Have you ever wondered what it would be like to put your life on the line for your country? In the book We Were Soldiers Once….and Young by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, many brave American soldiers put their lives at risk during the beginning of the Vietnam War. Colonel Harold Moore and journalist Joseph Galloway recall all the events that occurred over four days in the La Drang Valley, South Vietnam. Thomas Brown, the commander of the 3rd Brigade, was the one who made the decisions; he was Moore's boss and was the one who informed him that he was about to leave for the first battle in the La Drang Valley. Moore's battalion officers were Captain Matt Dillon, Battalion S-3, who was the lead operations officer, Also joining the battalion was Sergeant Major Plumley, who was a very experienced airborne soldier, Major General Harry W.O. Kinnard, Brigadier General Richard Knowles, Caption Gordon (Rosie) Rozoanski, Captain John Herren, Captain Ramon (Tony Nadal), Captain Louis Lefebvre and Air Force First Lieutenant Charlie Hastings. Harold Moore's battalion, the 450-man 1st Battalion, 7th Calvary, U.S. Army, was dispatched on November 15, 1965. After arriving in an area designated by the Americans as the X-ray landing zone, the battalion captured a North Vietnamese soldier who was found on a mountain. This captured soldier insulted: "There are three battalions on the mountain who long to kill the Americans but have been unable to find any." A few hours later, those Vietnamese battalions came into contact with Moore's 7th Cavalry and this began the first battle of the Vietnam War. Moore's 450 men would soon realize they were facing far greater numbers of Vietnamese soldiers. than they expected. Well done, Alpha and Charlie… half the paper… had to follow through to properly lead his men. He commanded his men not simply by telling them what to do, but by leading them in the field and making sure each man knew they were a valuable part of his innate command. The ability to connect with his men allowed him to ask more of his men than most of the commanding officers, and equally he was willing to give back, some would have given everything, but none would regret following him into battle. This book was not written just for him to inform about the war, I believe Moore and Galloway wanted to tell a story and allow their readers to have a real insight into what was happening on the battlefield. Moore and Galloway did a great job of showing the courage and leadership they put forth and showed the ultimate sacrifice they were willing to make not only for other soldiers but for their country..