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Orobosa Omede
Professor Epstein
History 340-01
Paper 2
The Vietnam War: The battle of The Ia Drang Valley
Orobosa Omede
Professor Epstein
History 340-01
Paper 2 The battle on Ia Drang Valley sets the foundation leading to numerous conflicts of American involvement in the Vietnam War. The engagement between American and North Vietnamese troops were significant in that it persisted even after the American troops withdrew from Vietnam. The stories in We Were Soldiers Once and Young are imperative in understanding the secondary sources as it proves that the war in Vietnam was problematic from the beginning. The chances of the United States winning seemed very high yet, this battle proved the …show more content…
It gives a detailed description of the accounts obtained through the participants of the war. The interviews in these stories provide a great understating of the controversial ideals presented in the war and it is entirely based on their encounters. The battle of Ia Drang Valley is significant in that it is the first contact made between Vietnamese troops and the 1st Battalion and 7th Cavalry division which was led by Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore. The 1st Battalion and the 7th Calvary were at the front of the war, as they fought the major battle of the entire Vietnam War. Moore's primary job was to conduct a reconnaissance in force in the area of Chu Pong. He was to assess several landing zones that would be strategically beneficial in locating the enemy. Moore chose LZ X-Ray that was near the base of the Chu Pong Massif. LZ X-Ray was surrounded by low trees and bordered by a dry creek bed it was relatively small in size, and this greatly affected the transportation of troops. Due to the small size of the LZ X-Ray, the transportation of the 1st and 7th's four companies were difficult and resulted in the conductions of several lifts. Each lift took about 30 minutes. There were roughly 90 men on the ground until the helicopter could bring more men the camp in …show more content…
This sets the tone of the entire book as it gives a sense of reality by looking upon the seriousness of those who loss their lives within the war. Moore’s reason for this is merely to interject the sympathy of the solders family members. The Vietnam War took many young men, fathers sons and brothers and it is imperative that the book follows by giving numerous detailed descriptions of the encounters with enemy soldiers and death. This allows the reader to truly understand the impact of the war not only physical but mentally. The co-author of the book is Joe Galloway he was a UPI reporter who work his way into the battle. He was dropped in Landing zone LZX-Ray with M-16 rifle, he was determined to get the stories and get his observations. Both authors believe that the reason they lived was because they needed to tell their story, though Moore feels guilty. Moore guilt stems from the fact that he didn’t die in the war and so many did die. And this is it. One good aspect of this book is that it not only gives the perspective of the United States and military but the perspective of the Vietnamese soldiers are also taken in affect. The stories told by the Vietnamese allows for a greater understanding of the war. It as well puts in perspective that America was fighting a war that they ultimately should not have been in anyway. Moore sates that the book is specifically about
Orobosa Omede
Professor Epstein
History 340-01
Paper 2
The Vietnam War: The battle of The Ia Drang Valley
Orobosa Omede
Professor Epstein
History 340-01
Paper 2 The battle on Ia Drang Valley sets the foundation leading to numerous conflicts of American involvement in the Vietnam War. The engagement between American and North Vietnamese troops were significant in that it persisted even after the American troops withdrew from Vietnam. The stories in We Were Soldiers Once and Young are imperative in understanding the secondary sources as it proves that the war in Vietnam was problematic from the beginning. The chances of the United States winning seemed very high yet, this battle proved the …show more content…
It gives a detailed description of the accounts obtained through the participants of the war. The interviews in these stories provide a great understating of the controversial ideals presented in the war and it is entirely based on their encounters. The battle of Ia Drang Valley is significant in that it is the first contact made between Vietnamese troops and the 1st Battalion and 7th Cavalry division which was led by Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore. The 1st Battalion and the 7th Calvary were at the front of the war, as they fought the major battle of the entire Vietnam War. Moore's primary job was to conduct a reconnaissance in force in the area of Chu Pong. He was to assess several landing zones that would be strategically beneficial in locating the enemy. Moore chose LZ X-Ray that was near the base of the Chu Pong Massif. LZ X-Ray was surrounded by low trees and bordered by a dry creek bed it was relatively small in size, and this greatly affected the transportation of troops. Due to the small size of the LZ X-Ray, the transportation of the 1st and 7th's four companies were difficult and resulted in the conductions of several lifts. Each lift took about 30 minutes. There were roughly 90 men on the ground until the helicopter could bring more men the camp in …show more content…
This sets the tone of the entire book as it gives a sense of reality by looking upon the seriousness of those who loss their lives within the war. Moore’s reason for this is merely to interject the sympathy of the solders family members. The Vietnam War took many young men, fathers sons and brothers and it is imperative that the book follows by giving numerous detailed descriptions of the encounters with enemy soldiers and death. This allows the reader to truly understand the impact of the war not only physical but mentally. The co-author of the book is Joe Galloway he was a UPI reporter who work his way into the battle. He was dropped in Landing zone LZX-Ray with M-16 rifle, he was determined to get the stories and get his observations. Both authors believe that the reason they lived was because they needed to tell their story, though Moore feels guilty. Moore guilt stems from the fact that he didn’t die in the war and so many did die. And this is it. One good aspect of this book is that it not only gives the perspective of the United States and military but the perspective of the Vietnamese soldiers are also taken in affect. The stories told by the Vietnamese allows for a greater understanding of the war. It as well puts in perspective that America was fighting a war that they ultimately should not have been in anyway. Moore sates that the book is specifically about