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I was just beginning helicopter pilot training at Ft. Wolters, TX when this battle was raging. Ended up in the same AO (Pleiku) a little over a year later with the 4th ID as a slick driver. The 1st Cav, by that time, had moved most of their operations to the east of An Khe. By the time the NVA had gotten my cherry in the western end of the Ia Drang in Feb/Mar 67, any institutional knowledge of the 65 battle had vanished for the average soldier (me).

I saw the movie the day it opened. Liked it. However, just as anyone is critical of things they know about, I am critical of how helicopter operations were portrayed in "Soldiers." First of all, Hueys didn't sneak up on anyone. Second, gunships didn't hover around a hot landing zone firing their weaponry. They made gun runs with one aircraft covering the other on the break. However, they had to put a 3-day battle into a 2-hour movie and all are forgiven. Joe Galloway and LTG Hal Moore are still two of my heroes.

I was just beginning helicopter pilot

The most profound passage in the book for me was where one of the Helo pilots said:

"The unit was not going to fail its mission cause of support he didn't provide."

I've made that my philosopy. And hope a REMF like me can help.

NEVER FORGET

...It was the constant Artillery -WALL OF FIRE- encircling Landing Zone X-Ray fired from our Landing Zone Falcon that protected our SkyTroopers during the massive NVA Assaults on them ..especially during the last NVA Assault ..coupled with Huey and Tactical AirStrikes throughout that helped Save the Day (days) for us.

...Greg Kinnear's Helicopter Commander BRUCE CRANDALL kept flying in under heavy NVA fire to keep our 7th Cavalry SkyTroopers resupplied with crucial Ammo/Water/Food and taking out our wounded and dead when Medi-Vac Hueys wouldn't come near. CRANDALL's Wingman BILL "Too Tall" FREEMAN received his Congressional Medal of Honor from President BUSH last year.

...BRUCE CRANDALL's own MOH Papers have been "Misplaced" since between Washington State's former Senator (R) who lost in Year 2000 and new Sen. CANTWELL (D) and we are pushing folks to find them.

...Another Helicopter Commander PAUL P. WINKEL,Jr deserves his own Congressional Medal of Honor as well ...since our guys survived the initial Day/Night of Battle against impossible odds because of constant re-supply by air under heavy enemy fire just yards away.

NEVER FORGET