WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION

WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | MOVIE REACTION
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[@lw3918]

My father participated in this battle. I tried to get him to watch the movie. He said "don't need to, I was there". My father never really talked about the war. I have a picture of me about 2 years old with his actual "boonie" hat on my head. He's been gone 9 years now. I miss him a lot 😪

[@frank5891]

Your father was a hero. The world will always be thankful for his service. Americans keep the world free of evil men and that must keep being like that.

[@lw3918]

@@frank5891 His dad was one Normandy Beach that fateful morning also. I fact my father's side of the family has fought in every major conflict dating back to the Revolutionary War.

[@JakeM794]

@@lw3918 You have an incredibly long line of courageous warriors in your family. I can only imagine the pride you must feel.

[@lw3918]

@@JakeM794 I do. I've also seen my fair share. But what they faced was far worse due to the lack of technology. They're the true heroes.

[@ds--pu1tv]

My grandfather was in Vietnam as well, drafted at 18 years old he hardly ever spoke of the things he had to go through over there, being very young there was so much i wanted to ask him about it but deep down i knew that was a subject better left alone so i never questioned him on it the few things i do know about his experience were absolutely terrifying and unimaginable hell i wouldn't be here on this earth if it wasn't for someones sacrifice to save his life over there, i respect all veterans but Vietnam/WW2 vets have a special place in my heart respect to you and your father and thank you for your father's service.

[@armynurseboy]

One of the company commanders in this battle was Rick Rescorla. He was a British immigrant who gained US citizenship and then a commission in the Army. After the war, he became the chief security officer for Morgan Stanly in NYC. He died on 9/11 in the South Tower collapse. He had evacuated all of his company's employees, but went back in to see if he could get more people out. Hero.

[@Heywoodthepeckerwood]

That is a great man. I did not know about him and his life. I’ll look him up and learn his story.

[@samuel10125]

One thing I love about this movie is how they portray the enemy not as an incompetent, over exaggerated stereotype but as a well disciplined, smart and motivated.

[@skibiditoiletthingamabobber]

Yea that's what I love about Vietnam movies especially "Danger Close" they portray the NVA as a smart, organized, and motivated enemy force that are well trained, well equipped, and use the terrain they know very well to their advantage

[@michaelparks5669]

Mr Charles was no joke.

[@Pedrogog]

It's still a pretty shit movie though. Just an american propagandha.

[@michaelparks5669]

@@Pedrogog screw you.....

[@michaelparks5669]

@@Pedrogog IT IS A BRILLIANT MOVIE. LEAVE THE US .....

[@Manolo0528]

The two helicopter pilots, Bruce “Snakesh*t” Crandall & Ed “Too Tall” Freeman, each received the Distinguished Flying Cross for their actions in this battle. The DFC is 2nd only to the Medal of Honor. After this movie came out their medals were upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

[@travisbaird5108]

They raised them uo to a medal of honor recently

[@armynurseboy]

DFC is not 2nd only to the MoH. That would be the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC).

[@Manolo0528]

@@armynurseboy You’re right. I thought DFC was an equivalent of DSM but as it turns out there are several medals between DFC & MoH.

[@jonathanwelsh9103]

“You tell them how my troopers died” That line hits me every time.

[@chuckhilleshiem6596]

I am a combat veteran ( Vietnam ) you can not possibly know the good you have just done. Thank you for this and God bless you both

[@mark-be9mq]

Thank you and God Bless and Keep you.

[@charleswoolley8367]

As a military vet, it pains me when I think of those who returned, and how they were treated. Unlike the WWII vets, we didn't "win" in Vietnam. So you didn't hear of Welcome Home parades, jobs for the returning soldiers, etc. My hope is that, over time, they have received their recognition. Thank You for reviewing this.

[@chuckhilleshiem6596]

@@charleswoolley8367 Thanks for your thoughts . I'm glad your home safe and I hope all is well with you. Welcome home my brother

[@mattyjay1711]

The beginning isn't basic training or boot camp. The training that they were doing was a work-up for deployment which is the training you do to prepare for the upcoming deployment. The housing you saw was on base housing. Officers will get better housing than the enlisted. If you were enlisted, your gonna be in the barracks with all the other dudes. Their is a reason why a lot of young guys get married real quick when they get out of basic, money and to get out of the barracks. And unfortunately, a lot of those marriages end up failing. As far as the logistics and paperwork goes, like your will, not sure how it was done back in the day, but in my experience, they would make sure all your paperwork is done, they make you go over it again and again and again because if something does happen to you, your information needs to be on point, because they need to notify next of kin and if that information is wrong, they are going to have a hard time getting hold of your NOK.

[@mike09271974]

It takes a special kind of woman to put up with all the stresses of military life. If she can make it through it, she can handle anything. I was fortunate. Now I can't get rid of her... JK!!! She's awesome still after 21 years of service and 28 years of marriage.

[@yadarehey1130]

The scene where Joe Galloway carried Jimmy to the medivac chopper. The irl Joe said that was his nightmare. Or as the movie put it, “those who have seen war, never stop hearing the screams.”

[@raffiliberty5722]

Btw here's a cool story: My dad was a medic in he 101st airborne form 69-70 (yes same 101st in Band of Brothers). He did two deployments. One time they were dropped off in the Ashua Valley dong their typical recon and destroy missions when they got to a clearing and decided to rest up in at the edge still concealed. All of a sudden a new soldier who was attached with them began to dig FURIOUSLY for no reason. All this hardened vets looked at each other puzzled and they asked the guy "what are you doing"? to which he replied, "I was in the Ia Drang Valley!!" and he kept on digging. That battle you just saw in the movie was one of the largest engagements in a pitched battles of the whole war. There was too much firepower for the enemy to concentrate a division. Although the casualties were considered high for the US they considered it a success and it convinced war planners that this war can be won. Engagements never really happened like that afterwards except a few cases like the siege of "Kai San". The Vietnamese were not willing to lose and would throw as many men into the battle as they could. That's also why casualty figures do not dictate the outcome. Excellent reaction. My dad said that "Hamburger Hill" is the most accurate of all Vietnam films although "Platoon" gets most of the recognition. Enjoy and WATCH BRAVEHEART AND THE PATRIOT!!!!!

[@Mozdk1]

Braveheart is a much watch. This movie is brutal and realistic.

[@karlmoles6530]

My father was a Sergeant in Regimental Combat Team 31 in Korea, part of Task Force Faith. They were attacked by mass waves of Chinese soldiers at the Chosin reservoir. They were ultimately cut off and destroyed, they took 70% casualties. My father was one of the few who escaped at the end.

[@wesdog8975]

My Father was also at the Chosin. His Army Combat Engineer unit was building an airfield there at the time of Battle. On their tactical withdrawal towards Hungnam, the engineers had to build bridges to get across steep ravines and then destroy them so the Chinese could not use them.

[@karlmoles6530]

@@wesdog8975 All great respect and admiration to your father.

[@sandbagger57]

I went to High School with one of the men who died. In Washington at the Vietnam Memorial, I paid my personal respects. I am glad I was able to do that. Seeing his name listed at the end of this movie was an emotional experience.

[@frank5891]

You have to be proud to be able to meet him. They all were heroes.

[@Mellowhype503]

Stop your fucking laughing

[@timp8843]

What was his name?

[@sandbagger57]

@@timp8843 Richard Testa

[@tafarajeke6564]

@@sandbagger57 that's my grandpa

[@mturker100]

I got to meet Col. Moore at a dinner once. I immediately understood why his men would've run through hell and back for him. He was a natural leader, a perfect gentleman, and just a genuinely good man. I wouldn't question a single order he gave me. It was a great experience.

[@alexamerling79]

"If any of you sonsofbitches call me grandpa..." 😂

[@macmcgee5116]

... I'll kill ya."

[@tubbytimmy8287]

The dude is constantly oooOohing in every movie - it's like an air siren 🙉

[@kennethlane7645]

Yeah Broken Arrow back then was basically an emergency call to any and all available Aircraft for a unit that was in danger of being overrun.

[@WaywardVet]

I remember Quick Reaction Force days from my time in Iraq. You could spend all day just napping or watching movies, annoyed at being confined to one room. But if a call comes in, all that pent up frustration comes out and holy hell you don't want to be on the receiving end when the cavalry comes in. Probably a welcome sight to the unit we're relieving but utterly terrifying to anyone else because you just got a whole new platoon just itching to let off some steam. As for mortars and air power... Yeah, you can hear it in their voice over the radio when they're ready to throw down some weight.

[@TommyGlint]

Broken Arrow is official code word for a lost nuke. As I recall, Bent Spear means malfunctioning nuke. There might be others. It is certainly possible the Broken Arrow was used for the Ia Drang operation as code word, agreed upon for that specific ops, but it was never used by FACs as some universially (as in US armed forces) agreed upon code, as shown in the movie. It might be a term used now, thanks to movies and books, but I’ve heard several Vietnam War Forward Air Controllers say they never heard it before they saw Gibsons movie.

[@adamr6794]

@@TommyGlint Well Hal Moore ordered FAC Charlie Hastings to call "Broken Arrow" . Moore specifically states exactly what the term means in 100's of interviews. So I'm going with that

[@danh8804]

Mrs. Moore pretending to be a sleep so her husband would go was chilling and beautiful. As was him ringing the bell and waiting to be invited back to his family at the end. My father (USMC '66-'67) served in a different branch and two years after this but says that - hands down - this is the film that most accurately depicts combat in Vietnam, and it's not even close.

[@thisishowthetruthdies684]

Mel Gibson first came to prominence in a movie called Gallipoli, which is also about war. Like this, it also tries to put a human face to the casualty statistics. After the success of that movie and Mad Max, Hollywood tried to turn Gibson into a romantic lead with films like The Year of Living Dangerously, but he never quite took to it.

[@AbolitionistPrivateer]

The book this movie is from was written by the journalist portrayed in the movie, and the title is: "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young." It was on pretty much every Commander's Reading List when I was in the Army. Another that was on most lists was "The Killer Angels" which was made into the movie "Gettysburg"--which I recommend to y'all.

[@trottheblackdog]

Joe Galloway was a legend. He also ended up running a .30 machine gun in another US base that was attacked, under command of an officer named Charlie Beckwith.. the guy that founded Delta Force.

[@rosshoppus333]

I’ve read the book twice. Wish I would have read the book before I ever saw the movie. But without the movie I wouldn’t have looked up the book. I book everyone should read is “Alone at Dawn” before they make a movie about it that messes it up.

[@adamr6794]

@@trottheblackdog Great story about Galloway getting dropped into Plei Me and being put to work by Beckwith. That's where Galloway got his M-16 prior to the fight at LZ X-Ray. In truth Galloway already knew Moore and Plumley and all Plumley had to do was kick Joe and mock him "you can't take no pictures laying there on the ground, Sonny. ...So Galloway decides well we are probably all going to die here so I'll get mine standing next to this guy (Plumley) With that he won Plumley's respect. Something not so easily earned

[@waltshields5483]

My first "hump" was in the Ia Drang Valley where this happened. I hated that place then and I hate it still. A lot of blood was spilled on that ground. The scene where the French lost 2000 men happened at the Mang Yang Pass. The French dead were buried there facing France.

[@KM-et8wc]

6:58 I do not know if this was already mentioned, but they are not in 'basic training' . Military members and their families typically change posts every 18-24 months (some stay at one place much longer). Combat units are ALWAYS training when not deployed.

[@shannonparker4239]

That wasn't actually the end of that battle of the Ia drang. The Cav did "win" the initial battle, but had to march out instead of being air lifted. The column became separated/broken and took great losses. The book "We were soldiers once...and young" goes into great detail of it.

[@davidmatheny1993]

One of my History professors in college was next door neighbors to Hal Moore(Mel Gibson's character) during his retired years in Auburn,AL.

[@TommyGlint]

After the battle shown in the movie with Col. Moore’s 1st battalion, the 2nd battalion 7th Cav. under colonel McDade walked from LZ X-Ray to another LZ (LZ Albany) 4 km away, and was ambushed on the way. Cut up while strung out in a half mile long marching column, they lost double of what Moore’s 1st batt. did in LZ X-Ray. On another note, the Battle of Ia Drang made the US Army set up a system of 2 men casualty notification teams delivering the sad message to relatives. Before that, it was in fact sadly done by cab delivered telegrams.

[@wezzarogers423]

The Thin Red Line is another great one got a brilliant soundtrack

[@raffiliberty5722]

Also the opening is not basic training. Basic training is usually 9 weeks followed by advanced training for whatever job you chose which can go from 2 months to 2 years even! After that you get stationed at an actual post where you are with a unit of people who also did all your training. The beginning is that. A soldier never stops training. When it came to Vietnam it was all new to them in 1966 so they had to train train train before going downrange. When I was in, we would be training out in the swamps and woods and desert for half the time we weren't deployed.

[@gopnik9967]

yup, it was their deployment workup basically, movie based on an excellent book, and real events.

[@markfoor4137]

A couple of notes....First, This movie was based on a book written by Col. Moore and the photographer Joe Galloway. Joe Galloway won a Pulitzer Prize for the photos that he took during the battle for LZ Bayonet.

[@waterbeauty85]

Col. Moore saying "You will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God. They say we're leaving home. We're going to what home was always supposed to be" reminds me of something said by a combat artist from WW2 in a PBS documentary called "They Drew Fire." WW2 was the first war the U.S. military would cover so extensively with photography, but because the higher ups weren't convinced of photographs' ability to really convey the feeling of war, artists were also sent into combat with troops to sketch events as they happened and later make fully rendered drawings from them with the artists' perceptions and emotions imposed on the images. One of these artists recalled that, the closer you got to the fighting, the more discrimination would evaporate, and the soldiers would all take care of each other with no thought of ethnicity, religion or class. He summed it up saying something along the lines of "It was sort of like heaven. That sounds funny doesn't it? You wouldn't think it would be, but it was."

[@nathanhillman2379]

Since you have been watching a lot of war movies lately I thought I would recommend one of my favorites that always seems to be overlooked. "The Thin Red Line" is a great WW2 movie. It has a great A-list cast and is a beautifully shot movie. I think it's highly underrated which is why I highly recommend it.

[@graphiccreek]

The big red 1 is another great classic

[@frank5891]

It’s a great movie true

[@Locquiao93]

Signs AND Braveheart need to be watched! Both great Mel Gibson movies and both in my all time top 5!

[@mrdarkside4071]

Another underrated movie and lost in time is "The Bounty" with Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Liam Neeson, Daniel Day-Lewis,Bernard Hill..such and ensemble cast..

[@jasonjohns2961]

Joe Galloway was awarded a Bronze Star with "V" Device in 1998. Freeman - MOH awarded in 2001. Crandall MOH awarded in 2007.

[@MichaelPower212]

You might want to consider some other films with Mel Gibson which have a war theme: "Gallipoli" (1981) 7.2 IMBD "Braveheart" (1995) 8.4 "The Patriot" (2000) 7.2.

[@williambranch4283]

Most accurate Vietnam War movie! A British mercenary fighting with the Americans in this battle, he was chief of security for the Twin Towers, and went down with the buildings still doing his duty on 9/11.

[@armynurseboy]

Rick Rescorla was not a "British Mercenary". He was an immigrant who gained US citizenship after enlisting in the US Army.

[@P-M-869]

They were after basic training, They were in advanced training, preparing for combat. On Memorial Day, I also remember the Gold Star Mothers, Wifes and Families.

[@edgarcia4794]

Col. Moore took it on himself to find the Vietnamese girl in the photo and give the diary to her. with a note complimenting her husband for his bravery and for her to know he died quickly without fear.

[@ingobordewick6480]

"Remember the Titans" is one of the greatest movies regarding racism, I have ever seen. Would make totally scence for you both to do a reaction to it. Greets from Germany!

[@frank5891]

Remember the Titans it’s an amazing movie and Denzel Washington it’s for me the best actor ever

[@nancyjanzen5676]

Hal Moore read up about the battle with the French in the same place. He understood the enemies mindset.

[@Blueqoose]

Vince my Uncle was a fly boy too. He actually took part in this battle of the Ia Drang. I'll talk more about it on Patreon. Thank you for watching this movie. You do my family a great service by watching this and the shared history of my family and other families tied into the blood of the US Military.

[@williambranch4283]

Broken Arrow in this case means you can drop artillery or bombs closer than usual near your own troops, because they are overrun. Broken Arrow also means when you have lost control of a nuclear weapon in your custody.

[@tuckervernon3791]

As a Oklahoman, I'm conflicted on the term.

[@williambranch4283]

@@tuckervernon3791 Lived in OK for 24 years ;-)

[@adamr6794]

Broken Arrow, in 1965, meant that the Men on the ground were about to be overrun and wiped out and the call meant that every available air asset would be redirected to that spot.

[@VETdude382]

So, before the soldiers go out on a mission like this, the leaders will mark out grid coordinates as target reference points, rally points, way/check points, etc. If they make contact, they can use the grid coordinates they have already marked on their maps as a quick reference to call in artillery or close air support, or shift their fire and support into the general vicinity until they can mark the proper grid. It helps greatly in a stressful situation, so that you have a greater chance of saving your men and killing bad guys

[@ml0723]

The more I read about the battle the more impressive it is. Hal Moore led the first major contact with the enemy, using untested battle tactics, with a undersized battalion - he was short several hundred men - and he still took it to the enemy and forced them to retreat when it was a clear ambush as that area was a testing ground for newly arrived Vietminh. Oh and he only had a grand total of I think they said - 15 helicopters through the entire battle. That's insane. Fantastic movie - probably the only war movie that showed the realities of war and gave perspective for both sides in that terrible war.

[@Ramblinrabbit24]

If no one has said it yet, these guys aren’t is basic training. The reason they have their families with them is because they’re at their post. That’s where they’re stationed. They’ve all already gone through their respective initial training. After someone gets to their unit or post, the unit still has to go through field training in preparation for their deployment. Trust me, training doesn’t stop after a soldier gets to their unit. lol.

[@mikealvarez2322]

One of my good friends and hunting buddies when I was much younger (late teens) did 2 tours of duty as a combat marine in Vietnam. He was wounded once, recovered, and returned to duty. He came back a changed person; short tempered & excessive drinking. He didn't talk much about the war, except funny things that happened. He died in 1997 of cancer, a victim of Agent Orange, the defoliant the government sprayed to kill the vegetation.

[@CrimsonRoseDancer]

This wasn’t basic. Family’s are not allowed at basic. They moved to a new duty station which happens every three years or so. These men were infantry so they trained for battle all the time. Gen. Moore and the Vietnamese General had a sit down years later they were actually very like minded and had a lot of respect for each other. This movie is unique in that it doesn’t portray the Vietnamese as evil, their just soldiers like the Americans.

[@doubleswords]

7:15 My dad was in the military, (repaired helicopters in Vietnam), and we moved a lot of places. Every 2-3 years, it was a new army base. Each base had housing, playgrounds, sometimes schools and rec centers like bowling alleys or skating rinks. I lived in Germany for 3 years, playing youth soccer, climbing on helicopters that he fixed, playing in neighborhoods with other US children on the other side of a fence that bordered a German village. The first German I learned was how to order 1 beer and 1 soda from a tavern just outside the base. I even got to fish near a mothballed fleet of ships, sitting on a rusted out landing vehicle. ......Thanks for these reactions!

[@Curraghmore]

Thinking back to Major Winters and Easy Company in 'Band of Brothers', I'm sure he lost more than one man under his leadership from D-Day onward. Bear in mind that not every man killed in action was included in the tv series either.

[@philmullineaux5405]

Mel got famous from Mad Max and Road Warrior! All his movies are great. He got super huge in, Lethal weapon!

[@TheMajorActual]

The Battle of Ia Drang happened in 1965. The M16 had only started to enter service a couple of years before that.....Also, there are military bases all over the US. When new units are being stood up, troops are transferred in from other bases or training depots; that's an everyday thing.

[@TheMajorActual]

Also: _Broken Arrow_ here, meant that an American unit was being overrun, which would cause as much airpower as possible to be directed to that unit's support...Later on, it became the code for a lost nuclear weapon.

[@williambranch4283]

During deployments of coworkers (USAF medics) to Iraq or Afghanistan (2001-19) ... they all came home safe. Our Chief of Medicine got a Bronze Star for courage under fire in Iraq.

[@rollotomassi6232]

It's specific training, not basic training. These are officers that are in Air Cavalry Troop (ACT) training, so they have good housing near the base.

[@spaghetti9845]

My uncle flew hueys and cobras in 1st air cav during vietnam. He still has his cavalry hat and sabre. He was shot down twice, 2 purple hearts, distinguished flying cross and, bronze star.

[@marine5480]

I saw this in the theatre a few months before my first deployment. Probably not the best idea, but fortunately I never saw anything that intense.

[@shag139]

This is based on true story of Battle of Ia Drang valley. From the skin coming off with boots to broken arrow is all accurate. Here is an ABC 20/20 Special where Gen Moore goes back to Vietnam and meets with counterparts in the valley: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJe2ZHionZJ8kLc

[@SharonS-fn2ym]

These are young officers right out of Officers Training School. Col. Moore was assigned to get them prepared to lead troops in battle. This was the first group of soldiers going into Viet Nam, before we were officially in the conflict. It was never classified as a war. The platoon that was stuck not only had to follow orders, but if they would have tried to sneak back, it only would they have led the enemy to the rest of the troops but also risked being shot by that Americans because of the darkness and high adrenaline.

[@jaje69]

I'm glad you two enjoyed this movie. And agreed, a very emotional movie. I still get choked up watching it at a few scenes.

[@JamesKenobi1138]

I glad you both enjoyed this movie, it’s my favorite war film. My father was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam in 1967 and was involved in combat although he was not this specific mission.

[@twohorsesinamancostume7606]

The Vietnamese philosophy on war is that they don't care how many casualties they have to take, as long as their nation wins and there's some Vietnamese left, they've won. And you know what? It works. The entire point of war is to make it so costly for the other side to continue fighting that they quit, but how do you defeat an enemy that doesn't care what victory costs? The really wild thing is that the Vietnamese don't hold a grudge against Americans and you'll actually receive a pretty friendly welcome if you go there.

[@graphiccreek]

Short history lesson, the beginning was when the French were fighting in Vietnam and essentially failed when the US came into it and didn’t have much different results. In my opinion like most conflicts politicians were our downfall from lack of proper support

[@ranger-1214]

This was Fort Benning, Georgia in the early 1960's so the racial issues were evident. Not basic training; there are all ranks and specialties necessary for the unit to function and they are training as a team now. Joe Galloway finally wrote the book, on which this movie is based, to detail the story Hal Moore wanted told about his men. Joe died on 18 August 2021. He was friends the rest of his life with Moore, Basil Plumley and Bruce (Snake) Crandall. Only COL Bruce Crandall is still alive today. Although a civilian, in 1998 Joe was awarded a Bronze Star medal with V-device for Valor for his actions at the Ia Drang with the wounded. After the movie was released, some 35 or so years after the battle, he received letters from Jimmy Nakayama's wife and daughter. His little girl had been born 10 days before Jimmy died in hospital, two days after he was burned. And so began many years of death and destruction in Vietnam, just like with the French at the opening of the movie. As a follow-up, the rest of the fight wasn't over as reinforcements had landed about 4KM away to move on foot to X-Ray - at the end the 2nd Battalion did a ground movement several kilometers to LZ Albany, and were ambushed but that is a whole other story should anyone want to look it up. A good account is here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ia_Drang

[@Joe-qh4ft]

7:00 they are 100% NOT in basic training. Family does NOT live on base in basic. The colonel is training his officers before they go into battle (in the most basic explanation). They have already went through basic to become officers. They are now at their unit.

[@robertgarcia6561]

Just for clarification, the beginning does not take place during basic training. It was at a normal duty station, they were training up for the upcoming deployment. Training like that is a normal day to day thing in the regular army. Also yes, it's a hell of a thing to be 18 years old and sign your will.

[@steveg5933]

Col. Moore and SgtMaj Plumbly are absolute legends. So says this old Navy Corpsman. (I was born just a few weeks after this battle) 2 uncles fought in this war. Mine would be some 30 years later. A good video to watch regarding this is Country Music group Big & Rich 8th of November (the official music video)

[@frank5891]

Hal Moore died in 2017 with 94 y.o. like Lieutenant General. He graduated in West Point in 1945 first in his promotion.

[@James-sc9pb]

You need to react to the greatest war movie ever made, Apocalypse Now. This movie is a masterpiece and will absolutely blow your mind

[@macmcgee5116]

Sad fact... This movie only covers the first half of the book. During the battle, the Americans were reinforced by a group that actually came in on foot. After the battle Col. Moore's group flew out on helicopters and the other group marched back. On the way back their line got stretched out way too thin. When they stopped to take a break they were attacked by another Vietnamese group almost as large as the last. The Americans were basically in small groups scattered over a long marching line with no defensive positions. They were decimated. This time they were deep in the jungle so no helicopters, air support or artillery could get to them because of all the trees. The ones who survived had to basically crawl on their bellies all the way back to base trying not to make a sound because the jungle was filled with enemy soldiers looking for them. Many of them saw Vietnamese soldiers sometimes just a few feet away stabbing at clumps of grass seeing if anyone was hiding in them. It was basically a massacre.

[@s.g.3898]

I would recommend Lethal Weapon which is another classic Mel Gibson movie but its a lot more humorous. Braveheart is another war movie but more medieval. I love We Were Soldiers though :)

[@dananderson5516]

There was a show, belive it was called Day 1, a sort of take off of 60 minutes or 20/20. Back in the 90's, Col. Hal Moore and others went back to the battlefield and even met some of the Vietnamese they fought there. Worth watching...

[@Britcarjunkie]

Just remember the next time you see a soldier or a vet, that they wrote a blank check to their country when they signed up.

[@iKvetch558]

This is a really good war movie, and even though you still want to be aware of the historical inaccuracies in it, it is much closer to the truth than many of Mel Gibson other "historical" films...like Braveheart. The biggest thing that is not true is the big, heroic charge at the end, and there are other things wrong or overdramatized, but this is overall a really good effort. ✌

[@janzeman3777]

I agree but that's because Mel Gibson makes movies, not documentaries xD Braveheart is great

[@iKvetch558]

@@janzeman3777 You are correct, but a significant number of people do not know that...they think his movies are the "truth", so a reminder that some of his movies are way more "truthful" than others of his movies is still required. After all, so many folks think that William Wallace was born a peasant from seeing Braveheart...it is a great mostly fictional movie, you got that right, but lots of folks do not know it is mostly fictional. ✌

[@janzeman3777]

@@iKvetch558 yeah that's true but I don't know if it's the movie to blame or those people not checking the facts. There are some movies meant to rewrite history on purpose for sure yeah.

[@trappedindc8678]

It’s a movie. They have to write a script that keeps people engaged. This one came close to telling the actual story.

[@iKvetch558]

@@trappedindc8678 You are absolutely correct, which is why I was so complimentary.

[@sonofkarma5461]

DUDE their reaction on 29:00 was Priceless as that gnarly scene came into play😂

[@benjaminsarles6660]

Another good military perspective movie you guys might want to check out is, "Rules of Engagement". Covers a tiny bit of Vietnam and modern times fighting.

[@Smokeater4444]

I was 18 when i filled out my Will , not a good feeling when your only 18 & really didn't have anything to will , You could smell the VC & NVA before you could see them , Both side had different foods ,drink & Cigs all make certain smells, We gave the People of South Vietna more freedom than they have had in over 100 Years & Yes i would have gone back if needed , Awesome Soldiers GUTLESS Elected , Gave us unreal rules of engagement & wouldn't supply us right & made decisions that the Military should have made not them , Remember All gave some BUT Some gave it ALL , Good Pod cast Guys Thank you for watching this True story of Vietnam , Hand Salute from an Old Vet Nam 1972

[@Crazy_Crusaderr]

I subscribed to you guys because I love your reactions to military/war movies. Always a pleasure to watch a new one!

[@chrishoopengarner2940]

A great Mel Gibson war movie in my opinion is Braveheart , where he plays the role of William Wallace during the time the people of Scotland revolted against England

[@dastemplar9681]

“Broken Arrow” is the phrase that interprets that an American unit is either likely or in the process of being overwhelmed. It calls for any air asset that is available and they are to shoot/drop everything at extreme danger close or even directly onto your position. It does take in the consideration that there will be friendly-fire casualties, but the intention is to either break the enemy’s assault or at least take the enemy down with the defeated American ground unit. It’s basically calling for ordnance directly on top of you and your position since you’re almost completely overrun by the enemy. It’s even an order that cannot be countermanded by anyone else. If you ever heard that phrase over the radio, you basically knew “shit just hit the fan”.

[@MrLivewire1970]

If you've never watched Mel Gibson, you need to put, Braveheart on your list. You'll get a lot of views for that reaction.

[@michaelholt3222]

LT. Col. Hal Moore, was the kind of officer, and leader, that as a soldier, you would follow through HELL!!

[@dillingerloffer29]

My grandpa was in Vietnam in the marines. He had to go back home for rnr only like couple days to a week and the guy that replaced him got his entire squad killed and he was the one that survived and when he got back is when he heard about it and got replacements. From that day forward he never went on rnr again until his entire team went on rnr

[@tytoalbasoren9457]

14:00 It's not shown in the video, but in the movie the radioman gets killed first. In fact, most of the radiomen were shown to get killed in the movie. This was because the Vietnamese always have them as their priority target. It was so bad that they quite literally have a 5-second life expectancy, upon being deployed in the middle of a battle.

[@thepooaprinciple5144]

I dont know if you know this or not, but the song they use in this movie...."Sgt.Mckenzie"...was written by a nephew of a war veteran I think from Vietnam in dedication to someone they loved who fought in the war, again....I cant remember which war, but that song was a tribute to them and everyone who served and sacrificed.

[@philmullineaux5405]

The girl playing his wife was in one of my all time favorite movies, with Kevin Costner, Revenge. She was also in a great movie with Kurt Russell.

[@Fred-vy1hm]

Madeleine Stowe was one of the biggest star actresses of the 80's and 90's my personal favorite role of hers was the doctor in 12 monkeys.

[@iang7341]

Signs is also like a childhood film for me. Very good

[@LukeLovesRose]

Many people would choose Apocalypse Now, others would choose Platoon or Full Metal Jacket. Those are all outstanding war movies. Another great choice that people overlook all the time is The Deer Hunter. But for me, We Were Soldiers is the greatest Vietnam War movie ever made. Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Sam Elliot, Greg Kinnear and Barry Pepper are all phenomenal in this movie. We Were Soldiers is not only a thrilling, dramatic and powerful movie but its also very accurate.

[@Writer102385]

Jimmy Nakayama (The soldier burned by naplam) was 21 years old that day and his wife was having a baby. Jimmy died two days later from his wounds. Two days shy from his 22nd birthday.

[@adamr6794]

Nikki was born November 7, 1965. a week before the Battle at LZ X-Ray. he had not yet received the news of her birth.

[@alexbrunner1900]

It’s up there with some of my favorite war movies of all time.

[@brucewilliams4152]

Btw, the other American unit in the ir front valley got wiped out

[@125steini]

18:01 Seriously, my dog woke up and started howling with you... 😂

[@hydratanksamari]

How their describing Gibson is hilarious, old guy with blue eyes.

[@markfoor4137]

The actress playing Col. Moore's wife is Madelyn Stowe. She was in Last of the Mohicans.

[@cavemandelta]

I would've done unspeakable things to have a Commander like Hal Moore.

[@happydog6537]

Love your reviews. Thanks for the entertainment. My pitbull loved your howling. Happy new year.

[@Plastikdoom]

Decent strategy old giap had, but he didn’t know we’re crazy enough to call in our own artillery and air support on top of our own positions, just to kill the enemy of all else failed, haha.

[@elcabetoman]

It got worse in real life, when they sent the second battallion to replace them, they got massacred. The bool tells it all. And at the end Gen. Moore and his Vietnamese counterpart met and talked about the battle.

[@adamr6794]

The US outkilled the NVA/VC at Lz Albany 403-155. After the enemy got the jump the US rallied and held on. The enemy fled. The US policed the battlefield for 2 days for their dead and wounded. The enemy left there's to rot. While the kill ratio was not ideal and certainly not what the US wanted I wouldn't call it a massacre, but many do

[@MaaanImDead]

First time viewer, One of my all time favourite movies is The Way Back on Netflix, I'd 100% recommend that, ( A Radioman deployed at a hot LZ would commonly live about 40 seconds before they were shot and killed )

[@TheHulk2008]

My father did two tours in Vietnam. He saw some pretty heavy and graphic things. This was the only movie to make him cry.

[@Cherokee9898]

I’d highly recommend looking into Mrs Moore. She is a big part of why we have chaplains set apart to deliver news of a soldiers death. She also founded support groups for military families.

[@adamr6794]

Great post. Ft Benning has since been renamed to honor Hal and Julia

[@ArmandoMartinez-zz5xt]

The "experimental" parachutes were the "HALO" High Altitude Low Opening design.

[@Manolo0528]

Joe may have been a news photographer but he wasn’t the only camera there. The Army had a video camera at the battle. There’s no sound but there’s video of the battle as it happens.

[@charlesbarnes6912]

You know them chopper pilots were dying to get some revenge at the end

[@philmullineaux5405]

His wife in this, was in a fantastic but very long movie called Revenge.

[@xxuncexx]

The guy with the legs who got burned is a real guy and true story. Jimmy D. Nakayama