We Were Soldiers Once... and Young

1. 1965: America Commits to War in Vietnam

It was the year America decided to directly intervene in the Byzantine affairs of obscure and distant Vietnam.

A watershed year. 1965 marked a dramatic shift in American involvement in Vietnam, moving from an "adviser era" to direct combat intervention. This decision, made by President Lyndon B. Johnson, signaled the beginning of a decade-long conflict that would profoundly change both America and Vietnam. The initial deployment of combat troops, like the 1st Cavalry Division, was a significant escalation.

Reluctance and escalation. Despite earlier reservations about land wars in Asia, Johnson, inheriting John F. Kennedy's foreign policy team, felt compelled to act against perceived Communist expansion. Attacks on American personnel, such as the mortar attack at Pleiku, spurred retaliatory air strikes and the deployment of Marines and later the 1st Cavalry Division. This escalation occurred without mobilizing reserves, relying instead on draftees and stripping experienced personnel from other units.

Hanoi's response. North Vietnam, too, was escalating, sending regular army regiments south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Their initial plan to seize the Central Highlands was postponed, replaced by a strategy to draw American forces into battle to learn their tactics and find ways to neutralize their technological advantages, particularly airmobility. They aimed to "lure the tiger out of the mountain."

2. The 1st Cavalry Division: Testing Airmobile Warfare

The helicopter, Gavin believed, held the possibility of making the battlefield truly a three-dimensional nightmare for an enemy commander.

A new concept. Born from the vision of officers like Lieutenant General James M. Gavin, the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was an experimental unit designed to revolutionize infantry warfare using helicopters. Conceived in the late 1950s and accelerated under President Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the concept aimed to free infantry from terrain constraints and increase battlefield speed and flexibility.

Testing the theory. The 11th Air Assault Division (Test) was created in 1963 at Fort Benning, Georgia, to develop and test airmobile doctrine, tactics, and equipment. Under the command of Brigadier General Harry Kinnard, the unit rigorously trained infantry and aircrews to operate as a cohesive team, practicing rapid assaults, resupply, and medical evacuation by helicopter. This intensive training forged a strong bond between the ground troops and the aviators.

Deployment to Vietnam. Renamed the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in July 1965, the division was ordered to Vietnam by President Johnson. Despite being understrength due to expiring enlistments and personnel transfers, the division deployed by troopship and aircraft carrier, establishing a base camp at An Khe. Their mission: find and destroy the enemy, testing their new capabilities in real combat.

3. Ia Drang Valley: A Dress Rehearsal for Future Conflict

The Ia Drang campaign was to the Vietnam War what the terrible Spanish Civil War of the 1930s was to World War II: a dress rehearsal; the place where new tactics, techniques, and weapons were tested, perfected, and validated.

First major clash. The Ia Drang campaign in November 1965 was the first large-scale confrontation between the U.S. Army and the North Vietnamese People's Army (PAVN) regulars. It was a brutal, thirty-four-day series of engagements, culminating in the battles at Landing Zones X-Ray and Albany, that provided critical, albeit sometimes misleading, lessons for both sides.

Mutual objectives. The PAVN sought to test the Americans' airmobile tactics and high-tech weaponry, finding ways to counter them, particularly by fighting at close range ("grabbing them by the belt") to neutralize American artillery and air support. The Americans aimed to use their airmobility to rapidly insert troops into remote enemy base areas and bring overwhelming firepower to bear.

Claiming victory. Both sides claimed victory in the Ia Drang. The Americans highlighted the high enemy body count (a favorable kill ratio), believing attrition would win the war. The North Vietnamese saw that they could stand and fight the Americans, absorb heavy losses, and inflict significant casualties, believing their patience and willingness to sacrifice would ultimately prevail against American public opinion.

4. LZ X-Ray: The First Major Battle and a Test of Will

We were fighting for our lives.

Insertion into the unknown. On November 14, 1965, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore's 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry conducted the first air assault into Landing Zone X-Ray, a clearing at the base of the Chu Pong massif, deep in a suspected enemy base area. Based on limited intelligence, the landing was a calculated risk, aiming to find and engage the enemy.

Immediate contact. Within minutes of the initial landing, patrols from Bravo Company made contact with North Vietnamese soldiers. The capture of a prisoner revealed the presence of multiple enemy battalions nearby, confirming the Americans had landed in a hornet's nest. The battle escalated rapidly from scattered firefights to a full-scale engagement.

Fighting for the LZ. The small clearing, LZ X-Ray, became the critical lifeline for the American battalion. Moore's primary objective was to hold the landing zone to allow reinforcements, ammunition, water, and medical supplies to arrive, and to evacuate the wounded. The battle quickly centered on defending the perimeter against determined enemy assaults.

5. The Crucible of X-Ray: Valor, Firepower, and Survival

We killed for each other, we died for each other, and we wept for each other.

Intense, close combat. The battle at X-Ray was characterized by brutal, close-quarters fighting in tall elephant grass and scrub brush. PAVN soldiers, often in human-wave assaults, attempted to overrun American positions, particularly targeting leaders, radio operators, and medics. The fighting spirit and discipline of the American soldiers, many of them draftees with little combat experience, were severely tested.

Overwhelming firepower. American survival at X-Ray depended heavily on the massive and coordinated application of supporting fires.

• Artillery from nearby firebases provided continuous barrages around the perimeter.
• Aerial Rocket Artillery (ARA) helicopters delivered devastating rocket and machine-gun fire.
• Air Force and Navy fighter-bombers dropped bombs and napalm on enemy concentrations.

Brave aviators. The helicopter pilots and crews of the 229th Aviation Battalion, led by Major Bruce Crandall and Captain Ed Freeman, flew repeated missions into the hot LZ under heavy fire to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded. Their courage and dedication were crucial, often flying overloaded aircraft and risking their lives when dedicated medevac helicopters refused to land in the contested zone.

6. The Lost Platoon: A Desperate Stand Against the Odds

We were surrounded.

Cut off and isolated. Early in the X-Ray battle, Lieutenant Henry Herrick's 2nd Platoon of Bravo Company became separated from the rest of the battalion during a pursuit of fleeing enemy soldiers. They were quickly surrounded by a much larger North Vietnamese force and engaged in a desperate fight for survival, clinging to a small knoll.

Leadership and resilience. Despite suffering heavy casualties, including the deaths of Lieutenant Herrick and his platoon sergeant, the surviving members of the platoon, led by Sergeant Ernie Savage, refused to surrender. They fought off multiple assaults, relying on their remaining ammunition, captured enemy weapons, and the courage of their medic, Specialist Charles Lose, who tended the wounded under fire.

Holding the line. The trapped platoon's tenacious defense, supported by artillery fire directed by Sergeant Savage via radio, disrupted enemy movements and likely prevented a larger assault on the main American perimeter. Their ordeal lasted over twenty-six harrowing hours before a relief force finally fought its way through to them.

7. LZ Albany: A Deadly March into a Prepared Ambush

The most savage one-day battle of the Vietnam War had just begun.

Movement orders. Following the battle at X-Ray, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Mcdade's 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry, along with attached units, was ordered to march overland to a new landing zone, Albany, approximately two miles away. The move was partly to clear the area for B-52 strikes on the Chu Pong massif and partly to continue searching for the enemy.

Walking into a trap. Unbeknownst to the American command, the North Vietnamese had concentrated significant forces, including fresh battalions, in the area between X-Ray and Albany. As Mcdade's battalion, strung out in a long column, approached the Albany clearing, they walked directly into a hasty ambush.

Disintegration of the column. The sudden, intense enemy fire, often from close range and multiple directions, shattered the American column. With company commanders forward for a briefing and units dispersed in the tall grass, communication and control rapidly broke down. The battalion was cut into isolated pockets fighting for their lives.

8. Chaos and Carnage: The Brutality of the Albany Fight

It was utter chaos.

Hand-to-hand combat. The battle at Albany devolved into a brutal, close-quarters melee in the dense vegetation. American and North Vietnamese soldiers were often intermingled, making it difficult to distinguish friend from foe and hindering the effective use of American firepower. The fighting was savage, with bayonets, grenades, and point-blank rifle fire.

Heavy casualties. The surprise and intensity of the ambush resulted in horrific losses for the American battalion, particularly Charlie and Delta companies and the Headquarters Company. Many soldiers were killed or wounded in the initial minutes, and enemy soldiers systematically moved through the tall grass executing wounded Americans.

Friendly fire and confusion. The chaotic nature of the battle, coupled with poor visibility and intermingled forces, led to instances of friendly fire. Soldiers, unable to see clearly, sometimes fired on the sounds of movement, tragically hitting their own comrades. The lack of clear command and control in the fragmented column exacerbated the confusion and casualties.

9. Escape, Evasion, and Rescue: Individual Ordeals

To be lost and alone in a hostile land where the next man you meet wants only to kill you.

Isolated survival. Amidst the carnage at Albany, many American soldiers found themselves cut off, wounded, and alone in the tall grass. Their survival depended on individual courage, resourcefulness, and the ability to conceal themselves from enemy patrols sweeping the battlefield. Stories of "escape and evasion" became legendary.

Against all odds. Wounded soldiers like PFC James Shadden and Specialist James Young, relying on instincts and training, crawled and hid for hours, sometimes days, enduring pain, thirst, and the constant threat of discovery. Their journeys back to friendly lines, often through enemy-held territory, were harrowing tests of will.

Rescue efforts. Despite the extreme danger, American patrols ventured back into the killing zone to search for survivors, guided by radio calls from wounded soldiers like Lieutenant Robert Jeanette ("Ghost 4-6"). These rescue missions, often conducted at night, were fraught with peril, highlighting the deep bonds of camaraderie among the soldiers.

10. The Human Cost: Families and the Lingering Pain

Only the dead have seen the end of war.

Telegram delivery. The high casualties at Ia Drang brought the grim reality of the war home to America with unprecedented force. The initial, impersonal delivery of casualty telegrams by taxi drivers in towns like Columbus, Georgia, added to the shock and grief of families.

Shattered lives. The deaths of fathers, sons, husbands, and brothers left deep and lasting wounds on families. Wives became young widows, children grew up without fathers, and parents mourned the loss of their only sons. The lack of support systems and the country's later ambivalence towards the war compounded their suffering.

Lingering trauma. For survivors and families alike, the memories of Ia Drang and the Vietnam War continued to cause pain for decades. Nightmares, flashbacks, and the emotional scars of combat and loss were a constant reminder of the price paid in that distant valley. The search for missing men and the eventual identification of remains brought some closure, but the sense of loss remained.

11. Lessons Learned (and Ignored): Shaping the War's Future

When General Giap says he learned how to fight Americans and our helicopters at the Ia Drang, that's bullshit! What he learned was that he had sanctuary.

Conflicting interpretations. Both American and North Vietnamese commanders drew lessons from the Ia Drang campaign, but their interpretations differed significantly. American generals saw a favorable kill ratio and believed a strategy of attrition could win the war, underestimating the enemy's willingness to absorb losses. North Vietnamese leaders learned how to counter American airmobility by fighting at close range and confirmed the importance of sanctuaries in Cambodia.

Political constraints. A key lesson for the PAVN was that American forces were prohibited from pursuing them into Cambodia. This political constraint, imposed by Washington, granted the enemy inviolable sanctuaries where they could rest, refit, and plan future attacks, effectively ceding the initiative to North Vietnam. Military commanders on the ground were frustrated by this restriction.

Escalation and uncertainty. The Ia Drang battles confirmed to Secretary of Defense McNamara that the war would require a massive increase in American troop levels, potentially reaching 400,000 or more, with no guarantee of success and the risk of escalating casualties. Despite this grim assessment, the decision was made to escalate, setting the stage for years of costly conflict.

Last updated: June 11, 2025