[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 20, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S2176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE

  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, as terrorists attacked our shores and 
bombarded our sense of security on September 11, 2001, Americans, and 
indeed freedom-loving people everywhere, wondered aloud how the United 
States would respond. They didn't have to wait long for an answer. 
Americans rose to the occasion by donating blood, by volunteering for 
relief efforts, and by enlisting in America's armed forces. But such is 
the American way. When duty calls, Americans are ready to answer.
  With the military action in Afghanistan and the many theaters of the 
war on terror serving as a backdrop, the movie, ``We Were Soldiers,'' 
chronicles one of the first major battles of the Vietnam War, and 
conveys the leadership and heroism of the units that served in the 
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Lt. Colonel Harold Moore led a battalion 
of First Cavalry soldiers into battle, displaying a sense of leadership 
that fostered comradery but at the same time illustrated the great 
stakes for which they were fighting. During my own service in Vietnam 
as a member of the Army's First Cavalry, I felt the same bond with the 
men around me, and I am pleased that this film was able to capture that 
bond so well.
  The Vietnam War, unlike any other conflict beyond America's borders, 
was a war that polarized public opinion. It was a struggle that took 
place far from home that, to many people, had little impact on day-to-
day life in the United States. But this movie succeeds in putting human 
faces on the countless lives lost, as well as on the veterans who 
returned home to a changed country. Although that is the context in 
which Ia Drang occurred, the movie does a remarkable job not focusing 
on politics. Rather it is about the love and deep bond between men in 
battle, fighting for their lives. Lt. Colonel Moore summed up his 
dedication to his men perfectly when he told them that although they 
may not all make it back alive, he could guarantee they'd all make it 
back home.
  The story of the Battle of Ia Drang is one of grit and determination. 
But it is also one of staggering loss. In November of 1965, some 450 
men, under the command of Lt. Colonel Moore, were dropped into a small 
clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 
more than 2,000 Northern Vietnamese soldiers, and confronted with the 
type of conflict that would mark the war in Vietnam for years to come. 
Three-hundred-five of those 450 men never made it home; their names are 
inscribed on the third panel to the right of the apex, Panel 3-East, of 
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, and in the thoughts of 
all Americans, men and women for whom they sacrificed their lives. As 
President John F. Kennedy said, ``A man does what he must--in spite of 
personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and 
pressures--and that is the basis of all human morality.'' The men of Ia 
Drang certainly paid the ultimate price in protecting our freedom, and 
this movie ensures that their story will not fade with time. But ``We 
Were Soldiers'' does more than simply tell a story from the history 
books. It reminds us all that it is our mothers and fathers, sisters 
and brothers, friends and neighbors who serve in America's armed 
forces. The men and women who protect our values every day are 
deserving of their places in our thoughts and prayers, and we are 
forever grateful.

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