That moment just before a mass engagement with an armed enemy has been feared since first men began to fight. The contemplation of of the 'kill or die' moment is truly profound
I loved that part of the movie. The stress level was incredible. Unfortunately (or fortunately) that did not happen in the actual battle. But it is still a great scene.
The Sergeant Major lived up the street from my work till his death. From what I have heard, Sam Elliot called him every week to just talk. When he passed Fort Moore had a memorial service at the Infantry Museum and Sam Elliot showed up to pay his respects. Fort Benning was recently renamed to Fort Moore after Colonel Moore which Mel Gibson played. Some of this movie was filmed at Fort Moore. I have a long history with Fort Moore. My grandfather retired from there. I was born there. I spent 8 years there as an active duty soldier with the 3rd ID and then spent another 8 years there in the Reserves. A lot of great soldiers have come and gone there.
Thank you for you and your family's service. I feel awkward saying that sometimes but really. I never served but my grandpa was in the pacific ww2 but he never talked about it
We signed out at Ft Benning in '70 at the admin building on main post.. ...6 of us lined up at a table...Warrant Officer processing our discharge papers..Guy at the head of the line was 1st Air Cav...turns around to us and says "Holy shit,,, we're still alive"...an hour later we're on a bus to the airport,, getting our asses away from the army and that post..It was a VERY good day...
He is the most enjoyable. Both Popcorn in Bed and EOM are two reaction channels that it doesn't even matter what they are watching, the reactions are still engaging.
It's performances like this one that showcase how great of an actor Mel Gibson actually is. He's not just "action man," but he can play any type of role, and you can really feel each performance. I highly recommend Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Payback, The Man Without a Face, Ransom, and Dragged Across Concrete (PLEASE do that one at some point, I guarantee you'll love it).
This was the very First Firefight of the Vietnam War , Col. Moore is a Real life Hero a Soldiers Solider , This is a very true story not made up , Hand Salute from an Old Vietnam Veteran
My dad was at Ia Drang. Thing is... his platoon was there a week *before* this battle. They were ordered to go through and report what they saw; they saw nothing. But they felt a million eyes on them. The NVA let them pass in order to stay hidden. Could've *easily* been wiped out.
Critics went really hard on this movie when it came. Mainly criticizing how “cliched” some of the dialogue was, especially with the characters dying words. The REAL Hal Moore publicly responded by apologizing that his men “weren’t being creative or original in their final moments”. That got the critics to shut up real quick. What I will always love about Hal Moore, was that he indeed kept his promise. He was the first to set foot on the field, he was the last to step off, and he indeed left no one behind. That right there is a true combat leader.
It's one of the best books I've ever read and the movie did a good job but left out so much especially the ambush that took place to the reinforcements at landing zone Albany
Seen this movie so many times and I still get goosebumps when Sam Elliot yells “GENTLEMEN!!! PREPARE TO DEFEND YOURSELVES!!!” When I was shipping out for Iraq in 2003 it was a surreal experience. I remember the married guys saying goodbye to their sobbing wives while us single guys just tried to keep it together knowing we were heading into the great unknown not knowing if all of us were coming home or not. All but one of us did
I went to High School with someone who died in this battle. He is one of the names listed at the end of the movie. I made sure to find his name on the Vietnam Wall in Washington to pay my respects.
One of the best films about the Vietnam War. I tend to rewatch this one more than other films about the war. The Battle of Ia Drang was a battle where many new battle tactics were figured out including the blueprint on how NVA and Vietcong forces would effectively fight the US for the rest of the war.
Hal Moore died in 2017, but some years ago, I was Facebook friends with him. His family was running his page back than, but it was great to see all his awards and high lights.
This is a great movie. They renamed Fort Benning into Fort Moore after Hal and Julia Moore. The man Greg Kinnear plays, Bruce Crandall, later received the Medal of Honor what he did in this battle.
You might want to check out Go For Broke. An older WW2 story about the 442nd infantry unit made up of Japanese Americans. Some had family members in the internment camps.
"I wonder what was going through Custer's mind when he realized that he'd led his men into a slaughter?" "Sir, Custer was a pussy. You ain't." Fun Fact: Breakout role of Jon Hamm. Fort Moore Fact: On 11 May 2023, Fort Moore, previously named Fort Benning, in Georgia, was named in honor of Hal Moore and his wife Action Star Fact: Jon Hamm later said, in tribute to Sam Elliott, that the fifty-eight year old actor participated in the boot camp training of the cast, without exemption. Hell Week Fact: According to American Sniper Chris Kyle (RIP), this film is shown to the U.S. Navy special forces recruits to inspire them before they begin the "Hell Week" stage of their SEAL training. Historical Fact: Although many of the names are never really seen, or said, throughout the movie, very careful attention was paid to ensure every member of the company was represented properly in the film. For every person that was a member of the company in real life, there was an actor on-screen, most of whom resembled the actual soldiers themselves. A total of three soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle represented in this film. Joseph Marm, Jr. received his shortly after the battle, Ed Freeman on July 16, 2001, and Bruce P. Crandall on February 26, 2007. Freeman and Crandall were helicopter pilots who flew frequent relief and resupply missions into the heart of the battle when medevac choppers could not approach. Joseph Galloway was awarded a Bronze Star for gallantry for carrying wounded men to safety at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. He was the only civilian awarded the Bronze Star during the Vietnam War. The real Joseph D. Galloway stepped out of the movie theater during a scene, but still approved the film. His explanation was: "That was my nightmare for 36 years. I don't want to see it again."
Custer didn't have any intel on the area...That severely and fatally impacted his situational awareness..Same thing happened to Moore...1876 train wreck/1965 train wreck....
I personally believe this is the best movie about the Vietnam war it shows not all soldiers in this war were angry about being drafted or doing drugs or murdering children and raping women there were plenty of good patriotic brave soldiers who did their duty regardless of how you may feel about the politics of the war
Respectfully, a Medal of Honor is not “won” it’s received. I say this because I know you have nothing but respect for him as I’m sure you would any other MOH recipient. But if any of them had a say, (many receive it post-humously) it doesn’t represent the winning of anything. Just a moment in time they’d say anyone could’ve done in their position, and one they’d probably like to forget. And as an enlisted recipient once said, it’s easier to receive one than it is to have one. Meaning the pressure of people celebrating and praising you for the worst things you ever had to go through in your life. And through no fault of their own often don’t realize they may not want to constantly talk about how they got it. Oops, tangent over. Anyway, just FYI.
You've Got Mel recommendations: Gallipoli (super f***ed up young Mel war movie that needs more love), Payback (my favorite Mel flick), Year of Living Dangerously (young Mel trying to get wirh Sigourney Weaver during a national crisis).
@finger3181 Yeah I like this movie the first couple Times i've watched it . But blackhawk down blew my mind when I was a kid and i've been watching it ever since . Throughout my life, I've also went and done.Tons of research watched all the documentaries live news coverage of it Interviews with the soldiers That were there . The cast is stacked Big time . Sorry About all the missed punctuations and capitalizations.I'm using voice text and It is trash
18:19 The battle scenes are rough, but the portrayal of the soldiers wives is absolutely heart-breaking. Also, the way they humanize the "enemy" is a testament to the authenticity of the story. Soldiers are just pawns, being pushed around the board by the powerful. Such an excellent movie.
Other great Nam/Nam era flicks: Casualties Of War (stellar & different Michael J Fox role), Dead Presidents, Platoon, American Gangster, Coming Home, Deer Hunter, Air America (more Mel & light for a Nam flick & RDJ)
There is a Vietnam War movie that I have been requesting for several years on several channels. No luck so far. As I started typing this I realized that the movie is available on DVD but I don't know about other types of media. Maybe that's why no one reacts to it. Anyway, the name of the movie is Boys in Company "C". It's not your typical war movie in that there aren't many battles, well there are battles just of a different kind. Also, R. Lee Ermey plays a Drill Instructor. And, speaking of Gen. Custer, there is a movie called Little Big Man that he is a big part of, well it's not actually him but an actor portraying him.
Random trivia. My uncle served with Colonel Moore in Ia Drang. He never would talk much about it, but it was something he was tremendously proud of. As a vet, I want to say thank you for remembering those who served and fell. As a family member of someone who lived through this, thank you for choosing this one.
"We were soldiers" is my second fav war film and I'm surprised it wasn't requested more. Saving Private Ryan and hacksaw ridge are great but they don't hold a candle to this. I'd like to see you react to "When trumpets fade" but I'm also going to ask that for your own good don't watch it. The battle for the hurtgen forest in Germany during WWII was nothing short of a tragedy, it's not a heroic film. There is no happy ending. Thank you for sharing brother and God bless
Glad to see someone watch something appropriate to remember the day and those who have fought and given their lives. Not some "X-men movie" like others. Thank you sir.
I have a funny bayonet story. I was with 3/22 Infantry C company, the same unit that is in the movie Platoon. We had a brand new fresh Lieutenant take over the platoon. When we were on quick reactionary force status it meant we could be anywhere in the world in 24 hours. So we would constantly have drills where we would get all our crap down to Hickham AFB to deploy. We never knew if these alerts were drills or the real thing. So I decided I was going to have fun with the new LT so every alert I would ask him, Bayonet's are we getting Bayonet's? He didn't say anything for the first 6 or 7 alerts, finally he asks me Sgt Smith, what is the deal with your obsession over bayonet's? I told him with an absolute strait face that it was a way to conserve ammunition. He said How So? I replied, ammunition is for enemy combatants and the bayonet is for the women and children. The look of pure horror and disgust on his face was absolutely PRICELESS and made slow walking that joke for nearly a year worth it.
What sucked, among a lot of other things, was the US soldiers used M 16s which I heard kept jamming, getting dirty didn't work. And the Vietcong had AKs which could withstand almost anything
The problem with the M-16, was the government: the action of the rifle was designed to be self-cleaning, if using a specified powder in the ammunition. The powder was changed when ammunition went into production, but the rifles were initially issued without cleaning kits, because nobody was told that the ammunition had changed.
The original M-16 worked just find if you kept up with proper field maintenance. Discipline was a HUGE problem in Vietnam, there were draftees who didn't want to be there, they had bad attitudes and had little discipline to maintain their weapons properly, that is where the M-16 got such a bad reputation.
“Can’t take no pictures lying down there, Sonny.” -Sgt. Major Thank you for your reaction, bromigo. Another gem to add to the books. Keep on keeping on and Gritos from Tejas. “That’s a nice day, Sgt. Savage.”
Hey Jay, really enjoy your keeping it all real reactions to a variety of movies. Regarding Vietnam era movies, you may want to react to The Deer Hunter (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), and The Thin Red Line (1998). All three are amazing movies and will leave you in a state of greater reverence for life.
Good afternoon sir! Thank you for such a great and heartfelt reaction. If I may sir I’d like to recommend Schindler’s list. It’s a very outstanding but also emotional and sad movie.
LOVED your reaction…one of your most emotional reactions since Green Mile….😰I got all misty eyed at the end, being that I have a brother, father , grandpa & uncle that were veterans….Definitely one of the best Vietnam War 🇻🇳 movies EVER….now you gotta watch “Deer Hunter”….another emotionally jarring Vietnam War movie. It’s got Robert De Niro & Christopher Walken, so it’s awesome 🤩
My Dad was in this and the subsequent battles that followed and received the Bronze Star with Sgt. Major Plumley and many other brave soldiers. I have his original Bronze Star letter and Thanksgiving Day Menus(he saved) that happened just 3 weeks after. Band of brothers We were soldiers And Hacksaw Ridge are imo the best war movies I've seen. Obviously We Were Soldiers has a sentimental meaning to me. My Dad used to tuck us in when we sleeping and checked to make sure we were Breathing each night?! Not sure where or why that routine began. Miss my Pops! Thank you for your reaction...
Hal Moore landed at LZ xray which was devastating but the real bloodbath was at LZ Albany after Hal Moores unit was pulled out. That Aircav unit at Albany was almost wiped out.
This, lone survivor, hacksaw ridge, 13 hours and 22 strong should be required viewings before any politician sends men into war, or funds others peoples bloodshed. Fmr Ssgt 03-12
EOM... I've just recently discovered your channel. I've enjoyed it. And I think you are the friend I'd always drag to the movies given the chance. I served in the Navy. Less dangerous branch it seems. But I served from 98 - 04. A lot happened from the happy relaxed country to what came after. If I can ever give some insight Navy wise feel free to ask.
I didn't know about this story until the film, then read up on it later. Just an amazing account of the early actions of Air Cav. Hey Jay, got another great film for you, this one set during WWII. It's "Unbroken", a true story of a WWII Army Air Corp crewman, Louie Zamporini who was captured in the Pacific after his aircraft was shot down.
My father was a cameraman in the news biz during the 60's and 70's. "Reporters" were and still are exactly like this. They're some of the worst, sociopathic narcissists you'd ever have the misfortune of coming across. He hated having to work with the majority of them.
It’s hard for me to watch these too. I wouldn’t be here if my grandfather hadn’t come home from WWII OVER 416,000 people died. I’m sure it messed up my grandfather
I was training with some elements of 7th cavalry couple of years back in Arrow 22 exercise. Amazing guys and they still talk highly about Hal Moore and legacy he made for 7th cavalry.
Hello! I'm just adding...Mel Gibson is in this trilogy of historical epics, Braveheart, The Patriot and We Were Soldiers. This last one is historically accurate the character Mel portraits was the technical advisor during the filming of the movie. The battle scenes were filmed in California!
My father-in-law has a silver star (among others) from the Vietnam war. He talked about it a little bit during a holiday visit. He and his men were dropped into a situation where they were pinned down immediately. Somehow all of his troops survived and they were evacuated safely. The very next day, the higher-ups wanted to send him and his troops to the exact same location. He refused to go. The next guy and -his- troops were slaughtered. That amazing man cried during the story. It was a good reminder that those vets, and frankly all of the other ones around the world are very fucking traumatized. Our politicians, FOR DECADES at least, have failed to care properly for the people they made broken. Yes, I'm still mad about their treatment of -my- dad (lack of help for a memory care facility for him after 20 years of service) and other vets who legitimately need help. This movie makes my heart hurt every single time.
Hal Moore was such a student of military tactics and warfare that he eventually returned to the site of this battle and discussed events with the opposing NVA colonel that fought against them. I had a U.S. History professor in college who was neighbors with Moore in either Auburn or Opelika,AL(basically one big town if you know the area).
Many younger people don't realize the number of US soldiers killed in the Vietnam war. Ten times the number killed in both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. It's mind-boggling. Not to denigrate the sacrifices of those killed and wounded in those wars or any other war at all. Great and very respectful reaction. This one always gets me.
The reinactors even made it as real as possible that some people actually got injured during filming. Not by live rounds. Some accidental stabbings and powder burns from muzzle fire powder burning.
I am 65 years old, I was at my Grandmas when my uncle got his draft notice. He has never talked about Viet Nam, when he was back home his uniforms in his closet all had the Air Cav, insignia, he won’t fly anywhere he will only drive, this movie shows me the hell he must have gone through, to get home, and I thank God he did……Thanks Bro for the review…..
Love your movie reviews and have been watching your gaming channel (highly recommended The Walking Dead and Red Dead game plays). You bring a smile to my face and make the day that much better. Thank you for being you. This movie review was very poignant to watch on Memorial Day. My father served two tours in Vietnam and I thank all the service men and women that defend the U.S. A shout out to Blank for all the work that he does to make this channel possible.
Rather than add on to a previous comment I decided to start a new one. I thought of another movie, kind of a war movie. The movie is Southern Comfort. I would love to see J react to this movie because just about the whole movie takes place in a Louisiana Swamp. There will be some STFU's when you recognize some well known faces.
I think this is my favourite war movie. It’s so beautiful and poignant. I’m not a huge fan of Mel Gibson but in this movie, they couldn’t have cast anyone better. It’s up there with saving private ryan for me. ❤ amazing reaction as always 😊
Its not just about number of soldiers. The Americans had a huge firepower advantage with artillery and airpower. The North Vietnamese soldier was every bit as good as an American, if not better.
Thank you for this. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I’m still waiting for a story centering the families and the stigma of having a loved one in Vietnam or a story focused on the nurses who had to care for the wounded, military, and civilian, encourage them, mother them, and sometimes expedite the end of their suffering. 😔
Sgt Mackenzie was a great song choice for this film , if the taxi driver scene was true id imagine he probably served in ww2 or Korea so would've hated doing that job
Your comment about reporters- Gen Sherman during the Civil War forbade journalists from his areas. He despised them and said that he felt many were traitors.
Dude... Journalism is how we even know this story. It takes hard journalistic work to uncover these stories to honor our heroes. And journalists are what protects democracy, with their lives sometimes. Yeah, they can be annoying sometimes. But we need them
Uncommon fact the Vietnamese call it "The American War", while Americans called it "The Vietnam War". And to thhis day there are still operational mines and traps leftover from the war to this day. Some have been found but a majority are lost and only the unfortunate find them.
I love this movie, but I really dislike the charge up the hill near the end. That never happened. On the third day the Viet Con had simply vanished into the jungle. Considering everything finished, the Americans started heading back to base. Col. Moore's men were airlifted from there. Some of the reinforcements had to march single file to a different pick up area where they were ambushed enroute by another large group of enemy soldiers. They eventually were able to evacuate after suffering heavy losses while inflicting a great many more The Americans took this battle as a victory because not only did they kill many times the number of enemies that they lost, but also because the enemies seemed to leave the area. That was part of the problem in the Vietnam war, in my opinion. America was more concerned with body count than actual control of areas. I tend to look at is as more like a draw. Yes we killed many more than we lost. But almost as soon as we left the area, the enemy simply moved back in.
The real tragedy of the La Drang valley is after Hal Moores unit was pulled from the field another unit went in on a search and destroy mission further into the valley and they were nearly wiped out Moores unit didn't get further than the LZ and the next unit got sucked deeper into the jungle and were ambushed from all sides. A real blood bath. The only issue I had with this movie was that it was filmed in the Hollywood back lots instead of a real dense jungle so you don't get that feeling of not being able to 20 feet in front of you or seeing the enemy in the thick jungle.
Sgt. Savage held it down alright. Turned out that the Lost Platoon was right on the main trail for the enemy. Them being there calling in artillery all night disrupted how the enemy planned to move. This was a big factor in the whole force not getting overrun. The creekbed turned into somthing of a death trap. It was low ground with little cover. It was thought later that it would have been better to stay on the near to the LZ bank or the low ridge and shot the enemy up in there. The end was pure Hollywood. There was no charge up the hill. They also did not show what came next. A relief force had fought its way in to help relieve Moore and the enemy melted away. For some crazy reason, high command decided that the relief force would march out instead of being helicoptered out. A fresh enemy unit caught them strung out on the march and tore them apart. Also, the artillery fired so hard during this engagement that several guns broke down but were repaired. A couple of them were completely wrecked.
While it is true that the Viet Con greatly outnumbrted the Americans in this battle, two things they did not have were artillery and air support. The enemy had a very difficult time making it past the wall of lead that the Americans threw up. Even when they did, as shown by the Broken Arrow scene, the massive amout of firepower that was called in, decomated thr troops that had not yet reached the American lines. Meaning that the first groups that made it through had no back up.
Btw “fix bayonets” essentially means a last stand. One of the worst orders for a soldier to hear
That moment just before a mass engagement with an armed enemy has been feared since first men began to fight. The contemplation of of the 'kill or die' moment is truly profound
I loved that part of the movie. The stress level was incredible. Unfortunately (or fortunately) that did not happen in the actual battle.
But it is still a great scene.
The Sergeant Major lived up the street from my work till his death. From what I have heard, Sam Elliot called him every week to just talk. When he passed Fort Moore had a memorial service at the Infantry Museum and Sam Elliot showed up to pay his respects. Fort Benning was recently renamed to Fort Moore after Colonel Moore which Mel Gibson played. Some of this movie was filmed at Fort Moore. I have a long history with Fort Moore. My grandfather retired from there. I was born there. I spent 8 years there as an active duty soldier with the 3rd ID and then spent another 8 years there in the Reserves. A lot of great soldiers have come and gone there.
Thank you for you and your family's service. I feel awkward saying that sometimes but really. I never served but my grandpa was in the pacific ww2 but he never talked about it
We signed out at Ft Benning in '70 at the admin building on main post.. ...6 of us lined up at a table...Warrant Officer processing our discharge papers..Guy at the head of the line was 1st Air Cav...turns around to us and says "Holy shit,,, we're still alive"...an hour later we're on a bus to the airport,, getting our asses away from the army and that post..It was a VERY good day...
🇺🇲🙏👍@@4catsnow
🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
It will ALWAYS be Fort Benning, home of the Infantry!
This man deserves more subscribers! He’s one of the most enjoyable reaction channels
He really is, sooner or later it's gonna hit 100k and I can't wait.
Absolutely
He’s putting in the work and I’ve been a fan for a long time…he better never change once he hits 1,000,000!
He is the most enjoyable. Both Popcorn in Bed and EOM are two reaction channels that it doesn't even matter what they are watching, the reactions are still engaging.
he's genuine. Not some sociopathic attention seeker.
It's performances like this one that showcase how great of an actor Mel Gibson actually is. He's not just "action man," but he can play any type of role, and you can really feel each performance.
I highly recommend Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Payback, The Man Without a Face, Ransom, and Dragged Across Concrete (PLEASE do that one at some point, I guarantee you'll love it).
Craig Zahker is great. I love Bone Tomahawk.
@@mattjones7226 Zahler is a renegade of American film, for sure. Brawl in Cell Block 99 is next level too..
This was the very First Firefight of the Vietnam War , Col. Moore is a Real life Hero a Soldiers Solider , This is a very true story not made up , Hand Salute from an Old Vietnam Veteran
My dad was at Ia Drang. Thing is... his platoon was there a week *before* this battle. They were ordered to go through and report what they saw; they saw nothing. But they felt a million eyes on them. The NVA let them pass in order to stay hidden. Could've *easily* been wiped out.
Critics went really hard on this movie when it came. Mainly criticizing how “cliched” some of the dialogue was, especially with the characters dying words.
The REAL Hal Moore publicly responded by apologizing that his men “weren’t being creative or original in their final moments”. That got the critics to shut up real quick.
What I will always love about Hal Moore, was that he indeed kept his promise. He was the first to set foot on the field, he was the last to step off, and he indeed left no one behind. That right there is a true combat leader.
“We Were Soldiers Once…And Young” is actually a book.
The sequel, "We Are Soldiers, Still" is amazing as well.
It's one of the best books I've ever read and the movie did a good job but left out so much especially the ambush that took place to the reinforcements at landing zone Albany
Sam Eliot's character makes me laugh everytime I watch this.
My favorite line is when he yells “men prepare to defend yourselves” shit gives me chills
Seen this movie so many times and I still get goosebumps when Sam Elliot yells “GENTLEMEN!!! PREPARE TO DEFEND YOURSELVES!!!”
When I was shipping out for Iraq in 2003 it was a surreal experience. I remember the married guys saying goodbye to their sobbing wives while us single guys just tried to keep it together knowing we were heading into the great unknown not knowing if all of us were coming home or not. All but one of us did
I went to High School with someone who died in this battle. He is one of the names listed at the end of the movie. I made sure to find his name on the Vietnam Wall in Washington to pay my respects.
Oh man... you sat though a tough one!
One of the best films about the Vietnam War. I tend to rewatch this one more than other films about the war. The Battle of Ia Drang was a battle where many new battle tactics were figured out including the blueprint on how NVA and Vietcong forces would effectively fight the US for the rest of the war.
Hal Moore died in 2017, but some years ago, I was Facebook friends with him. His family was running his page back than, but it was great to see all his awards and high lights.
This is a great movie. They renamed Fort Benning into Fort Moore after Hal and Julia Moore. The man Greg Kinnear plays, Bruce Crandall, later received the Medal of Honor what he did in this battle.
This might be the most powerful war movie I have seen. Glory is the same way.
You might want to check out Go For Broke. An older WW2 story about the 442nd infantry unit made up of Japanese Americans. Some had family members in the internment camps.
"I wonder what was going through Custer's mind when he realized that he'd led his men into a slaughter?"
"Sir, Custer was a pussy. You ain't."
Fun Fact: Breakout role of Jon Hamm.
Fort Moore Fact: On 11 May 2023, Fort Moore, previously named Fort Benning, in Georgia, was named in honor of Hal Moore and his wife
Action Star Fact: Jon Hamm later said, in tribute to Sam Elliott, that the fifty-eight year old actor participated in the boot camp training of the cast, without exemption.
Hell Week Fact: According to American Sniper Chris Kyle (RIP), this film is shown to the U.S. Navy special forces recruits to inspire them before they begin the "Hell Week" stage of their SEAL training.
Historical Fact: Although many of the names are never really seen, or said, throughout the movie, very careful attention was paid to ensure every member of the company was represented properly in the film. For every person that was a member of the company in real life, there was an actor on-screen, most of whom resembled the actual soldiers themselves. A total of three soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor for the battle represented in this film. Joseph Marm, Jr. received his shortly after the battle, Ed Freeman on July 16, 2001, and Bruce P. Crandall on February 26, 2007. Freeman and Crandall were helicopter pilots who flew frequent relief and resupply missions into the heart of the battle when medevac choppers could not approach. Joseph Galloway was awarded a Bronze Star for gallantry for carrying wounded men to safety at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965. He was the only civilian awarded the Bronze Star during the Vietnam War. The real Joseph D. Galloway stepped out of the movie theater during a scene, but still approved the film. His explanation was: "That was my nightmare for 36 years. I don't want to see it again."
Custer didn't have any intel on the area...That severely and fatally impacted his situational awareness..Same thing happened to Moore...1876 train wreck/1965 train wreck....
This one will break you. 💔
I personally believe this is the best movie about the Vietnam war it shows not all soldiers in this war were angry about being drafted or doing drugs or murdering children and raping women there were plenty of good patriotic brave soldiers who did their duty regardless of how you may feel about the politics of the war
I met Bruce "Snake Shit" Crandall 12 years ago. Only medal of honor winner I ever met. He is a great dude.
Respectfully, a Medal of Honor is not “won” it’s received. I say this because I know you have nothing but respect for him as I’m sure you would any other MOH recipient. But if any of them had a say, (many receive it post-humously) it doesn’t represent the winning of anything. Just a moment in time they’d say anyone could’ve done in their position, and one they’d probably like to forget. And as an enlisted recipient once said, it’s easier to receive one than it is to have one. Meaning the pressure of people celebrating and praising you for the worst things you ever had to go through in your life. And through no fault of their own often don’t realize they may not want to constantly talk about how they got it. Oops, tangent over. Anyway, just FYI.
That was Barry Pepper narrating (The guy playing the photographer). He used to deliver my pizza. North Vancouver, represent Barry!
Incredibly talented!
Hello, he was spreading the joy and love. Great job. I ordered two yesterday.
Good morning Sir!
How do you know what king of g-damn day it is?
You've Got Mel recommendations: Gallipoli (super f***ed up young Mel war movie that needs more love), Payback (my favorite Mel flick), Year of Living Dangerously (young Mel trying to get wirh Sigourney Weaver during a national crisis).
I absolutely second all three of these films.
Highly recommend watching the movie blackhawk down
Agreed. Far better than this, in every way. Gibson left no cliche unturned.
@finger3181 Yeah I like this movie the first couple Times i've watched it . But blackhawk down blew my mind when I was a kid and i've been watching it ever since . Throughout my life, I've also went and done.Tons of research watched all the documentaries live news coverage of it Interviews with the soldiers That were there . The cast is stacked Big time . Sorry About all the missed punctuations and capitalizations.I'm using voice text and It is trash
Mel has you crying every time, lol.
Me too.
Awesome reaction of my favorite movie!!!!!😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
37:40: "I don't like seeing people hurt. I don't like seeing people unhappy." This is no surprise to us EOM viewers, when we see his kindness to dogs.
18:19 The battle scenes are rough, but the portrayal of the soldiers wives is absolutely heart-breaking. Also, the way they humanize the "enemy" is a testament to the authenticity of the story.
Soldiers are just pawns, being pushed around the board by the powerful. Such an excellent movie.
Love Jay's reactions. He's so sympathetic for the right reasons.
Other great Nam/Nam era flicks: Casualties Of War (stellar & different Michael J Fox role), Dead Presidents, Platoon, American Gangster, Coming Home, Deer Hunter, Air America (more Mel & light for a Nam flick & RDJ)
War Stories can teach you more about humanity than almost all other genres. They highlight what is important to both live for and die for.
There is a Vietnam War movie that I have been requesting for several years on several channels. No luck so far. As I started typing this I realized that the movie is available on DVD but I don't know about other types of media. Maybe that's why no one reacts to it. Anyway, the name of the movie is Boys in Company "C". It's not your typical war movie in that there aren't many battles, well there are battles just of a different kind. Also, R. Lee Ermey plays a Drill Instructor. And, speaking of Gen. Custer, there is a movie called Little Big Man that he is a big part of, well it's not actually him but an actor portraying him.
29:45 "Sgt. MacKenzie" by Joseph Kilna MacKenzie is such a hauntingly beautiful song.
Random trivia. My uncle served with Colonel Moore in Ia Drang. He never would talk much about it, but it was something he was tremendously proud of. As a vet, I want to say thank you for remembering those who served and fell. As a family member of someone who lived through this, thank you for choosing this one.
"We were soldiers" is my second fav war film and I'm surprised it wasn't requested more. Saving Private Ryan and hacksaw ridge are great but they don't hold a candle to this. I'd like to see you react to "When trumpets fade" but I'm also going to ask that for your own good don't watch it. The battle for the hurtgen forest in Germany during WWII was nothing short of a tragedy, it's not a heroic film. There is no happy ending. Thank you for sharing brother and God bless
Glad to see someone watch something appropriate to remember the day and those who have fought and given their lives. Not some "X-men movie" like others. Thank you sir.
You.gotta check out The Last Castle with Robert Redford
I have a funny bayonet story. I was with 3/22 Infantry C company, the same unit that is in the movie Platoon. We had a brand new fresh Lieutenant take over the platoon. When we were on quick reactionary force status it meant we could be anywhere in the world in 24 hours. So we would constantly have drills where we would get all our crap down to Hickham AFB to deploy. We never knew if these alerts were drills or the real thing. So I decided I was going to have fun with the new LT so every alert I would ask him, Bayonet's are we getting Bayonet's? He didn't say anything for the first 6 or 7 alerts, finally he asks me Sgt Smith, what is the deal with your obsession over bayonet's? I told him with an absolute strait face that it was a way to conserve ammunition. He said How So? I replied, ammunition is for enemy combatants and the bayonet is for the women and children. The look of pure horror and disgust on his face was absolutely PRICELESS and made slow walking that joke for nearly a year worth it.
Great acting in this film. Great reaction bro! 👍🏿
What sucked, among a lot of other things, was the US soldiers used M 16s which I heard kept jamming, getting dirty didn't work. And the Vietcong had AKs which could withstand almost anything
The problem with the M-16, was the government: the action of the rifle was designed to be self-cleaning, if using a specified powder in the ammunition.
The powder was changed when ammunition went into production, but the rifles were initially issued without cleaning kits, because nobody was told that the ammunition had changed.
The original M-16 worked just find if you kept up with proper field maintenance. Discipline was a HUGE problem in Vietnam, there were draftees who didn't want to be there, they had bad attitudes and had little discipline to maintain their weapons properly, that is where the M-16 got such a bad reputation.
Mel's eyes deserve an Oscar for how much weight they carry.
the speech Hal gives before they all leave is amazing.
This is such a good movie im glad your reacting too it!
Your empathy is incredible, thank you for sharing with us all.
Absolutely love Same Elliot.
'That's you're fucking good day...'
“Can’t take no pictures lying down there, Sonny.”
-Sgt. Major
Thank you for your reaction, bromigo. Another gem to add to the books. Keep on keeping on and Gritos from Tejas.
“That’s a nice day, Sgt. Savage.”
The author Joe Galloway said the story of his great grandfather's meeting in Galveston every year to buy shoes was true 😂
Hey Jay, really enjoy your keeping it all real reactions to a variety of movies. Regarding Vietnam era movies, you may want to react to The Deer Hunter (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), and The Thin Red Line (1998). All three are amazing movies and will leave you in a state of greater reverence for life.
Good afternoon sir! Thank you for such a great and heartfelt reaction. If I may sir I’d like to recommend Schindler’s list. It’s a very outstanding but also emotional and sad movie.
"Gentlemen, prepare to defend yourselves " that's hardcore beyond what I can understand...
LOVED your reaction…one of your most emotional reactions since Green Mile….😰I got all misty eyed at the end, being that I have a brother, father , grandpa & uncle that were veterans….Definitely one of the best Vietnam War 🇻🇳 movies EVER….now you gotta watch “Deer Hunter”….another emotionally jarring Vietnam War movie. It’s got Robert De Niro & Christopher Walken, so it’s awesome 🤩
My Dad was in this and the subsequent battles that followed and received the Bronze Star with Sgt. Major Plumley and many other brave soldiers.
I have his original Bronze Star letter and Thanksgiving Day Menus(he saved) that happened just 3 weeks after.
Band of brothers
We were soldiers And
Hacksaw Ridge are imo the best war movies I've seen.
Obviously We Were Soldiers has a sentimental meaning to me.
My Dad used to tuck us in when we sleeping and checked to make sure we were Breathing each night?! Not sure where or why that routine began.
Miss my Pops!
Thank you for your reaction...
Hal Moore landed at LZ xray which was devastating but the real bloodbath was at LZ Albany after Hal Moores unit was pulled out. That Aircav unit at Albany was almost wiped out.
I have always loved this movie and it's seriously underrated. A great possibility for veterans day would be Black Hawk Down.
This, lone survivor, hacksaw ridge, 13 hours and 22 strong should be required viewings before any politician sends men into war, or funds others peoples bloodshed.
Fmr Ssgt 03-12
Watching my favorite war movie. Love your channel brother. Skal 🍻
EOM... I've just recently discovered your channel. I've enjoyed it. And I think you are the friend I'd always drag to the movies given the chance. I served in the Navy. Less dangerous branch it seems. But I served from 98 - 04. A lot happened from the happy relaxed country to what came after. If I can ever give some insight Navy wise feel free to ask.
I didn't know about this story until the film, then read up on it later. Just an amazing account of the early actions of Air Cav. Hey Jay, got another great film for you, this one set during WWII. It's "Unbroken", a true story of a WWII Army Air Corp crewman, Louie Zamporini who was captured in the Pacific after his aircraft was shot down.
What are the more obscure mel movies???....Ransom.....the other ones...im lazy at research
My father was a cameraman in the news biz during the 60's and 70's. "Reporters" were and still are exactly like this. They're some of the worst, sociopathic narcissists you'd ever have the misfortune of coming across. He hated having to work with the majority of them.
It’s hard for me to watch these too. I wouldn’t be here if my grandfather hadn’t come home from WWII OVER 416,000 people died. I’m sure it messed up my grandfather
I was training with some elements of 7th cavalry couple of years back in Arrow 22 exercise. Amazing guys and they still talk highly about Hal Moore and legacy he made for 7th cavalry.
Hope you are having an great and awesome day ❤
Hello! I'm just adding...Mel Gibson is in this trilogy of historical epics, Braveheart, The Patriot and We Were Soldiers. This last one is historically accurate the character Mel portraits was the technical advisor during the filming of the movie. The battle scenes were filmed in California!
I don’t remember if you have done Black Hawk Down but you should.
And still asking for Dune Part 1&2
My father-in-law has a silver star (among others) from the Vietnam war. He talked about it a little bit during a holiday visit. He and his men were dropped into a situation where they were pinned down immediately. Somehow all of his troops survived and they were evacuated safely. The very next day, the higher-ups wanted to send him and his troops to the exact same location. He refused to go. The next guy and -his- troops were slaughtered. That amazing man cried during the story.
It was a good reminder that those vets, and frankly all of the other ones around the world are very fucking traumatized. Our politicians, FOR DECADES at least, have failed to care properly for the people they made broken. Yes, I'm still mad about their treatment of -my- dad (lack of help for a memory care facility for him after 20 years of service) and other vets who legitimately need help.
This movie makes my heart hurt every single time.
I like how they didn't give just the viewpoint of the American soldiers but the Viet Cong and the wives back home.
Hal Moore was such a student of military tactics and warfare that he eventually returned to the site of this battle and discussed events with the opposing NVA colonel that fought against them. I had a U.S. History professor in college who was neighbors with Moore in either Auburn or Opelika,AL(basically one big town if you know the area).
Incredible reaction. Hal Moore was one of the best if not THE best colonels to exist in American history.
Many younger people don't realize the number of US soldiers killed in the Vietnam war. Ten times the number killed in both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. It's mind-boggling. Not to denigrate the sacrifices of those killed and wounded in those wars or any other war at all. Great and very respectful reaction. This one always gets me.
The reinactors even made it as real as possible that some people actually got injured during filming. Not by live rounds. Some accidental stabbings and powder burns from muzzle fire powder burning.
My former neighbor was in this battle and was a consultant for the film.
I am 65 years old, I was at my Grandmas when my uncle got his draft notice. He has never talked about Viet Nam, when he was back home his uniforms in his closet all had the Air Cav, insignia, he won’t fly anywhere he will only drive, this movie shows me the hell he must have gone through, to get home, and I thank God he did……Thanks Bro for the review…..
Love your movie reviews and have been watching your gaming channel (highly recommended The Walking Dead and Red Dead game plays). You bring a smile to my face and make the day that much better. Thank you for being you. This movie review was very poignant to watch on Memorial Day. My father served two tours in Vietnam and I thank all the service men and women that defend the U.S. A shout out to Blank for all the work that he does to make this channel possible.
Rather than add on to a previous comment I decided to start a new one. I thought of another movie, kind of a war movie. The movie is Southern Comfort. I would love to see J react to this movie because just about the whole movie takes place in a Louisiana Swamp. There will be some STFU's when you recognize some well known faces.
Thats how most unprofessional armies fight try to win by Zerg tactics aka numbers. Swarming enemies.
.........----------****** AWESOME FILM FIVE STARS ******* *********-------------...........
Nice, honest reaction. I don't know if others have mentioned it, but Hamburger Hill is another unforgettable and emotional Vietnam film.
I think this is my favourite war movie. It’s so beautiful and poignant. I’m not a huge fan of Mel Gibson but in this movie, they couldn’t have cast anyone better. It’s up there with saving private ryan for me. ❤ amazing reaction as always 😊
Its not just about number of soldiers. The Americans had a huge firepower advantage with artillery and airpower. The North Vietnamese soldier was every bit as good as an American, if not better.
Thank you for this. Maybe I’ve missed it, but I’m still waiting for a story centering the families and the stigma of having a loved one in Vietnam or a story focused on the nurses who had to care for the wounded, military, and civilian, encourage them, mother them, and sometimes expedite the end of their suffering. 😔
Sgt Mackenzie was a great song choice for this film , if the taxi driver scene was true id imagine he probably served in ww2 or Korea so would've hated doing that job
Jay, your empathy during this reaction is so touching. Love your stuff man.
Your comment about reporters- Gen Sherman during the Civil War forbade journalists from his areas. He despised them and said that he felt many were traitors.
The cab company was hired & I couldn't imagine having to deliver them. Let alone the wife doing door to door.
Dude... Journalism is how we even know this story. It takes hard journalistic work to uncover these stories to honor our heroes.
And journalists are what protects democracy, with their lives sometimes. Yeah, they can be annoying sometimes. But we need them
Uncommon fact the Vietnamese call it "The American War", while Americans called it "The Vietnam War". And to thhis day there are still operational mines and traps leftover from the war to this day. Some have been found but a majority are lost and only the unfortunate find them.
we cant put ourselves in those shoes..Vietnam the land of 1,000,000 ways to die,my uncle had to deal with the booby traps
i'm with you dude....i'm not a big fan of war movies unless i know they fictional.
I was 19 when they we're filming. I was working at the BX/PX and ran into Mel Gibson. Then when i went to Burger King he was there.
This one is hard to watch but necessary to understand our uncles and grandfathers footsteps...the jungle..thats were the term "hard core" comes from
You should watch "13 Hours". This is also a true story. Great book, great movie!
I was fresh out of high school driving my dad back to the airport to go back to Iraq alone. He had taken leave to come home for my HS graduation
Thanks for doing this. My father participated in this battle. He came in on the second set of helicopters. Jumped straight into a firefight.
I love this movie, but I really dislike the charge up the hill near the end. That never happened.
On the third day the Viet Con had simply vanished into the jungle. Considering everything finished, the Americans started heading back to base. Col. Moore's men were airlifted from there. Some of the reinforcements had to march single file to a different pick up area where they were ambushed enroute by another large group of enemy soldiers. They eventually were able to evacuate after suffering heavy losses while inflicting a great many more
The Americans took this battle as a victory because not only did they kill many times the number of enemies that they lost, but also because the enemies seemed to leave the area. That was part of the problem in the Vietnam war, in my opinion. America was more concerned with body count than actual control of areas.
I tend to look at is as more like a draw. Yes we killed many more than we lost. But almost as soon as we left the area, the enemy simply moved back in.
The real tragedy of the La Drang valley is after Hal Moores unit was pulled from the field another unit went in on a search and destroy mission further into the valley and they were nearly wiped out Moores unit didn't get further than the LZ and the next unit got sucked deeper into the jungle and were ambushed from all sides. A real blood bath. The only issue I had with this movie was that it was filmed in the Hollywood back lots instead of a real dense jungle so you don't get that feeling of not being able to 20 feet in front of you or seeing the enemy in the thick jungle.
Sgt. Savage held it down alright. Turned out that the Lost Platoon was right on the main trail for the enemy. Them being there calling in artillery all night disrupted how the enemy planned to move. This was a big factor in the whole force not getting overrun.
The creekbed turned into somthing of a death trap. It was low ground with little cover. It was thought later that it would have been better to stay on the near to the LZ bank or the low ridge and shot the enemy up in there.
The end was pure Hollywood. There was no charge up the hill. They also did not show what came next. A relief force had fought its way in to help relieve Moore and the enemy melted away. For some crazy reason, high command decided that the relief force would march out instead of being helicoptered out. A fresh enemy unit caught them strung out on the march and tore them apart.
Also, the artillery fired so hard during this engagement that several guns broke down but were repaired. A couple of them were completely wrecked.
We were soldiers is one of my top 3 war movies. Thank you for watching this. 👍🔥❤️
While it is true that the Viet Con greatly outnumbrted the Americans in this battle, two things they did not have were artillery and air support. The enemy had a very difficult time making it past the wall of lead that the Americans threw up. Even when they did, as shown by the Broken Arrow scene, the massive amout of firepower that was called in, decomated thr troops that had not yet reached the American lines. Meaning that the first groups that made it through had no back up.
Ya know what else is a good Mel Gibson movie? Ransom! And I've only seen like one reaction to it. What the heck is up with that? 🤨