Book Review: We Were Soldiers Once and Young

Lt.Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway, Published by Random House 1992, ISBN 1853105023.

Rarely in military history does an army achieve amazing victory and suffer humiliating defeat in the course of a single battle fought at sites no more than 2 miles apart. This brilliant book details just such an event. It tells of the famous battle conducted by 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at LZ X-Ray and the infamous ordeal suffered by 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry at LZ Albany.

In November of 1965, the 1st battalion, 7th Cavalry held LZ X-Ray against overwhelming odds when the battalion was committed to the Ia Drang Valley campaign and found itself surrounded by the NVA 66th Regiment (7th, 8th and 9th battalions). The resulting three days of fighting (November 14th - 16th) are recounted by Harold (Hal) Moore, the commanding officer of 1/7, and Joe Galloway, a reporter who was present at the LZ X-ray battle.

Their account of the battle is possibly one of the best I have read concerning an historical event of this nature. From the command point of view you are placed inside Moore's head and face all the dilemmas of command and control, almost in real time. Moore struggled with the problems of defending against overwhelming numerical superiority, in unprepared positions. Add to that a stranded platoon, limited intelligence regarding the enemies approach, strength and main axis of attack and insufficient resources to defend the entirety of his perimeter and you get a thorough and enthralling insight into the responsibility of command. You also receive an insight into how intuitive good commanders can be; how they follow a logical train of thought in the process of taking a calculated risk.

From the relatively lofty heights of the battalion commanders perspective of the battle you are also given the terrifying and often poignant view of the common soldier in his shell scrape facing the same problems but without any knowledge of the larger picture. The narrative of this book takes you as close as you really want to be to the real thing. To read about real people who are fighting a desperate battle for survival and which you are witness to from the safety of several decades is a stirring experience. This book puts you, as far as that is possible, on the ground with the troops; you feel their anxieties and fears, admire their heroism and courage and mourn their deaths.

The account of the battle at LZ Albany is also told with the same candor and brevity as that of LZ X-Ray although the narrative is not as clear and concise since neither Moore or Galloway were present. Nonetheless you are again witness to incredible deeds of valor and courage as well as the bitterness of defeat. At LZ Albany on November 17th 1965, the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry was almost decimated by the NVA 8th Battalion, 66th Regiment and the 1st Battalion, 33rd Regiment.

Attacked in the flank whilst in battalion column of march, elements of the battalion (Alpha Company, Charlie Company, Delta Company and HQ Company) were enveloped and almost destroyed piecemeal. An unusual command decision by the Battalion CO (Lt. Col. Robert McDade) which resulted in all the company commanders being absent from their units at the moment of attack undoubtedly contributed significantly to the carnage which followed. In Charlie Company, of the 112 ranks present at the start of the engagement 45 were KIA, 50 WIA and only some 17 ok. In total the battalion lost 155 KIA and had some 124 WIA.

We Were Soldiers Once and Young presents you with the two sides of the coin. On the one hand a battle is fought in which command and control is maintained and exploited and thus contributes to victory despite disadvantages of terrain and numbers, whilst on the other command and control is lost and with it's loss also goes unit cohesion and any chance of victory against a determined enemy. Irrespective of the actual outcomes of these particular engagements this book really does bring home the fact that it is the soldier in the field and the way he is led in battle that ultimately determines the fate of a force rather than it's technical expertise or resources and this is a truism that has applied throughout history.

Read this book! Reviewed by Mike R