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We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam | 
 enlarge | Authors: Harold G. Moore, Joseph L. Galloway
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 4828
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 0.9 x 0.7
ISBN: 0061147761
Dewey Decimal Number: 959.704342
EAN: 9780061147760
Publication Date: August 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries—often with surprising results. More than fifteen years since its original publication, the number one New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young is still required reading in all branches of the military. Now Moore and Galloway revisit their relationships with ten American veterans of the battle—men such as Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley and helicopter pilot Bruce "Old Snake" Crandall—as well as Lt. Gen. Nguyen Hu An, who commanded the North Vietnamese Army troops on the other side, and two of his old company commanders. These men and their countries have all changed dramatically since the first head-on collision between the two great armies back in November 1965. Traveling back to the red-dirt battlefields, commanders and veterans from both sides make the long and difficult journey from old enemies to new friends. After a trip in a Russian-made helicopter to the Ia Drang Valley in the Central Highlands, with the Vietnamese pilots using Moore's vintage U.S. Army maps and Galloway's Boy Scout compass to guide them, they reach the hallowed ground where so many died. All the men are astonished at how nature has reclaimed the land once scarred by bullets, napalm, and blood. As darkness falls, the unthinkable happens—the authors and many of their old comrades are stranded overnight, alone, left to confront the ghosts of the departed among the termite hills and creek bed. Moore and Galloway combine gritty and vivid detail with reverence and respect for their comrades. Their ability to capture man's sense of heroism and brotherhood, their love for their men and their former enemies, and their fascination with the history of this enigmatic country make for riveting reading. With sixteen pages of photos, tributes to departed friends and loved ones, and General Moore's reflections on lessons learned throughout his military career, We Are Soldiers Still puts a human face on warfare in a way that will not soon be forgotten.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 wistful and weepy August 21, 2008
30 out of 35 found this review helpful
Hal Moore sums up his interesting life in this short book. It's only partially tied to the 1965 battle in the Ia Drang Valley. Still, he describes moving events in 1993 when he, Joe Galloway, a few veterans and a couple of former North Vietmanese officers meet to reflect, re-live and celebrate sacrifice on both sides. They even hold hands and pray.
The book is more about the important events in Moore's life: how he got to West Point,side-trip to Dien Bien Phu, assignments to Korea, leadership lessons and views on warfare.
One of the problems I had reading the preface is I couldn't figure out who wrote it. I also question why the authors characterize the war as good nationalists driving out the bad foreign invader,namely the United States. Moore seems to say in the end, the good guys won: "...they (the North Vietnamese) were fighting so hard because, like America's own revolutionaries, they had a burning desire to drive foreigners out of their native land...and now that the guns had fallen silent and peace had return to their land they proved to be proud fathers, good husbands, loyal citizens, and, yes, good friends."
My impression was and is the North Vietnamese were fighting to unify the country under an NVA banner. The real losers were not the Americans but the South Vietnamese. After the NVA victory an estimated 100,000 South Vietnamese were executed, others died in reducation camps and at sea. Despite what Moore/Galloway write, I don't think there's any moral equivalency between us and the North Vietnamese on one side, the South Vietnamese on the other.
RB from Michigan November 25, 2008
A very good book about a truly unbelievable story. Much stronger if one reads the first book by these authors, "We were Soldiers Once and Young". To be able to return to a scene of battle and confront the demons of war is a good story, to do it in the company of your enemy is a truly fabulous tale.
Hal Moore is the finest soldier you'll ever read about and Joe Galloway is a gifted story teller and writer. If either man would walk into a room and ask me to join them in a battle I would not hesitate, both are extraordinary men. Read this book! Heck, read both books!
Written with honesty. August 21, 2008
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
I think the title We Are Soldiers Still is most fitting. It is pretty commonly felt by most vets that the experiences of youth while in uniform never really leave us. The old saying "once a Marine" is true for most folks who have served in the military. "Once a sailor", "once a soldier", etc. That Harold Moore, Lt. Gen (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway, a former correspondent chose to write We Are Soldiers Still in the way they did is a tribute to their honesty and integrity that many authors today could learn from.
We Are Soldiers Still is not really about war. Instead it is about old warriors, both American and Vietnamese, finding it within them to put out old fires and bury old hatreds and travel to the site of one of the most intense battles of the entire Vietnam War; a crucible where brave boys on both sides gave all.
In November of 1965 the 1st Battalion of the 7th U. S. Cavalry, about 450 troopers landed in a small clearing in the central highlands near the Cambodian border. In the area were three regiments of the PAVN (Peoples Army of Vietnam); 66th, 32nd, and 33rd. What ensued was a battle to the death that tested the metal of young boys in both armies. In the end the American were the victors. Victory is always a relative thing, however. 305 casualties for the Americans and an estimated 3000 to 5000 for the PAVN.
The battle for the Ia Drang valley was the first head on engagement with regular army troops on both sides. The participants were highly trained and highly motivated. This battle was one of the few times that the North Vietnam Army stood toe to toe with the Americans and slugged it out. No hit and run tactics here. The results were expensive.
Harold Moore, Joe Galloway along with Sgt. Major Plumley, Bruce Crandall, Lt. Gen. Nguyen Hu An and Chu Huy Man, and others make the trip to Landing Zone X-Ray. Old enemies become new friends and the killing ground simply didn't look the same.
For those interested in the war in Vietnam We Are Soldiers Still is moving and insightful and is a must read. As others will point out the world in 2008 is a far different place than it was in 1965 and countries that once fought each other are now trading partners. It is fitting that men who once tried to kill each other should become friends. That's really a strong part of We Are Soldiers Still.
I highly recommend.
Semper Fi
Should be on the Desk of every President, Congressperson, General and Soldier September 18, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a book that I hope will be widely read in the White House, Congress, Pentagon, West Point and Army bases. A very poignant journey for General Moore and journalist Joe Gallagher back to Vietnam and the Ia Drang valley where so many of Hal Moore's boys so bravely fell in battle. Nice that Moore and Gallagher visit the leaders of the opposing army. We too easily forget that those who fell as enemies were also fathers, husbands, sons who had families who mourned them. And that they fought for their own patriotic cause.
I wish this book would be widely read in our halls of power. Perhaps then our leaders would make sure that when we send our military off to war not as a first choice but as a very last choice. As the authors point out "it is far easier to get into a war than it is ever to get out".
I also wish this book would be widely read by the American population and considered before we vote for those we send to lead.
This was certainly a thought-provoking book to read during election season.
I hope we have more military leaders like Hal Moore and more journalists with the bravery and courage to speak the truth like Joe Gallagher.
Poignant Story of War & Rememberance November 7, 2008
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This is a true story of soldiers going back to the scene of an event that shaped their lives, the bloody Battle of the Ia Drang Valley in 1965. Don't expect a war story, but rather a cathartic work of immense value to every politician who ever considered starting a war and anyone who ever fought one. I served with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam as a machine-gunner('66-'67)and think this is the finest nonfiction book written about the war since "We Were Soldiers Once.....and Young" by the same authors.
This is a monumental work, and should be on everyone's reading list whether they're history buffs or not.
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