Vietnam War Classic: We Were Soldiers Once…And Young

I just had the opportunity to interview Medal of Honor recipient Colonel Walter Joseph Marm, Jr., U.S. Army (Retired) for my Voices To Veterans series. That interview inspired me to learn more about the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam where then-Second Lieutenant Marm earned our nation’s highest honor. The book is an eye-opening account of the first major battle between U.S. forces and North Vietnamese Army regulars–a battle that foreshadows the long and bloody war to come. The book skillfully uses the insight of the authors, then-Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore and reporter Joe Galloway, both of whom participated in the engagement, as well as numerous firsthand accounts from U.S. and North Vietnamese soldiers, to describe the utter horrors of war. It also clearly portrays what an incredible leader Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore was. This book should join the likes of All Quiet on the Western front as required reading for anyone contemplating committing U.S. sons and daughters to combat. It should also take its place on every Vietnam War library shelf alongside Stanley Karnow’s Vietnam – A History. I highly recommend We Were Soldiers Once…And Young.