I just finished reading this book, by Harold Moor and Joseph Galloway, last night. I was sobbing at the end.
I'm a bit of a history buff, but don't read much military stuff, per se. This book, though, cought my eye in the airport book store. It is an incredibly well-written account of an incredibly brutal battle in Vietnam in November, 1965. The authors' technique of quoting several participants in an event, such as an airlift or a particular enemy contact, provides a depth of perspective you just don't get in most histories. Enemy commanders provide their stories, too.
What made me so sad, though, was the stories presented by the loved ones of the fallen. This battle, in Ia Drang Valley, was one of the first after American combat troops arrived in theater. The nation was, apparently, unprepared for large numbers of American casualties. The wives and mothers were notified of the death of their soldier by telegram, delivered by a taxi driver.
The 1/7 battalion commander's wife, the daughter of an infantry officer, took it upon herself to visit each of the 13 widows who were living at Ft. Benning. The 2/7 commander was a bachelor, so the wives of the XO and Sgt. Maj. stepped forward.
I guess as the former dependant of a lifer this part touched a nerve. I can remember once when my mother stood in the kitchen crying. I must have been about five years old. The news had reported an advisor had been killed in action. This was 1958 and my father was one of about 150 Americans in Vietnam. He didn't die that day, but someone's father, or husband, or son, did. His family's life changed forever on that day.
I just can't dry my eyes this morning.
JR
I'm a bit of a history buff, but don't read much military stuff, per se. This book, though, cought my eye in the airport book store. It is an incredibly well-written account of an incredibly brutal battle in Vietnam in November, 1965. The authors' technique of quoting several participants in an event, such as an airlift or a particular enemy contact, provides a depth of perspective you just don't get in most histories. Enemy commanders provide their stories, too.
What made me so sad, though, was the stories presented by the loved ones of the fallen. This battle, in Ia Drang Valley, was one of the first after American combat troops arrived in theater. The nation was, apparently, unprepared for large numbers of American casualties. The wives and mothers were notified of the death of their soldier by telegram, delivered by a taxi driver.
The 1/7 battalion commander's wife, the daughter of an infantry officer, took it upon herself to visit each of the 13 widows who were living at Ft. Benning. The 2/7 commander was a bachelor, so the wives of the XO and Sgt. Maj. stepped forward.
I guess as the former dependant of a lifer this part touched a nerve. I can remember once when my mother stood in the kitchen crying. I must have been about five years old. The news had reported an advisor had been killed in action. This was 1958 and my father was one of about 150 Americans in Vietnam. He didn't die that day, but someone's father, or husband, or son, did. His family's life changed forever on that day.
I just can't dry my eyes this morning.
JR
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