We Were Soldiers "Behind the scenes"

Mel Gibson and Cast
©2000 Scott J-R Productions

We Were Soldiers is a 2002 American war film that dramatized the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14, 1965 — the first major engagement of the United States Army in the Vietnam War. The film was directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson. It is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle.
Contents [hide]
1 Plot
2 Reception
3 Cast
4 See also
5 Footnotes
6 External links
Plot

A French Army unit is on patrol in Vietnam in 1954 during the First Indochina War. The captain of the patrol curses the land when they see nothing. Then, the unit is suddenly ambushed by Vietminh forces who kill the officers and, although the unit kills many enemies it is soon overrun. Nguyen Huu An (Don Duong) , hypothesising that if they take no prisoners the French will eventually stop sending troops, orders the execution of all surviving French soldiers.
Eleven years later, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), a dedicated U.S. soldier, is deeply committed to training his troops, who are preparing to be sent to Vietnam. 7th Cavalry Regiment. He is disquieted because the 7th Cavalry regiment was the unit commanded by General George Custer in the 19th Century when he and his men were slaughtered at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Moore is also dismayed because President Lyndon B. Johnson has decreed that the war would be fought "on the cheap," without declaring it a national emergency. As a result, Moore believes he will be deprived of his oldest, best-trained soldiers (a formal declaration of war would have meant mobilization and extension of the terms of enlistment for volunteer soldiers) - about 25% of his battalion - just prior to shipping out for Vietnam. Before leaving for Vietnam, Moore delivers a touching speech to his unit:
"Look around you. In the 7th Cavalry, we got a Captain from the Ukraine. Another from Puerto Rico. We got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indian, Jews and Gentiles -- all American. Now here in the States some men in this unit may experience discrimination because of race or creed, but for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where 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. Let us understand the situation; we're going into battle against a tough and determined enemy. I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive, but this I swear, before you and before Almighty God: when we go into battle, I will be the first one to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off. And I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me God."
After arriving in Vietnam, he learns that an American base has been attacked, and is ordered to take his 400 men after the enemy and eliminate them, despite the fact that intelligence has no idea of the number of enemy troops. He leads a newly created air cavalry unit into the Ia Drang Valley against over 4,000 -6,000 well equipped enemy soldiers.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Mel
• Gibson
• Jsu
• Garcia
• Col.
• Hal
• Moore

[jsugarcia]

Love Mel

[jsugarcia]

me too

[M4V3R1K83]

Great Mel Gibson!!! And Huey is FANTASTIC!!!

[Flame505]

U shud post da video clipz wifout music over da top

[MustangWW2]

@izy56 He played Captain Nadel in the movie

[MrChatItOut]

watch?v=KnYAC2_hnKg

''SAVING MY PRIVATES" (2011 - tom hanks)

a MUST see video. you need a good stomach - added yesterday

[SuperMike82]

I loved this film. It's too bad Mel Gibson went looney. He has talent but I have no respect for him anymore

[cbrusharmy]

I want an M-79!

[jaimesandoval1988]

I loved the film..

[JsuWarrior]

Get Around by the Beach Boys

[lildutchster]

whats the name of the song?

GREAT VID nice work dude 3 thumbs up or more =)

[ROPdude]

How great was this video?