, an assembly is held for the
battalion and Col. Moore delivers a powerful speech. He declares that in his battalion discrimination
does not exist. They will be fighting against a strong and determined enemy and not all will return
alive. Col. Moore also proclaims that he will be the first to step onto the battlefield and the last to step
off and no one, whether dead or alive, will be left behind.
Sunday, November 14, 1965 from the army base Garry Owen in Vietnam, the air cavalry leave
to begin the first conflict between the Americans and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in the Ia
Drang Valley. A bloody and intense three day battle ensues. Sixty soldiers arrive every thrirty minutes
totaling up to 395 battle ready men. Each wave that is dropped off at Landing Zone X-Ray is then
ordered where to add support or secure an area by Col. Moore to create a perimeter. As the battle
progesses and men are injured, the choppers medivac the wounded after each drop off of soldiers. Due
to Col. Moore's strategic knowledge and careful planning, he is able to anticipate every advancement
the NVA deploy. This is how he prevents the Americans from loosing this exhausting battle. Just as
Col. Moore stated in his speech, he was the last to step off the battlefield and no one, dead or alive, was

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left behind.
We Were Soldiers is a descriptive and informative movie regarding the Battle of Ia Drang Valley.
A good example of the historical accuracy in the movie focuses on the incident of the trapped platoon
led by Lt. Henry Herrick during day one of the battle. This platoon became separated and was soon
surrounded by North Vietnamese forces. In the firefight that ensued, Herrick was killed and effective
command devolved to Sergeant Ernie Savage (militaryhisory.about.com). Learning of his platoon's
entrapment, Col. Moore sends out Alpha and Bravo Companies as a rescue effort. As shown in the
movie, both companies were able to advance around 75 yards from the creek bed before enemy fire
brought it to a halt (militaryhisory.about.com). Sgt. Savage and his few remaining men would be
trapped and surrounded by the enemy for the night. Himself and his men literally dug themselves into
the ground camouflaging their bodies as mounds of earth. During the night, the enemy persistantly
probed their lines and conducted three assaults against the lost platoon (militaryhisory.about.com).
Although the movie shows only one of these assaults, Sgt. Savage's men were able to resist each of
these attempts. In the morning, Alpha and Bravo Companies were able to penetrate through the NVA
and come to the aide of the lost platoon and return them to base camp.
Another detailed and accurate incident shown in the movie was the pressure Charlie Company
received by the NVA attempting to advance through the perimeter. This defensive line was beginning to
falter. Heavy air reinforcements were called in to prevent the NVA from progressing any further. The
heavy air support contributed with large enemy losses, however, due to miscommunication between
ground and air a friendly fire incident led to some napalm striking the American lines
(militaryhisory.about.com). An American soldier previously introduced in the movie, Jimmy, was one
of the victims from the friendly fire and the detail used to show the tragic effects from the extensive
burns was gripping. During the ending credits the names of the soldiers who died during the Battle of
Ia Drang Valley is shown, Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama, Rigby Idaho (We Were Soldiers) was one of them.

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Lt. Col. Moore and newly promoted Lt. Col. George Washington (mountvernon.org) both had
a similar style of leadership, each of them would fight side by side with their men. Also, both leaders
lead America into a war. In March of 1754, Col. Washington was delivering a second letter written by
the Royal Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie, to the French at Fort Duquane in the Ohio Valley.
He was given orders to 'act on the the defensive' but also clearly empowered Washington to 'make
Prisoners of or kill & destroy' (mountvernon.org). Shots were fired resulting in a firefight. Col.
Washington did not flee to lead the battle, but fought next to his soldiers and was able to overcome the
French. Thirteen French soldiers were killed and another twenty one were captured. Col. Washington
lead America into the French and Indian War from a minor incident which helped spark a war that
would ultimately spread to places as fas as Europe, Africa, and India (mountvernon.org).
Col. Moore was given similar orders prior to deployment in the Ia Drang Valley, they were
simply to kill the enemy (We Were Soldiers). He was the first to set foot on the battlefield, and
despite being given orders to return to Saigon, he stayed until the battle was finished. Col. Moore had
the same military leadership characteristics as Col. Washington, he fought side by side with his men
and never left them. He lead the three day battle from a small, secured perimeter of a termite mound
under constant fire, not a remote and safe location. Both the Americans and the NVA took heavy losses
from this fight and Col. Moore remained to witness it all. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley, lead by Lt.
Col. Harold (Hal) Moore, was the first land assualt against the North Vietnamese Army which
introduced America into the Vietnam War.