We were Soldiers starts today, Im going.

Here is some background on the story:

Xray Day 1, 14 Nov 1965

Lead elements of the under strength 450 man 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry air assault into a small clearing in scrub jungle below the 2300 foot Chu Pong Massif. Within an hour, a fierce battle is underway between the American Air Cav troopers and the aggressive 9th Bn of the 66th Regiment of the Peoples Army of Vietnam - North Vietnamese Regulars. The American Commander, Lt. Col Moore, fighting on the ground with his men, is faced with three on-going tasks to be accomplished simultaneously:

Shuttle in the rest of his men from 14 miles to the rear on 16 Huey helicopters
Holding onto the clearing so that the Hueys can land and take off
Carry the fight to the numerically superior force as far into the jungle as possible so as to control the edges of the clearing
It is quickly apparent that the enemy force is determined to overrun and kill every American on the field. The afternoon is consumed in a desperate fire-storm battle for survival in 100 degree heat for Moore and his men as the PAVN commander throws the 7th Bn of the 66th and a composite battalion of the 33rd Regt in a furious attack against the 7th Cavalry left flank and center. In the action, a 29 man Cavalry platoon is surrounded by 200 enemy. Employing massive air and artillery fire support, the disciplined Cavalrymen hold onto the landing zone clearing against 7-1 odds and cause the PAVN units to fall back and break contact by late afternoon. During the action, brave Huey pilots land their choppers under fire during the action to bring in ammo and water and carry out wounded. A reinforcing Cavalry company flies in just before dark.

During the fighting that day, the 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry is reduced to approximately 340 officers and men; none missing. PAVN casualties are much higher due to awesome American fire support; six enemy are captured and evacuated.

Next: X-Ray Day 2


X-Ray. Day 2, 15 Nov 1965

Before dawn, Moore orders his company commanders to meet him prior to an attack to rescue the still cut-off platoon. Before this meeting takes place, the PAVN launch a heavy attack which shatters the early-morning stillness like a huge explosion. The attack is carried out by the 7th Bn, 66th Regiment and the H-15 Main Force Viet Cong Bn.

C Company of the Cavalry Battalion bears the brunt of the assault and is soon involved in hand to hand combat. The right portion of D/1/7 is also struck. The code word "Broken Arrow" is sent out over the radio by the Battalion Forward Air Controller. Within minutes, all available fighter bombers in South Vietnam are headed for X-ray to render close air support to "an American unit in grave danger of being overrun". A 3 hour battle that features non-stop 105mm artillery, aerial rockets, and determined American Infantrymen, results in Charlie Company holding it's ground in a stunning display of personal courage and unit discipline. But it pays a terrible price - no officers left and only 49 men unhurt. 42 officers and men killed; 20 wounded. Scores of slain North Vietnamese and their weapons litter the bloody battleground.


"An as their firin' dies away, the 'usky wisper runs, from lips that 'aven't drunk all day: The guns! Thank Gawd, the guns!"
- Rudyard Kipling

At noon, the 2nd Bn, 5th Cavalry marches into X-ray from a landing zone 2 miles east. Joining with the 7th Cavalry parent company of the cut-off platoon, it continues out unopposed, rescues it, and brings it back with all wounded and dead. Of the 29 man platoon, 9 killed and 13 wounded. When reached, the platoon, which had lost its Platoon leader, Platoon Sgt, and one Squad leader killed, had ammo left to fight with under the leadership of a 3 stripe "Buck Sergeant" Squad Leader.

C Co 1/7 Cav survivors are replaced on line by the fresh B Co 2nd Bn, 7th Cavalry. The battalion now forms a strong perimeter and prepares for more action in the night. All American dead and wounded are evacuated.

Xray Day 3, 16 Nov 1965


The PAVN Commander, knows that he had severely weakened and damaged the defenders in the Charlie Co sector the previous morning. What he does not know is that a fresh company - B Co 2nd Bn 7th Cav, had taken over the position after that engagement. That company, unmolested the previous afternoon, had cut fields of fire, dug new foxholes, fired in artillery concentrations, carefully emplaced it's machine guns and piled up ammunition.

The PAVN assaults four separate times beginning at 4:22 AM. The last is at 6:27 AM. They are stopped cold, losing over 200 dead. B Co has 6 wounded. At 9:55 AM, a sweep outward is made which results in more enemy dead and the position secured.

At 10:40 AM, the 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry, having lost 79 men killed and 121 wounded is ordered back to the rear for reorganization. By 3:00 PM, 1/7 CAV had turned over X-ray to the 2nd Bn, 5th Cav and the 2nd Bn, 7th CAV and is flying back to the Camp Holloway airfield at Pleiku City.

At the conclusion of X-ray, the sister battalion of 1/7 CAV, 2/7 CAV, was ordered to march to Landing Zone Albany for extraction from the battle area and to get out of the beaten area for an impending B52 strike. The fight of 2/7 CAV at Albany is the next chapter of the Ia Drang Campaign.
Albany. Day 1, 17 Nov 65

A B-52 strike of 800 500 pound bombs (200 tons) is headed for the near slopes of Chu Pong Mountain above X-Ray early on 17 November scheduled to drop at 11:17 AM. To get out of the danger zone, both Cavalry Battalions are ordered out of X-Ray. 2/5 CAV leads enroute to the Artillery position at LZ Columbus. 2/7 CAV follows with orders to break off shy of Columbus and head for a small clearing 1.5 miles to the Northwest. 2/5 CAV reaches Columbus and goes into position without any problems. The head of the 2/7 CAV column captures two PAVN soldiers at 11:57 AM 100 yards east of Albany.

The battalion column stops while the prisoners are interrogated. The lead Company Commander, A/2/7, puts out observation posts. Weary troopers in the column, after over 50 hours without decent rest or sleep, sit down and take a break. Some light up cigarettes, some remove packs, radios, mortars, etc. Others lie down. Visibility in the 3-5 foot high grass is extremely limited.

Albany. Day 1, 17 Nov 1965


The 2/7 CAV Battalion Command Group and A Co 2/7 CAV reach Albany after interrogating the two PAVN prisoners. All Company Commanders are called forward and begin arriving at the clearing. The column is 550 yards long. C Company and A/1/5 put out flank security. PAVN soldiers of the fresh 8th Bn, 66th Regt (which had not seen action) deploy down the Northeast side of the column. Survivors of the 33rd PAVN Regiment deploy at the head of the 2/7 column.

Albany. Days 1-4, 17 - 20 Nov 1965

At 1:20 PM, PAVN mortar rounds explode in the clearing and down the length of the column of American companies followed by a violent assault which fragments the column into small groups.
When the firing begins, the Cavalrymen drop into the tall 3-5 foot high elephant grass where it is impossible for the soldiers of either side to identify friend or foe except at extremely close range. Within minutes, the situation becomes a wild melee, a shoot-out, with the gunfighters killing not only the enemy but sometimes their friends just a few feet away. When the firing begins, Captain George Forrest, commander of A Co 1/5 CAV (attached to 2/7 CAV), turns on his heels with his 2 radio operators, runs back 500 yards to his company and "circles the wagons". His two radio operators are killed beside him during that run.

For the next two hours, the battle roars. A-1E Skyraiders are brought in dropping napalm and 250 pound bombs which slow down the enemy actions, and the fire slackens. Artillery is brought in. By dark, B Co, 2/7 CAV had landed to reinforce Albany. There is now a small perimeter at Albany and one at the tail of the column. In between are American survivors being hounded and killed throughout the night. Also, in the night, a few isolated Americans escape and evade; trying to make it to the artillery position at Columbus.

OK, satcong, I'm going. Probably this weekend. My anniversary, the wife will love it. I read Blackhawk Down, but haven't got to the movie yet. 60 miles away from a good theater.

Satcong, you, Sir, are a poet! You know it?

I'm going to try and see it tomorrow!

Eric The(Thankful)Hun[>]:)]

Damn Satcong, did you write the script?

I saw it at a special pre-release showing last Tuesday.

An entertaining movie, but quite a few technical glitches (air strikes within 2 seconds of the radio call, C7 uppers on the M16s, etc.).

It has several very emotional moments.  My wife loved watching Mel Gibson (as always), and I really liked Sam Elliot's Sergeant Major character.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

I saw it this afternoon. Excellent movie. Like Blackhawk down, I thought it moved too fast to see any significant errors. The conduct of the reporters at the end made me wish for a VC mortar round right in the middle of them!

I plan on going to see it.  My bro went to a sneak preview and said it was pretty good.

Tried to go this afternoon but it was sold out.  Bought tickets for tomorrow afternoon.  It would be nice to see a movie about Vietnam where the troops were not conveyed as drug crazy idiots.

I heard a movie review about it today on NPR. (I know, I know)

The reviewer basically gave it thumbs down. Why? Because they never told or showed why Americans back home were against the war.

The reviewer was from the LA Times, go figure.

SOF magazine gave it two thumbs up.

I'll see it Sunday.

Don't they ever make movies about Marines anymore? Oh, yeah, I forget, it's the Army that seems to have faux pas'!!!!  >gg<

I just saw it. All I can say is wow. It was an excellent movie. I agree with arbob about the reporters at the end. Bastages.

Highly recommend you all see this movie.

I saw it this afternoon, good flick.

arbob is right about the reporters near the end, most disgusting part of the movie.

Sam Elliot did a great job in his role!

Seems like I remember reading that story in some book . In the one I remember the troops in the cut off Plt . were desperate for water and even opening cans of fruit cocktail just for the juice . I'll have to look for that story
in my collection .

It's a great movie.
good amount of blood & guts, but the wife was okay with it. No worse than Saving Private Ryan.

Great movie!!!  The GF was crying, of course I didn't say anything to her because she would have kicked me arse...

The movie is based on the book,
[i]We Were Soldiers Once -and Young: IA Drang, the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam[/i],
by Lt. General Harold G. Moore (Ret.) (the Lt Col. played by Mel Gibson in the movie)
and Joseph Galloway (the reporter present during the battle in the movie, who played by someone I don't know).

From arbob

I saw it this afternoon. Excellent movie. Like Blackhawk down, I thought it moved too fast to see any significant errors. The conduct of the reporters at the end made me wish for a VC mortar round right in the middle of them!

I like the way that even Galloway (the reporter who hitched a ride & stayed thru the battle) was disgusted by them.  He earned the right to be there by showing up during the fighting & not wimping out & catching the first chopper out, plus actually pitching in to help without the usual "reporter" bit about remaining "objective".

As for Marine movies, we got Full Metal Jacket.  Can anything ever top that Drill Instructor?
other Marine movies;
Sniper-Tom Berringer as a MasterGunny
Heartbreak Ridge-cheesey to say the least
Sands of Iwo Jima-I think John Wayne dodged WWII
A Few Good Men-wow...lawyers, exciting.
can't think of any others-someone should do a movie about Belleau Wood, Khe Sahn or the Pacific capaign.  We haven't had a WWI movie in years.

I just got home from seeing the movie, I highly recommend it.
     Walter

A gut-punch of a movie.  It was excellent.

Saw the movie last night with the wife.  Wife cried.  I even welled up up few times.  Very good, intense movie.  Hard to beleive we only lost 79 the way bullets were flying around.  I'll be adding it to my DVD collection when it comes out.  Go see it.

From what I'm hearing on Cnn, Fox News and Drudge Report, I'm begining to think, That The 101st is about to get into the biggest Airmoble fight, Since the Ia-Drang valley, as we speak!

I planned to see it, but after this post....definately!  I will catch it next weekend.

Typical. Movies must always be presented with the proper context, according to them. [b]Their[/b] context. Wasn't it the same thing with that NY Times guy and 'Blackhawk Down'? It didn't show somalis in a positive light. Provide examples of their decency and humanity, blah-blah-blah. They just can't review something for what it is, there always has to be some deeper meaning.