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Summary: A MOVING TRIBUTE.
Comment: Unlike some of my reviews, I plan to keep this one rather short. With the number of reviews here, most of what I would say would be rather redundant. Suffice to say that I have not read a book that touched me more in quite some time now. While I was not there, as I was serving in another area at this time, I did have friends who were; some made it out, others did not. I cannot imagine the horror they went through in the brief time this battle took place and I doubt very much if anyone who was not there could make that claim.
This work is a very personal unit history of one battle during the Viet Nam War. It is a document which covers the first real use of our Air Assault Forces; the first time they were used on this scale against a very well trained and dedicated opponent. This battle took place during the month of November 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley. Between October 23 and November 26, 1965 305 American soldiers were killed in what is know as the Pleiku campaign. There were many, many wounded, both physically and emotionally. The total number of Vietnamese killed and wounded will never be known, but it is felt that it numbered in the thousands.
The book itself is a rather personal book, and as one reviewer has pointed out, it is probably one of the best accounts of small unit combat since The Red Badge of Courage. I not that there has been some criticism that the book spent too much time detailing and naming individuals who participated in this engagement, naming names, home towns, backgrounds and ultimate fate on the battle field. Good grief people, many of these young men are either dead or quite old now. I personally feel that Lt. Gen Moore would have been less than honorable to not have noted as many of these men as he possibly could have. Their names need to be remembered. Moore should be applauded for this and his efforts to tell their stories.
I also note that there is criticism from some of the arm chair soldiers as to tactics, etc. Again, good grief! Under the circumstances I doubt seriously if another group of officers and men could have done any better nor made a better account of themselves. As to those critical of Moore's and Galloway's writing style...again, get real! To be quite frank and blunt, no one really cares about your literary pontifications; they simply are not relevant here, and are sort of pathetic. If you want smooth action, and a flowing story, go see a John Wayne movie or read one of those God Awful Mack Bolan books.
The Viet Nam War was a war that almost split this nation apart. I certainly am not going near that debate in this review. I will say though, that no matter what side of the coin you were on, this is one that all should read. We have young men and women in harms way at this time, and Americans need to know just what some of these young people are going though. In a way, it does not matter who won this battle or who lost. The fact is that many brave men, on both sides, gave their all and they should be remembered and honored. This is by no means an endorsement of war or an attempt to glorify war as only a complete fool would do such, it is though an honorable attempt to honor those that deserve it.
This was a wonderful work on so many levels and I do recommend it be read by all.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
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Summary: This is the real deal
Comment: To check this book out, I went to the lz x-ray website and copied and read the actual after-action report. I am a veteran and this all rings true. This is a books worth reading and discussing among high school students for those who want to know what really happened.
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Summary: Clear, concise and not judgemental
Comment: This book is excellent in writing, very easy to read - even for non native english speaking readers. I'm impressed with the level of detail and how the authors enabled me to understand (at least a fraction of) what they experienced in 1965.
I would recommend this book to anyone who's interested in the Vietnam War, or any war for that matter - especially in respect to the life of a soldier in combat and the lives behind the numbers...
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Summary: Many years prior to this work was another:
Comment: "The 13th Valley" by John Del Vecchio
Among the best novels ever written on the Vietnam War.
Reviews: The 13th Valley
Del Vecchio followed with the equally poignant "Carry Me Home."
Reviews: Carry Me Home
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Summary: An excellent historical account of this battle with commentary included
Comment: After seeing the movie version starring Mel Gibson based on this book, I wanted to read the historical account of the battle. Lt Gen Moore and Joseph Galloway do an excellent job describing the details in sequence of the two phases of the Ia Drang battle in the Viet Nam war (the movie covers the first phase only) including both facts and personal accounts of the battle. Lt Gen Moore's introductory chapter is an excellent commentary about our entry into the war especially concerning the mindset of those who first fought in this first big American battle in Viet Nam. The book presents stories of the individuals who fought in both phases of the battle in their own words, which is a strong point of the book. Lt Gen Moore's descriptions and comments are interspersed with these personal accounts of the battle, and a number of pictures of these individuals are included.
The last part of the book is most excellent. Here, the authors set up the second phase of the battle at LZ Albany and describe it from the viewpoint of those who were involved. The reader can anticipate the assault that follows. I also appreciate the chapter that follows up with the families of those who died in battle concerning how they have dealt with the loss of their loved one since then. It is very moving.
I strongly recommend this book for people who have seen the movie version and want to read what actually happened in this battle. It is also good for students of history (this is an excellent military history) and political science (Lt. Gen. Moore's comments about our involvement in Vietnam are very insightful).
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