In 1965, enemy soldiers attacked US air bases in Vietnam and caused much destruction. Johnson sent more troops to help defend these bases, and soon after, the military shifted its strategy from defense to offense. This film begins with the first wave of soldiers arriving in the country, followed by Operation Rolling Thunder as planes roared across the skies and into North Vietnam. Infantry soldiers had successfully patrolled around these bases and, up until then, provided security for those inside. In November, the US military finally took the war to the enemy, planning an attack on a known enemy sanctuary in the mountains of the Central Highlands. The American soldiers soon found themselves outnumbered in the Ia Drang Valley, and soldiers on both sides died in this first major battle of the war.
By the end of 1965, 185,000 U.S. troops were in Vietnam, and it was no longer just South Vietnam’s war.
This film documents the early part of the Vietnam War in the words of Americans who served there. It features home movies and rare archival footage – some had never been seen before. See the war as it was never seen before and witness what our military endured and overcame.
WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES – VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
To read more about the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, check out this prior post on my website:
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CherriesWriter - Vietnam War website 
Hard to read and remember.
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I really did not like it, because it finally told the who, what and how of what happened. It has been long in coming. I served in the 101st from the end of October 1968 until December of 1969, and like others, we all have had our own unique experience. I was a Helicopter Accident Investigator, and worked for Quality Control. I helped do 60 investigations in the Field, and another 40 that were brought in to our Company. I only saw 1 survivor the whole time I did this. War is HECK!!!.
Arne Fuller Tucson AZ
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When my rock & Roll band, The Pretty Kittens, performed in Nam for 3 months in 1967, we were interviewed by John Steinbeck IV who was working for the Army TV station. The interview was recorded and I wonder if it was sent on to the US & might be in their files, somewhere.
I enjoy your articles and the responses from viewers.
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As soon as I saw the lying comments about the attack in the Tonkin Gulf, I turned the video off. What a lie we were feed, along with only bombing in Vietnam, not Cambodia and Laos. What I would like to say about the politicians of that era is not fit for print. I served two tours in Vietnam 67-68 and again 69-70. What a waist especially if you listened to the rhetoric of President Johnson. THOM
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Remember that the first casualty of war is the truth. Lt Gen McMaster’s book, “Dereliction of Duty,” proved that to have been what happened with the entire LBJ administration and the JCOS.
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Not for this combat veteran. I did graphic over 50 years ago.
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