This movie is originally based on a best-selling book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and journalist Joseph L. Galloway. The story and movie both revolve around the first major battle between the United States and North Vietnamese forces. Both authors of the book state that the movie is between 60-80% accurate when it comes to a reflection of the book, and in 2002 when the movie debuted, the audience saw it as a smash hit. The movie shows the audience what true valor and loyalty look like among U.S. soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War.
Below are four clips showing some of the best scenes from the movie:
The clip below shows an emotional scene in which Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) delivers an inspirational speech to his troops before deploying to battle. He reminds his men that although they are a diverse group of people, they are all brothers on the battlefield. He also pledges to be the first on the battlefield and the last to leave it.
In the Vietnam War, “Broken Arrow” was a word used to indicate that a ground element was facing an imminent threat of being overrun. In this scene, the main actor used that term to connect to the call center and keep them involved in what was going on on the ground. The call for help was met with a response of air support, sending the battlefield into a fiery wasteland.
This clip showing the Vietnamese assault on the French infantry is evidence of how graphic and brutal the Vietnam War was. This clip shows no justice to the true horrors of the war that many veterans to this day, still face.
This clip depicts the final battle scene and is one of the most iconic scenes from the movie. In four wordless and graphic minutes, American troops and helicopters wage a bloody offensive against the enemy.
