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We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
Price: $16.47
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.
A Lesson in War and Remembrance
Date: 2008-11-30 Rating: 8 out of 10
Only a person who has fought in a war,only a person who has led in the heat and storm of battle can truly appreciate and understand war. Only they can make the best case for or against it. In this followup to "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young," General Moore does just that: talk about the destructive waste of war in real terms and helps the reader, and hopefully the American Public, understand the folly of war.
There are just and necessary wars, but Vietnam and most likely Iraq are not among them. His comments to the cadets at West Point regarding Vietnam, Iraq, Secretaries McNamara and Rumsfeld are especially poignant. As he says, we are about to ask those young men and women to risk their lives and possibly give their lives to their country. The least we can do is be honest with them. Amen to that, and to this book.
This book proves that we as a nation should listen, stand up and take note when our former military officers speak out against wars. They know whereof they speak.
There are essays on leadership, war, a tribute to one of General Moore's men and to his wife, but the real heart of this book is his return to battlefield of Vietnam, his meeting and developing respect and friendship with the men who tried to kill him on this ground, just as he was tried to kill them. Good stuff. Moving stuff.
The most striking thing about this book is the revelation that virtually all signs of the American presence in Vietnam are gone, erased from the face of the earth. It's as if we had never been there. Vietnam has moved on, its people accustomed to the comings and goings of war, while we Americans are still wrestling with and battling with our memories and scarred psyches of that war.
"Oh, how I love the smell of napalm in the morning" is a movie line and only a movie line. This book is the real stuff. It's not pretty and its tragic, but in the end it's heartwarming and hopeful---if and only if our leaders and the American people take notice.
Pray to God that they (we) do.
BewertungenRB from MichiganDatum 2008-11-25 Rang: 10 von 10A 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!Poignant Story of War & RememberanceDatum 2008-11-07 Rang: 10 von 10This 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.Worth reading.Datum 2008-10-06 Rang: 8 von 10Certainly no one can question the courage or loyalty of Lt. Gen Moore or that of his co-writer Mr. Galloway. However don't expect to read another Soldiers Once....this is a review of Gen Moore's return to Viet Nam. I'm not sure everyone would equivocate the North Vietnamese, with the troops of the American force as the General seems to do here. Whether we should forgive and forget, that they were just good ol' boys doing their job, would seem to me to be up to those who were there also to decide. It would seem that there would be those who are not willing to forget and forgive so easily as the General seems to do. However this should be recommended reading for any young person....well worth the time.We Are Soldiers StillDatum 2008-10-06 Rang: 10 von 10No less than what we have come to expect from Gen. Moore and Joe Galloway!
Written and told from the heart. Nam was the War - Vietnam is a country and people.
As soldier's we did what was expected of us - both U.S. Soldiers and Vietnamese Soldiers. Now it is time to do what is expected of us as non worriers, but civilians and Countries
The soldiers followed the orders of their governments, but always put thier brothers and sisters before themselves. These two booke "We Were Soldiers Once and ---Youg" and "We Are Soldiers Still" makes this point very clear.
Produkt InformationAutor:
Harold G. Moore
Joseph L. Galloway
Recording label: Harper Hersteller: HarperEAN: 9780061147760Format: HardcoverDewey decimal number: 959.704342ISBN: 0061147761Artikelzahl: 1Seitenzahl: 272Erscheinungsdatum: 2008-08-01Erscheinungdatum: 2008-08-19Sprache: English (Original Language)
Sprache: English (Unknown)
Sprache: English (Published)
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