Crack Done Took Apart

Hal Moore's We Were Soldiers Once, And Young We Were Soldiers Once, And We Were Young, is an extremely authentic narration of one of the most critical battles in the Vietnam War: the battle of the Ira Drang Valley. It is largely written as a first hand account of General Hal Moore, and was co-authored by Joe Galloway, a reporter who happened to be stationed at the battle for most of its tenure which lasted from November 14 through November 18 of 1965.

This battle was so critical to the Vietnam War because it marked the first time the U.S. had engaged the People's Army of Vietnam, and the first time the former had taken military action in this affair since peace was declared in the Korean War in the early 1950s. The book provides salient points of insight into the fate of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment at LZ X-Ray which was led by Moore.

The general (who was the leader of the aforementioned phalanx at the time as a Colonel) discusses some of the preparation that he and his men endured in the months leading up to the battle (1), including the pivotal moment in which approximately 100 of his best soldiers were taken from him prior to the battle due to protocol. It provides in-depth analysis of the now legendary battle from both a tactical and emotional standpoint.

The second half of the book is devoted to Moore's recounting of the fate of the 2nd Battalion, which made a grievous tactical error and paid dearly for it. The author also devotes a fair amount of time to recounting his visits to some of the many families of the multitude of soldiers he lost during this martial encounter.

In this respect, the book is able to depict the full story of war from its frenzied battlefield drama to the reality of the inevitable deaths and casualties that it produces Analysis As with most chronicles of war, the point of this particular work is not found in the individual detailed accountings of various firefights, skirmishes, and brushes with death. The summary section of this work indicates that there is a lot to be learned regarding military tactics and the prowess of both partisans in this regard.

Yet as the narrative unfolds page by page, it becomes clear that there are two predominant themes that are integrally interrelated. The first of these is that this book is unequivocally about leadership -- specifically that of Moore under less than desirable circumstances. The second of these is the fact that this story is ultimately about the relationship of this leader to his followers, those he directly led and those whose families he encounters after their deaths.

Viewed from this perspective, almost everything included in this particular manuscript buttresses both of these points. For instance, Moore is the principle narrator for the duration of the book, guiding the reader through a bevy of situations -- both harrowing and heartfelt. There are several facets of the book that are included, seemingly, merely to identify the character of this soldier and his relationship with his men.

To that end, there are details of Moore spending hours with the families of slain soldiers, crying in front of the remains of his unit at the conclusion of the battle, and utilizing various tactical procedures that met with varying degrees of success. Since both Moore and his co-writer were both present on the majority of these occasions (many of which took place in Vietnam) this sort of first-hand evidence is invaluable to chronicling the battle and its overall impact on the participants.

Still, the book is singularly worthy of applause for its utilization of additional first hand sources, the vast majority of which are comprised of interviews from participants in the battle. The reader gets as acquainted with Moore's men and his adversaries through the incorporation of additional first hand narratives. These narratives provide a detailed view of this battle from both sides, and are essentially all any reader could hope to get from the battle without having actually participated in it.

The respect shown to some of the Vietnamese leaders helps to underscore the fact that this book is truly about leadership and the sort of bonds that exist between leaders and their followers, those of many varieties. If there are any weaknesses with the evidence utilized and with the book itself, it may be what functions as an over reliance, sometimes, on Moore's.