They were young

Nothing to add to this except only those that were there and at L.Z Albany know the real story.
Lt. Gen Hal Moore - YouTube

We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson playing Lt Col Hal Moore........................Brilliant and so brave against the massive odds of 10-1. Always impressed me to see the weapons drills by the actors.......**** hot IMHO!
The ONLY time in that entire war when the code words "BROKEN ARROW" were called to drop air ordnance directly on his head before they were over run

"Broken Arrow" has another more sinister meaning as well ~ Since 1950, there have been 32 nuclear weapon accidents, known as "Broken Arrows." A Broken Arrow is defined as an unexpected event involving nuclear weapons that result in the accidental launching, firing, detonating, theft, or loss of the weapon. To date, six nuclear weapons have been lost and never recovered.

Unfortunate choice of words Kimosabi :lol:

A scene they did not use. Westmoreland and McNamra are not the last to fail to understand their enemy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlVcduLh6ec

Mac Namara and LBJ were d*cks.

Mac Namara was one of JFK's appointment for US Secretary of Defence. He was one of the intellectual elites Kennedy hand picked for his cabinet. The media at the time reported that these geniuses from the corporate and academic world would bring new ideas to solve old problems and provide an effective government. Mac Namara believed wars could be won from a distance with overpowering technology -- missile warfare and limited boots on the ground. Vietnam and other, more recent conflicts have proved that doesn't work in counter-insurgency warfare or against NGO indigenous forces -- not without infantry to 'take and hold ground', and then provide security while a viable and strong power is established.

LBJ was so completely out of his depth once Vietnam escalated after the Tonkin Gulf incident. His biggest fear was provoking the Russians and micro-managed the US's involvement specifically to prevent that. The problem was, 'Uncle Ho' was a cluey enough strategist that he used that 'weakness' to win the war on the streets and university campuses and in the media in the USA. Nixon, the opportunist, saw bailing out of Vietnam as quickly as possible (honourably or not) as the way to secure his place in history, and basically through the South Vietnamese under the bus.

In case you didn't know Cinders a movie is being made about Long Tan I hope it sticks to the facts and is not some Hollywood idea of what really happened in that Rubber Plantation.

Dick

If you have only watched the movie you are missing out. The movie was outstanding, the book even more so.
There were many extraordinary men involved in that battle, the movie, any movie for that matter can only present an edited version of the book.
I highly recommend Storming Norman's book "It doesn't take a hero " as a companion book to Hal Moore's fine work.
Norman Schwarzkopf was an advisor to the ARVN AB Division, that division pursued the enemy across the Cambodian border.
Both authors tell the story of that battle from two views, they both insist there were Chinese officers taken prisoner,, turned over to intelligence officers, and both tell the same story of being dressed down by Westmoreland for writing about those Power in their After Action Reports, if I remember correctly, Norman was told "there are no Chinese fighting with the NVA " by Westmoreland, and there was the threat of retaliation if any officer ever reported such again.