The movie that i selected for my critique is called we were soldiers, a movie set in november of 1965, during the vietnam conflict. We were soldiers, a film produced in 2002, takes place in 1965 beginning in fort benning, georgia, following the family of lieutenant colonel hal moore, played by mel gibson. Marine corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless. The new york times bestseller, hailed as a powerful and epic story. We were soldiers deleted scene the wounded 2002 mel gibson war movie hd duration. The unit gets ambushed by north vietnamese army forces who kill the commanding officers and the unit is overrun. It details the insertion of the air cavalry hueys into vietnam in 1967 its the book that the movie, we were soldiers was written from and its a first hand account by a man that wa actually there. Within an hour after arriving at lz xray, 450 american and 2,000 north vietnamese soldiers were fiercely engaged in battle. Ia drangthe battle that changed the war in vietnam by moore, harold g. Introduction in november 1965, the 7th cavalry regiment of the u. Hal moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing each year, the commandant of the u. Hal moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small. We were soldiers is a 2002 american war film directed by randall wallace and starring mel gibson.
In november 1965, some 450 men of the 1st battalion, 7th cavalry, under the command of lt. The book as well as the film were created in order to pay tribute to those who fought and those who died in this gruesome and devastating battle. Thus the film does not offer information not known earlier about this war. Mel gibson is a star in this movie that is directed by randall wallace. In november 1965, some 450 men of the first battalion, seventh cavalry, under the command of. Nov 11, 2017 we were soldiers opens with a brisk, unsparing prelude a massacre of french forces in the very same valley, 11 years earlier. Galloway the random house publishing group, 1992 steve heiser u.
Silver streets by drop to zero, another great local band from kent. Galloway immediately repurposed his coffee water for shaving. During midnovember 1965, moore then a lieutenant colonel led 450 officers and men from the us armys 1st cavalry division into the ia drang valley, a trackless waste near vietnams border with cambodia that served as a communist sanctuary and infiltration route into vietnams central highlands. Jun, 2003 fiction we were soldiers once and young xray part. The story of the first major battle of the american phase of the vietnam war, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the good news or the bad news. We were soldiers 59 movie clip arriving in north vietnam. We get to know an nva soldier who keeps a diary and writes down all his sensitive thoughts and stuff, just before he dashes off like a maniac into battle against the americans. Almost as soon as they arrived, american forces were engaged in a series of. Then we re off to fort benning, georgia a decade later, where colonel moore and his grizzled old sergeantmajor, basil plumley sam elliott, are training youngsters for a new kind of cavalry.
Written for the screen and directed by randall wallace produced by bruce davey, mel gibson, and randall wallace. We all shave in my outfit reporters included, he snapped. To honor fallen comrades, a journalist and a soldier return to vietnam battlefields more than 30 years later. Marine corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all marines. May 08, 2014 we were soldiers deleted scene back from battle 2002 mel gibson war movie hd duration. Based on a memoir, the story follows the armys 7th cavalry as they engage in the first major conflict. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 north vietnamese soldiers. We were soldiers too, is a series of books recognizing those veterans. We were soldiers very accurately follows history in terms of the characters.
We were soldiers once contains a wonderful summary of this british leaders influence on the battle and the people around him, but ill leave you to discover this and give a more general comment. The commandants choice for 1993 was we were soldiers once. Hal moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the ia drang valley. Hal moore, army general in we were soldiers, crested. Moore was asked to develop the air cavalry, a system for using helicopters in combat. With mel gibson, madeleine stowe, greg kinnear, sam elliott. Aug 19, 2008 to honor fallen comrades, a journalist and a soldier return to vietnam battlefields more than 30 years later. According to research, he, along with his copilot major ed freeman, was credited with evacuating about 70 wounded soldiers from the battlefield during a coarse of 14 flights from 6. Almost as soon as they arrived, american forces were engaged in a series of constant contact. We were soldiers is very different from other vietnam movies because does not address the political aspects of the war.
He led the americans into their first major engagement in viet nam. Galloway and moore wrote a second book, we are soldiers still, which he said grew out of a journey back to the battlefields of vietnam 25 years later. It would be many hours before the battalions were at full strength and the battle would last for several days. Together, these actions at the landing zones xray and albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of the vietnam war. This means that the movie has no agenda and neither does it addresses why the soldiers are in vietnam. We were soldiers too cold war book series home facebook. Oct 20, 1991 the commandants choice for 1993 was we were soldiers once. After we were soldiers was released, some claimed that it was a waste to make a film about a war that simply was a waste of lives.
Then, nguyen huu an orders the execution of all surviving french soldiers to discourage any further french involvement. Learn more about the soldiers that served the united states and how they helped us avoid nuclear warfare. On the verge of world war 3 and nuclear war, we were soldiers too is about the difficult job of serving in the infantry during a very critical time of the cold war. In november 1965, some 450 men of the first battalion, seventh cavalry, under the command of lt. Fighting in sweltering heat, and greatly outnumbered, u. Three days later, only two and a half miles away, a sister battalion was brutally slaughtered. Acclaimed for its vivid, poignant, and honest recreation of sixteen brutal months of nearly continuous battle in the deadly hindu kesh, outlaw platoon is a band of brothers or we were soldiers once and young for the early 21st centuryan actionpacked, highly emotional true story of enormous sacrifice and bravery.
As a result of this book, in 2002, a we were soldiers, the movie was and the story was retold to a greater audience grossing over us 144 million worldwide. Ia drangthe battle that changed the war in vietnam, 1992, moore, the battalion commander. We were soldiers is based on the book we were soldiers once. According to hal moore, we were soldiers is the only movie to get it right. Gen hal moore, the battle in the ia drang valley, and the hardships that the americans went through in an exciting dramatization. An assignment that likely would have been at ground zero of a nuclear war. We were soldiers once and young is a tribute to the nobility of those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another. Hal moore, an army lieutenant general whose leadership in one of the earliest and bloodiest battles of the vietnam war saved scores of lives and was memorialized in the book. We were soldiers too, is a series of books recognizing those veterans who served during the cold war. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in u. Then came the 2002 movie, we were soldiers, starring mel gibson.
We were soldiers is a powerful and gritty war film from writerdirector randall wallace. The real story of mel gibsons we were soldiers, the battle. The preceding three of the main characters are very accurate representations of the actual soldiers in the battle. Ia drang the battle that changed the war in vietnam harold g. Throughout the history of the united states, women have always played an important part in the military, particularly during times of war.
We were soldiers music video drop to zero duration. Galloway, it dramatizes the battle of ia drang on november 14, 1965. Ia drangthe battle that changed the war in vietnam, 1992, moore, the battalion commander, and galloway, the only. We were soldiers once contains a wonderful summary of this british leaders influence on the. These two also worked together on another movie, which would prove to be a good example of leadership practices, called braveheart. Fabarication applies particulary to a false but carefully invented statement or a series of statements, in which some truth is sometimes interwoven, the whole usually intended to deceive. It comprised two main engagements, centered on two previously scouted helicopter landing zones lzs, known as lz xray and lz.
We were soldiers starts out with a french unit on patrol during the final year of the first indochina war in the year 1954. Isbn 9780394530284, a book which includes accounts by multiple soldiers who recounted the battle of ia drang television edit vietnam in hd nov. Moore retired and upi reporter joe galloway played in the film by barry pepper. Other times, we were soldiers takes a lesson from the touchyfeeley world war ii saga thin red line and lets us learn about the humanity of the enemy. We were soldiers opens with a brisk, unsparing prelude a massacre of french forces in the very same valley, 11 years earlier. Army and the nva in ia drang valley we were soldiers onceand young. Viewers learn about moore as a family man at the beginning of the film before moving to the ia drang valley in vietnam just a short while after the familys move to the fort. Following publication of their bestselling account of 1965s horrific clash between the u.
Soldiers once is a no description barred story of two battles between the usa and north vietnamese. A friend sent me a veterans report on the 10th anniversary of 911 focusing on the role that rescoria played in saving all but 6 of 2700 staff under his hse care you can see his youthful picture on the front of version of the book carrying the m16. Plot summary for we were soldiers we were soldiers. Moore, a devout catholic who is as devoted a commander as he is a father. Feb 24, 2012 we were soldiers is based on the book we were soldiers once. The real story of mel gibsons we were soldiers, the. The second author, joe galloway, was a upi the book opens with five pages listing those killed in the pleiku campaign in october and november 1965 when the war in. Together, these actions at the landing zones xray and albany constituted one of the most savage and significant battles of. Based on the book we were soldiers once and young 1992 by lieutenant general ret. Harold moore, were dropped into a small clearing in the ia drang valley. Reviews of the book versus movie illustrated some differences and although there was some artistic license taken when creating the movie, many vietnam veterans claimed that they got it. The lzs were about 30 minutes round trip from the base, and the 16 huey helicopters could only transport about 12 men each at once.
The lead author, hal moore, was a lieutenant colonel in the 1st calvary division, one of the units at the front of the battle about which we were soldiers once and young is written. A great follow up to their book we were soldiers once. We were soldiers hangs on to the less problematic figures of the war movie the concerned commander, the tough, loveable sergeantmajor, the dedicated subaltern. We were soldiers deleted scene back from battle 2002 mel gibson war movie hd duration. The battle of ia drang was the first major battle between the united states army and the peoples army of vietnam pavn, also referred to as the north vietnamese army nva, and was part of the pleiku campaign conducted early in the vietnam war.
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