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Was anyone aware that the old Aussie, Mel Gibson, is now involved in shooting a new movie "We Were Soldiers" taken from the book by retired Colonel Harold Moore on the Battle of the Ia Drang, Vietnam, 1965?

In fact, the old Mad Max plays Colonel Moore in the movie.

Sure it is Hollywood! So what! I enjoyed Braveheart and the Patriot. It's about time for a good Nam Movie. We've had SPR, TRL, and now PH. The last good Nam movie I can remember was Hamburger Hill and that was over 10 years ago.

Bring it on Hollywood. The Battle of the Ia Drang was one of the most important battles of the Vietnam War.

There are many reasons for saying this. THe principal one was that it set the tone for a war that could not be won...a war of attrition, that of inflicting many more losses on the enemy than we suffered ourselves.

The Communist side lost heavily. During Tet alone, they had as many soldiers killed (VC and NVA) as we had in the entire war, over 58,000. Sadly, with over 30,000 a year becoming of age to fight, it was indeed a war that could not be won, at least not with the thousands of restrictions placed upon the Allied combatants.

But that is another theme for discussion. I'm ready for "We Were Soldiers!"

Wild Bill

Sounds Great Bill - looking forward to it!!

I think he was great in one of his first rolls "Galipolli" as the guy that becomes a runner and trys to stop the useless charge.

It really shows how young men can go to war looking for glory and end up dead - a great war and anti-war movie.

Figmo

Hamburger Hill? Ill take "platoon", or "Full metal jacket", over that one, hehheh
Ever see "the siege of firebase gloria"?
Its got the DI from full metal jacket in it, pretty decent.

Great info WB! I think that it is good that Hollywood is making military movies again.
People need to know about the sacrifices our troops have had to endure to have the freedom we have today. Don't forget later this fall I think the movie "Blachawk Down"
will be out!
Semper Fi
Randy

Also dont forget "windtalkers" about the navajo code talkers used by the marines, in ww2

Originally posted by Alby:
Also dont forget "windtalkers" about the navajo code talkers used by the marines, in ww2

I was up near Window Rock, Arizona and saw some of the movie set equipment. They must be shooting some background scenes up there. Its a big deal for the people on the Navajo Nation as the Codetalkers are generally worshipped by all Navajos as their greatest 20th Century achievment.

Bruce
Semper Fi

Ia Drang 65... that's 1st Air Cav right? Isn't that also the first fire-test of the airmobile concept? Crazy stuff...

Tomo

Mel and crew were filming at Ft Hunter-Liggett California this past month while I was going through my MOS reclass course. It seemed strange to me that the filmmakers wanted to film in very hilly brown California oak savanah. Oh well. Sam Elliot who is playing the CSM in the film is a real stand up guy, he picked up the bar tab on our six hour pre-graduation festivities. Wish I'd had more real CSMs like him!

My mom called me from Kansas (to Louisiana) to tell me that Gibson was playing Col. Moore. Why? When I was in grade school, along with the starting lineup of the N.O. Saints, I had all of the 1st Cav. lineup (battalion COs and up) on my bedroom wall. Hal Moore was one of my childhood heroes and I'm exited as hell that they're making a movie about the Ia Drang. I just hope the movie portrays those men as the heroes they are. Go 1st Team, This we will defend!!!

Indeed! He seems to be a very approachable person.

California, huh? Well, it was mountainous terrain, not much jungle so that might be ideal.

Air Cav is right, battle of the Ia Drang, actually in five parts. The Battle to be portrayed is the fourth part of that campaign, known as "Silver Bayonet."

You can find the Sgt of Full Metal Jacket also in Apocalypse Now (yes, a brief glimpse as a helicopter pilot)and the movie about Nam Medics and doctors called, "Purple Heart."

Some other interesting Nam Movies:

84 Charlie Mopic
The Iron Triangle
Remember the Spartans
The Anderson Platoon
Purple Heart
Green Berets
Frankie's House
A Bright Shining Lie

And so on, and so on

Wild Bill

Don't forget "Bat-21" or "Flight of the Intruder". Intruder a good show on Navy air ops.

I think the first Nam movie about the US was
"Yank in Vietnam". That was in th eearly 60s.
I guess I'm dating myself!!
Semper Fi
Randy

Originally posted by Flashfyre:
Don't forget "Bat-21" or "Flight of the Intruder". Intruder a good show on Navy air ops.

"Flight of the Intruder" is a great flick - the A-6 rules!!

Yes indeed. I do have those. They are great ones. Thanks. ALso Hanoi Hilton is a great one to add to the airwar of the Nam.

Wild Bill

How about "The Boys in Company C"? c. 1980?. Kinda depicted the grunts life (and death) amid the crazyness that was Viet Nam. Or am I getting my flicks mixed up? After reading WB's list, its hard to realize that there have actually been that many VN movies made.

Bradley

Wild Bill

Sounds like some good war movies coming out.
Adding those to your already impressive collection make me a bit jealous, I have just started collecting. One movie I always look for but have never seen in that last 10 years is The Young Warriors, with James Drury(the Virginian), late 60's early 70's, do you know the one I mean?

Boro

"The Boys in Company C," of course. I have that one too. It was one of the first to show the darker side of the conflict.

I have heard of it Boro, but for the life of me I can't remember anything about it. I don't have it in my collection.

"The Deer Hunter" is another one I have (Robert DeNiro, Chris Walken)and did not mention.

Also should have mentioned "Casualties of War (Sean Penn, Michael J. Fox) and Vietnam War Stories (a series of nine one hour episodes produced by HBO in the 80s.)

And who could forget the Nam series on TV for three years, "Tour of Duty?" I have nearly all of those episodes.

Some others dealing peripherally with Nam include Coming Home (a very negative approach to the war - with Jane Fonda in it, what else would you expect?), and Gardens of Stone (James Caan).

I will see if we can find it somewhere. Is it a Nam movie?

Can anyone think of any others we might have missed?

Wild Bill

"The Boys in Company C." I had not thought about that one for a while, and it seems to have disappeared from view. I don't recall much about it, except that I was in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC in 79 and wheeled my roommate down to the hospital theater to see it. He was a Vietnam vet. He commented that it was realistic. It was just about the last time he left his room. He died of liver cancer a couple of weeks later.

Wild Bill

No, it was a WWII movie. Familier story about a tough sargent(Drury) and a bunch of new recruits. Ending with the now experinced recruit taking the wounded sargents role with the next batch of raw recruits.

Another I'd like to see again is "663 Squadron", a flyers movie again set in WWII.

About the only VN series not mentioned yet is the 10,000 Day War series that you can still catch on History Channel.

Boro

Originally posted by JW:
"The Boys in Company C." I had not thought about that one for a while, and it seems to have disappeared from view. I don't recall much about it, except that I was in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in DC in 79 and wheeled my roommate down to the hospital theater to see it. .

Remember, the Kid stepped on mine, and they all heard it click, and the sarge, told the rest of the platoon to spread out ,foregt about him coz "that man is a dead man"