We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam

Amazon ^ | 7/19/08

[XR7]

In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries—often with surprising results.

More than fifteen years since its original publication, the number one New York Times bestseller, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young is still required reading in all branches of the military. Now Moore and Galloway revisit their relationships with ten American veterans of the battle—men such as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley and helicopter pilot Bruce "Old Snake" Crandall—as well as Lt. Gen. Nguyen Hu An, who commanded the North Vietnamese Army troops on the other side, and two of his old company commanders. These men and their countries have all changed dramatically since the first head-on collision between the two great armies back in November 1965.

Traveling back to the red-dirt battlefields, commanders and veterans from both sides make the long and difficult journey from old enemies to new friends. After a trip in a Russian-made helicopter to the Ia Drang Valley in the Central Highlands, with the Vietnamese pilots using Moore's vintage U.S. Army maps and Galloway's Boy Scout compass to guide them, they reach the hallowed ground where so many died. All the men are astonished at how nature has reclaimed the land once scarred by bullets, napalm, and blood. As darkness falls, the unthinkable happens—the authors and many of their old comrades are stranded overnight, alone, left to confront the ghosts of the departed among the termite hills and creek bed.

Moore and Galloway combine gritty and vivid detail with reverence and respect for their comrades. Their ability to capture man's sense of heroism and brotherhood, their love for their men and their former enemies, and their fascination with the history of this enigmatic country make for riveting reading. With sixteen pages of photos, tributes to departed friends and loved ones, and General Moore's reflections on lessons learned throughout his military career, We Are Soldiers Still puts a human face on warfare in a way that will not soon be forgotten.

[XR7]

Required reading.

[Steely Tom]

Isn’t the author of “We Were Soldiers Once...” a Freeper?

[smoothsailing]

Thought you'd want to see this, brother.

[Dick Bachert]

My prayer at this time is that we are NOT on the verge of repeating the Vietnam experience in the Middle East.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WDrbbtaO0E

To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
to the mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard though the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord

[XR7]

ping

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Isn’t the author of “We Were Soldiers Once...” a Freeper?

You mean Joe Galloway or Gen Hal Moore?

I dunno if he is (do you know, Ronnie?) but I do know that if you e-mail Joe Galloway with an intelligent question he will respond.

[smoothsailing]

THE VIETNAM ERA - ('60s-'70s music)

[Steely Tom]

No, I thought ALOHA RONNIE was the nom de freep of the author.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> No, I thought ALOHA RONNIE was the nom de freep of the author.

Aloha Ronnie was Gen Moore’s radioman. Check out his ABOUT page.

[Steely Tom]

Aloha Ronnie was Gen Moore’s radioman. Check out his ABOUT page.

Thanks for correcting me.

I've looked at Aloha Ronnie's ABOUT page many times; there's a lot there! I missed the answer to my question, though.

[marvlus]

Galloway is a strong critic of the Iraq war and of President Bush. He has weekly opinions that I pretty much ignore in the Sunday paper, since he is such a Bush hater.

[Little Bill]

Ronnie was with S-1 or S-3, I forget, he was not at the Battle, he did deal with the supply and support end of it as I recall.

I have been trying to meet him since he signed on. I was at Camp Zama, coming in country in 12/65, when a lot of Cav guy's we going home.

[XR7]

Galloway is a strong critic of the Iraq war and of President Bush.

Wisdom born of experience?

[Rebelbase]

Nicely done flash animation of the battle of LZ X Ray.
http://www.wtj.com/articles/xray/

[DieHard the Hunter]

> Galloway is a strong critic of the Iraq war and of President Bush. He has weekly opinions that I pretty much ignore in the Sunday paper, since he is such a Bush hater.

Seeing how he lived thru Ia Drang, I reckon that Joe Galloway has earned Respect, irrespective of what he thinks about George Bush and the war in Iraq.

[DieHard the Hunter]

You guys were heroes to my generation. Thankyou for your Service.

[quadrant]

Fantastic book. Its a shame that all BN commanders could not have been as great as Moore. And the movie? I’m no expert but I liked it.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> And the movie? I’m no expert but I liked it.

IMO Sam Elliot stole the show as Basil L Plumley. Unforgettable.

[Little Bill]

I think that Galloway and The Hack, David Hackworth, for that matter, were and are stuck in a 40 year old mind set, Colin Powell is an other example. As an Infantry guy, the ANZAC, Limey, and GI's now are much better than we were, hit YouTube with a critical eye. It isn't that Gi's, Diggers, and Squadies haven't done the job they are paid for it is the Bagless Pols.

[LiteKeeper]

Viet Nam veteran ping