What is the story of We Were Soldiers based on?

We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American war film written and directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson. Based on the book We Were Soldiers Once… and Young (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, it dramatizes the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965.

Did Joe Galloway actually fight?

As a 24-year-old UPI correspondent, Galloway was at the first major battle of the Vietnam War. He collaborated on the bestselling book about that battle called “We Were Soldiers Once… The battle ended with 230 Americans dead, 240 wounded and 3,000 North Vietnamese dead.

How many Vietnam soldiers died of snake bites?

The United States Archives and other sources suggest that between 25 and 50 American soldiers a year were bitten by snakes during the war in Vietnam. Some 10,786 American soldiers died of non-combat causes, including 9,107 by accidents and 938 due to illness.

How many died in Ia Drang Valley?

In the 43-day Ia Drang campaign, 545 Americans were killed. Enemy deaths have been estimated at 3,561. It was the greatest loss of American life in the Vietnam War at that point, and a premonition of how determined the enemy was.

Was We Are Soldiers accurate?

Then came the 2002 movie, We Were Soldiers, starring Mel Gibson as Moore and Barry Pepper as Galloway. (Moore says the film is about 60 percent accurate; Galloway, 80 percent.) They also apply the lessons of Vietnam to Iraq—where Galloway, now a columnist for McClatchy Newspapers, sees more fatal victories.

How many soldiers died in We Were Soldiers?

His efforts were later reflected in the 2002 movie We Were Soldiers, in which Mel Gibson portrayed Moore. The book tells what happened to virtually every trooper involved in the 34-day campaign and the climactic four-day battle in which 234 Americans died at landing zones X-Ray and Albany in November 1965.

Is Joseph Galloway still alive?

Deceased (1941–2021)
Joseph L. Galloway/Living or Deceased

What happens if there is friendly fire in the army?

When a troop or unit is found to have committed a friendly fire incident, depending on the severity, the investigators will first look into the type of error committed. The two offenses most likely to be charged in such an incidence are involuntary manslaughter or the lesser charge of negligent homicide.

Does the 7th Cavalry still exist?

The 7th Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment formed in 1866. Its official nickname is “Garryowen”, after the Irish air “Garryowen” that was adopted as its march tune….7th Cavalry Regiment.

Who won La Drang?

Harold Moore and the 7th Calvary won the battle of Ia Drang Valley, and subsequent battles….

Is the movie we Were Soldiers a true story?

The 2002 film We Were Soldiers was based on the true story of the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam. The Americans were new to the country, and a US battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel Gibson) is drawn into a trap that leads to an extended bloody battle. Click to see full answer.

When was the book we Were Soldiers published?

In 1992, Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway (who was present at the battle) published the book We Were Soldiers Once…And Young about the battle. The 2002 film We Were Soldiers brought this story to the screen.

What is the story behind we Were Soldiers once and young?

The Story Behind ‘We Were Soldiers Once…and Young’. Joe Galloway’s award-winning account of a bloody Vietnam battle became a book and movie. Though just 24, Joe Galloway was no greenhorn when he hitched a chopper ride to the remote South Vietnamese countryside in November 1965 to check on reports of a hot battle.

How many copies of we Were Soldiers have been sold?

The story became a book, We Were Soldiers Onceand Young, which has sold about 1.3 million copies since it was published in 1992. Then came the 2002 movie, We Were Soldiers, starring Mel Gibson as Moore and Barry Pepper as Galloway.