First published 2001
In November 1965, Lt. Col. Hal Moore commands 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry as helicopters drop them into a small clearing in Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley. The soldiers immediately face encirclement by 2,000 North Vietnamese troops. Over three brutal days, Moore and his men fight for survival in one of the Vietnam War's most savage battles. Just two and a half miles away, a sister battalion suffers devastating losses. General Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway, who remained on the ground throughout the fighting, interviewed hundreds of participants from both sides, including North Vietnamese commanders. Their account reveals how ordinary soldiers responded to extraordinary circumstances, transforming in ways they never imagined possible. The book captures both the heroic and horrific nature of combat, showing men pushed to their absolute limits in the crucible of war.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, military-fiction, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: based-on-true-events, heroic-sacrifice, survival
Setting: Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam
Period: 1965
16 pages · Audio Cassette · HarperAudio
Content warnings: graphic-violence, war