Essay on Book Review We Were Soldiers Once and Young

We Were Soldiers Once... and Young Ia Drang- the battle that changed the War in Vietnam By: Lt. Gen Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway The Random House Publishing Group, 1992 Steve Heiser U.S. History since 1865/4:45W Dr. Luccioni October 24, 2012 I chose this book for my first book review for a few reasons. First, to bring to light and to honor the memory of Command Sergeant Major Basil L. Plumley, who recently passed away on October 10, 2012. He is a true inspiration to be followed; a career U.S. Army Infantry Soldier, a Sergeant Major, and key leader during the Battle of Ia Drang. He fought in every major Airborne Operation of World War II, including Operation Husky, D-Day, and Operation Market Garden. He†¦show more content†¦This battle was the first real test between the NVAs numbers, equipment, and tactics compared to the U.S. Militarys abilities. This ultimately demonstrated how the war would become a war of attrition, where the amount of casualties dealt to both sides would determine the victor. LTC Moore was the commander of the First Battalion of the Seventh Cavalry, that was the first to engage the enemy in a major conflict. The book does an excellent job illustrating his steadfast courage under fi re, and sound use of tactics. Which can be easily argued as one of the key reasons why this engagement is called a battle and not a massacre of U.S. soldiers. Moore constantly anticipated the enemy commanders moves. He concentrated his limited man power, artillery, and air support; exactly where the enemy would attack. As stated before, Joseph Galloway is the co-writer of this book and was the only reporter on the scene during the battle. He literally begged his way onto a helicopter that was doing a return trip to drop off ammunition and other supplies. While there, he not only took some amazing combat photographs, which are illustrated in the book, but also helped tend to the wounded and even picked up a rifle to help hold the line. Moore and Galloway collaborated to write a passionate novel in gripping detail as only people who have witnessed war and their friends dying in front of them could. They have even gone through the trouble of contacting theShow MoreRelatedWe Wer e Soldiers Analysis Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesScott Johnson 04/14/09 HIST. 1700 Term Project Film Analysis/Review WE WERE SOLDIERS It’s a known fact that that the Vietnam War was fought by young American soldiers that bled and died next to one another in the jungles of Vietnam. With many wins and loses throughout the war there were over 58,000 American casualties by wars end. The movie, â€Å"We Were Soldiers† focuses on the role of the United State’s 7th Calvary Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang, which was the first large-unit battleRead MoreThe Guns Of August And All Quiet On The Western Front1633 Words   |  7 Pagesdetriments the â€Å"Great War† would cause. Over a span of four years, millions of soldiers and civilians died. Children lost their parents, and wives, their husbands. So unprecedented was this type of vicious warfare that the countries involved were unprepared for one of the worst wars in history. Two books, The Guns of August and All Quiet on the Western Front address and highlight major themes of World War I. The books offer insight to the political and mi litary strategies of France, England, andRead MoreA Long Way Gone1058 Words   |  5 Pagesonly eight years old. They learned of rap during a visit to Mobimbi, where their fathers worked for an American company. They were transfixed by the music and returned to Mobimbi as often as they could to watch rap on their big television. Ishmael was shocked mostly because the black men could speak English so well and so quickly to the beat (Lisa). Ishmael and his group were inspired by the rap music. Music represented Ishmael’s transformation into the modern world. The entire group is mesmerizedRead MoreThe Things They Carried1417 Words   |  6 PagesSpring Book Review In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien tells the tale of not about war, but rather about war’s effect on one’s mentality. Ultimately, this novel is built on a foundation of the items that the soldiers of the Vietnam War carried. Whether it was the way Jimmy Cross uses the pebble to escape from his duties as a soldier or when Norman Bowker realizes that courage comes form within, not from receiving a Silver Star; O’Brien uses baggage as a symbol throughout the book to teachRead MoreStorm Of Steel : A Western Heritage Review1346 Words   |  6 PagesMiranda Beals Professor Wilson History 106-27 May 6th, 2016 Storm of Steel: A Western Heritage Review In the famous war memoir, Storm of Steel, an extraordinary story is told through the eyes of an ordinary German World War I soldier. Written by German author Ernst Junger, the novel is based on Junger’s sixteen personal journals he kept during his time as as a young World War I soldier. After being edited and revised numerous times, Storm of Steel was published in 1961. Junger’s story begins withRead MoreMovie Review: We Were Soldiers Essay1368 Words   |  6 PagesMovie Review: We Were Soldiers We all like to take a time out and sit down with our loved ones, and watch a heart touching movie every once in a while. What we dont do is actually take time to really focus and understand completely what the point of the movie is or what it is trying to get across to the audience. I was able to take time and sit down, and enjoy and evaluate the movie, We Were Soldiers. I was able to come to the conclusion that it is a very accurate movie, give or take a few factsRead MoreChild Soldiers in Sierra Leone1488 Words   |  6 PagesCinema- Final Paper Professor Rice May 2010 Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone This semester, the topic of Child Soldiers presented a very interesting dilemma that several countries in Africa continue to face today. Sierra Leone, in particular, has struck an interest because of the many films and readings that try to depict this story of the civil war. In class, we have viewed two films representing the problems with child soldiers in Sierra Leone which include films titled Blood Diamond andRead More Yuki Tanakas Japans Comfort Women Essay examples1721 Words   |  7 PagesWomen This paper is a review of the book Japan’s Comfort Women-Sexual slavery and prostitution during WWII and the US occupation by Yuki Tanaka. This book was published in 2002 by Routledge. The book deals with the thousands of Japanese, Korean, Chinese and other Asian and European women who were victims of organized sexual violence and prostitution by means of â€Å"comfort stations† setup by the Japanese military during World War II.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we first get into the book, we find out that the originsRead MoreGoing After Cacciato by Tim OBrien Essay936 Words   |  4 Pageschapter 1, the plot of the entire novel is defined: A very young soldier named Cacciato deserts, intending to walk to Paris by land. As his squad follows under orders to capture him, Paul Berlin begins his fascinating mind-journey of â€Å"going after Cacciato,† of escape from, and later a reexamination of, the reality of war. But what is defined first, in the first two pages to be exact, is this war’s reality and its cost to the young American soldiers involved. These pages list for us those who have diedRead MoreRumor of War Book Review1614 Words   |  7 PagesA Rumor of War Book Review â€Å" ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, see that ye be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet†¦he that shall endure unto the end, he shall be saved† Matthew 24:6 Philip Caputo’s relationship with the Vietnam War is depicted in a disturbingly beautiful way in the memoir â€Å"A Rumor of War.† Throughout the course of the book, approximately 16 months, we observe a young, ambitious boy ready to prove his manhood, in search of adventure