We Were Soldiers
by Robert Yoho, Associate Editor
"Eye on Conservatism"
I recently took my wife to see the newest Mel Gibson film, "We Were Soldiers."
To say it was a great movie would seem inappropriate, considering the number
of brave young Americans who died in the three days of bitter fighting in Vietnam’s
Ia Drang Valley.
Most remarkable of all is the fact that the story is true. This is not a work of fiction. Before the credits roll, listing the name of the actors, we see the names of the soldiers who died there. They are the heroes! Many in the theater stayed to read the names. My wife left in tears and I left the theater with a sense of deep and abiding gratitude for these men who make the ultimate sacrifice for each one of us. How blessed we have been in this country!
The film also reminds you of the necessity for career military men, the hard-bitten soldiers who have seen combat and lived through it The experiences of these career military men is essential to the survival of young "green" recruits, kids who would age a lifetime if they lived to the next sunrise.
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At
the end of the fighting, a swarm of reporters arrive at the battle scene. It
reminded me of the buzzards that circle a dead carcass. When they ask Lt. Col.
Harold Moore (played by Gibson, right) about his "victory," he simply walks
away from them. It is clear in the film--with the exception of Joe Galloway--that
these reporters had no appreciation of the sacrifices made by our American servicemen
on that hallowed ground. The reporters they were, those they represent, and
what they eventually became in the preceding years has been a scourge to America.
We watch them on the nightly news programs of any network. They hated a Vietnam-era
America and they have routinely projected that hatred on those brave men who
fought there.
This
film brings us back to the truth of what happened and the noble scarifies that
were made for our freedom. Watching the film should be a requirement for every
junior and senior high schooler in government and history classes. No matter
what you think of the Vietnam War, humanity and patriotism demand that you respect
and honor those young men, those who returned and those whose names are engraved
on a black stone wall in Washington (shown, right).
They were sent to Vietnam to stop the spread of Communism. They did their jobs, as their fathers had done in the war before them. It was not their fault that our leaders failed them. It was not their fault that so many of our citizens did not support their efforts. It was not their fault that their Commander-in-Chief was more interested in playing politics than in giving them the necessary resources and commitment to win.
The men who fought there exemplified the very best qualities of our country. Race, creed, and national origin vanished under fire; there were only brothers-in arms. There were countless acts of bravery and self-sacrifice. And these men developed a bond that is closer than that borne of blood. I do not claim to fully understand it, but if you spend any time around combat veterans, you cannot deny it exists.
I urge you to go see this movie. Reflect on the scores of men who died at Ia Drang. Remember them and their gallantry under fire. They were old men in their late teens and early twenties. Then, pledge that you will never forget the high price of liberty and the currency of blood often required to purchase it.
I thank God that I live in a great nation that belatedly remembers these brave and noble young men and still continues to produce them. ***
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