The scenes that depict the battle in Vietnam were filmed in Fort Hunter Liggett, California. The area is meant to be the Central Highlands of Vietnam, where the actual battle took place.

Where were the Vietnam scenes in We Were Soldiers filmed?

The battle took place in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The area around Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., doubled for Vietnam in Randall Wallace's We Were Soldiers.

How many American soldiers died in the movie We Were Soldiers?

The Americans would lose 234 killed in action and another 250 wounded. The North Vietnamese suffered over 1,200 killed. The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) itself was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for these battles and others, fought in what became known as the Pleiku Campaign.

Where did the battle in We Were Soldiers take place?

The film, starring action hero Mel Gibson, and directed and written by “Pearl Harbor” screenwriter Randall Wallace, tells the story of the battle of the Ia Drang Valley, the first significant encounter between American and North Vietnamese soldiers in the Vietnam War.

Is the movie We Were Soldiers historically accurate?

We Were Soldiers (2002) is a REASONABLY FAITHFUL movie representation of ACTUAL EVENTS covered in a book about the U.S. Army's battle with North Vietnamese Army regulars in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam in November 1965.

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Are there still POW in Vietnam?

While the Committee has some evidence suggesting the possibility a POW may have survived to the present, and while some information remains yet to be investigated, there is, at this time, no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia.

What country was We Were Soldiers filmed in?

The scenes that depict the battle in Vietnam were filmed in Fort Hunter Liggett, California. The area is meant to be the Central Highlands of Vietnam, where the actual battle took place. Fort Hunter Ligget is an army training area covering over 160,000 acres.

What was the worst unit in Vietnam?

The ARVN were described by the 1ATF deputy commander as "the worst battalion in the worst regiment in the worst division in the world." After training the ARVN units, mixed platoons would then mount patrol operations in the Horseshoe tactical area of responsibility.

What did we were soldiers get wrong?

Factual errors

Contrary to what's shown in the movie, Lieutenant Henry Herrick and 2nd Platoon did not recklessly charge after a lone NVA soldier, but were in fact ordered to advance out to the flank by Captain John Herren and did so in a disciplined manner.

What does "broken arrow" mean in Vietnam?

A “Broken Arrow” was declared over the radio by the Battalion Forward Air Controller, which meant that an American unit was in imminent danger of being overrun. It was the signal for all available American aircraft to converge and provide aid to the American unit. The fighting continued for three hours.

What was the worst job in the Vietnam War?

— It was one of the most dangerous jobs in Vietnam. A tunnel rat. Sam Nelson, now a 75-year-old Vietnam veteran in Jacksonville, says he didn't even know what a tunnel rat was.

What was the bloodiest fight in Vietnam?

On Jan. 30, 1968, Hue became the site of one of the longest, bloodiest battles the Americans would fight against the North Vietnamese Army, or NVA, and its Viet Cong guerrillas living in South Vietnam.

Who really won the Battle of IA Drang?

Although both sides declared victory at Ia Drang, Moore considered the brutal fight a draw.

What was the biggest military mistake in history?

What does "broken arrow" mean in We Were Soldiers?

At the point of being overrun by the enemy, Moore orders 1st Lt. Charlie Hastings, his forward air controller, to call in "Broken Arrow", a call for all available combat aircraft to attack enemy positions, even those close to the US troops' position, because they are being overrun.

Who were the most feared in Vietnam?

Tough, battle-hardened South Korean troops were justly feared by Vietcong and North Vietnamese regulars alike during the Vietnam War.

Who was the highest ranking soldier killed in Vietnam?

Ware. Keith Lincoln Ware (23 November 1915 – 13 September 1968) was a United States Army major general, and a Medal of Honor recipient of World War II. Ware was killed in action in 1968 while commanding the 1st Infantry Division during the Vietnam War.

What percentage of soldiers fired their weapons in Vietnam?

By the time of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War, says Grossman, 90% of U.S. soldiers would fire their weapons at other people. He also says the act of killing is psychologically traumatic for the killer, even more so than constant danger or witnessing the death of others.

What started the Vietnam War?

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

After North Vietnamese torpedo boats alledgedly attacked the U.S.S. Maddox and U.S.S. Turner Joy in the Gulf of Tonkin, President Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam.

How many Americans died in Vietnam?

The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War. These records were transferred into the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration in 2008.

Who is the soldier on the cover of We Were Soldiers?

It was adapted into the 2002 film We Were Soldiers. The cover features Lt. Rick Rescorla, a British-American Vietnam War veteran who served for both countries during the war.

Did Vietnam POWs get back pay?

As a first matter, POWs receive back pay that accrued during their period of captivity. They were on active duty, possibly in a combat zone, and are entitled to all the pay that they earned during that time regardless of their captive status.

How many soldiers are still missing from the Vietnam War?

Current Status of Unaccounted-for Americans Lost in the Vietnam War. Of the remaining 1,244 Americans still unaccounted for in Vietnam, 470 are in a “non-recoverable” category.

Who funded the Vietnam War?

The United States had provided funding, armaments, and training to South Vietnam's government and military since Vietnam's partition into the communist North and the democratic South in 1954.