The legendary Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War is famous across the U.S. Army, especially among the Troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division.
But only a few individuals, including journalist Joe Galloway, can claim to have actually been there.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd of hundreds of 1st Cav. Div. Troopers Galloway, coauthor of "We Were Soldiers Once… and Young", spoke about the battle prior to a screening of the film adaptation of his book -- "We Were Soldiers" -- at Palmer Theater here, June 11.
"From that battle, I knew my spirit -- my home -- was with this division," he said. "It was with Garryowen. I don't know how better to show that than this movie."
The screening was held as leader professional development during "Cav Week", a week of celebrating and honoring the legacy of the First Team, and a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the division's deployment to Vietnam.
As a military correspondent, Galloway was one of few civilian journalists to accompany troops not only forward to Vietnam in 1965, but also into battle.
He would later be awarded the Bronze Star with Valor for carrying wounded Soldiers to safety during the Battle of Ia Drang, and was the only non-servicemember to earn the award during the Vietnam War.
Following the film, Galloway -- and other First Team veterans from the battle -- spoke to the crowd of Soldiers, with the former war correspondent answering questions from the audience both about Ia Drang and the process of making the movie.
"We worked on this movie for eight years," Galloway said. "We held feet to the fire to make sure they got it right. It's 75 percent reality, 25 percent Hollywood, when it's usually the other way around. But they got the spirit of it right; if you can get that out of Hollywood, then you've done a damn good job."
He then thanked the Troopers in attendance for preserving the legacy of the 1st Cav. Div. and for their service.
"Less than one percent of the nation does the service and sacrificing," he said. "Freedom isn't free, and not all civilians understand that… you are all heroes."
For those that attended the screening, a great deal of pride could be felt throughout the audience of Troopers, said Staff Sgt. Jack Wortman, a geospatial engineer with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cav. Div.
"I saw the movie before and fell in love with the story," Wortman said. "I'm here today because there's always something great to hear from someone who was actually there. Joe Galloway is a legend, and his presence here today fired us all up."
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