Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2002 American war film called,
We Were Soldiers. Spoiler’s ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy the video.
The movie starts when armed soldiers are walking in the forest with their trucks. The soldiers
are trailing the forest for intelligence of the terrain staying alert for enemies when suddenly,
the captain was shot dead. The trucks are bombed and even before they sound the trumpet,
the Vietnamese soldiers massacred every American soldiers in that area.
Not a single American soldier was left alive.
In America’s military base, a colonel is driving with his family to move in their new house.
At night, the colonel is studying about the helicopters and what happened on the war. Morning
came, soldiers are playing baseball when colonel came to see them to speak to the lieutenant alone.
Soldiers are looking over the machine gun when the Sergeant major commanded then to muster. Colonel
came to them to tell them about what they will do in their new air cavalry team. He introduced
himself and the Sargent’s achievements to them. After that, they immediately have their trainings.
They ran, shoot target while lying on their stomach, and practiced landing,
drills, and take-off. The colonel tells them to learn as everything they will be landing
under fire and that there is a large chance to die on the process in the real battlefield.
The next day, the colonel together with the troops are training again.
He teaches them about what leaders should do and what is to be expected in a battlefield.
When they reach their base, they hear gunfire from the radio. Someone is asking for reinforcement for
the left flank. Their radio is able to pick up atmospheric bounce from their advisor in
Vietnam causing them to hear everything. The colonel gave them a talk about Crazy
Horse when he was a baby where he was raised with the breast of every woman in the tribe.
Every woman is called mother by every warriors and every old warrior is called grandfather.
He gave them a moral lesson that they fought as a family and care for each other because all they
have. He then talks to the man who tune-up the radio and told him to be his radio operator.
They proceed with their training again. One of the troop took leadership and asked them to
remove their boots and socks. Then he checked his comrade’s foot and saw a fresh wound.
He then asks him to draw fresh socks from supplies and told him to keep his feet dusted with powder.
He then announced to everybody to check each other’s feet like they did.
The Colonel and Sergeant are observing them. The colonel commended the young
man for being a leader. And the other fella, who the sergeant said wants to win medals.
On the army pose, ladies are gathered in a house. They are the wife of the soldiers.
They discussed about where they can draw resources and discuss the questions they have.
While they are laughing and talking to each other, suddenly, the pregnant lady’s
water broke and she is sent to the hospital. The next day, in the television, a man said that
they will raise their arm forces from 75,000 to 125,000 men to be sent in war immediately.
Knowing that their husbands are going to be sent too, a lady told the others to get
their best dresses as they all will celebrate. At night, a party is commencing. Men are singing
and dancing. While the colonels are talking about their war strategy. Then, a sweet song
was being played and the couples are dancing sweetly with each other as if it is their last.
Morning came, soldiers and their families are gathered.
The colonel is giving a speech announcing to his men that they are going into battle
against a though and determined enemy and gave a promise that raises the morale of his men.
At night, each soldiers are with their wives and children. They left at dawn while their family is
still asleep. At their pose, they came one by one and rode the army bus in orderly manner and left.
They arrived in their destination at the headquarters of 1st battalion,
7th US cavalry regiment division air mobile. Officers are in the base talking about the
causalities and intelligence that the previous farces are able to gather.
Unfortunately, they have no idea. Their only strategy is to find the enemy and kill them.
Ready to engage in war, they rode helicopters and take off.
As they pass through, they landed missiles everywhere alerting the Vietnamese soldiers.
Underground, a soldier reported that the helicopter soldiers have arrived.
The commanding officer have commanded everyone to gather and strategized with the other officers.
The helicopters landed and the American soldiers went down while shooting aimlessly in the forest.
But the colonel notices that aside from their gunfire, it is very quiet so he commanded his
men to stop. Platoons move one by one as they watch vigilantly at their environment.
Suddenly, one of them saw a scout who is running away
and wanted to take him as a prisoner. The Lieutenant runs after the scout.
At the colonel’s pose, they found a scout that is hiding among the grass. They then interrogated him
about their location. The colonel then commanded to tell all patrols to hold their positions.
The Lieutenant who runs after a scout have their men ambushed suddenly.
The colonel commanded to call all patrols as they have to regroup and engage the enemies as far as
possible. The lieutenant and his troops hide in the grass to hide but most of his men were killed.
The Helicopter soldiers are shooting from above. While the Vietnamese
officers are planning their actions. The lieutenant’s platoon is asking for
an artillery while reporting the distance of Vietnamese soldiers from their location.
American soldiers are using artillery to prevent soldiers from going near them.
Underground, this information is reported to their leader. The leader said that they
should overrun them now that they are at their weakest and told them where to attack, surround,
and cut-off their supplies and escape routes. The soldiers are coming out of their bases
proceeding to their assigned positions. On the other hand, in the helicopter,
soldiers are jumping down from there. The colonel immediately commanded them to reinforce the Alpha
Company in their location. While the military doctors then proceed to the injured soldiers.
Vietnamese soldiers from the top of the hill are able to shot soldiers coming up to their assigned
locations. Many American soldiers die so they lay down to close enough to the enemies prevent
more casualties while scouting their weapons. An American soldier is able to report through
the radio the weapons their enemies have. On the other hand, a Vietnamese soldier is
also reporting to their commanding officer as he is commanded to use the creek bed.
The Colonel is also telling his captains that the creek bed is vital to them where
the enemy soldiers are coming right to them and told them to prevent that from happening.
The captain’s side followed the commands and commanded his men to secure the creek
bed. Soldiers then lay on their position to shoot on Vietnamese soldier nearing them.
Colonel then asks one of his men to raise those medevac boys but he was shot. Colonel told his
radio men to request immediate close air support on the mountain to burn them out on hilltop.
The helicopter soldiers followed and landed missiles on the coordinates.
The Vietnamese soldiers can only shoot the American soldiers coming down from the helicopter.
One of the helicopters crush as its pilot was shot dead.
Another helicopter landed to rescue the wounded soldiers back to their case.
In a hot exchange of gunfire, a soldier reported that they are in heavy contact and in danger of
being overrun. The colonel asked them to hold but they are getting fewer and fewer.
While the Vietnamese soldiers are spreading out. In the Headquarters, men are listening at what
is happening in the battlefield. They are arguing about the massacre happening and the big loss at
the possibility of their colonel being killed in the battlefield. But the other man told him that
they are not lost but only cut off and surrounded. And the other man told again that they have lost.
In the battlefield, the colonel is still fighting. He told the sergeant major that they need to carve
out an emergency LZ right over there and blow the trees down to which he followed.
An artillery is blown again. In the helicopter, a soldier is reporting
to the colonel about their two load of ammo. The colonel told them to come from the east. Then,
a soldier told him that headquarters wanted the colonel to get out but he said that they can’t.
Then the helicopter landed as they loaded the injured. But another soldier was shot
before the helicopter is able to fly off. The colonel returned to the battlefield. Very few
men are left on their side as they discussed about what is happening while distributing the ammo.
He commanded to radio the base to get one more flight in their location.
On the other hand, at the other location, they have limited ammos left.
They were thrown grenade while being continuously shot by the enemy soldiers.
Another helicopter came and another set of troops were sent.
The colonel commanded to the newcomers to reinforce the company on the top of the ridge.
As they go to that location, they are being shot and many soldiers have fallen once again.
At night, the helicopter is loading more soldiers send to the battlefield.
Upon landing, they loaded the injured. It was the last helicopter coming for the night.
At their base, injured soldiers are being laid in the camp. When the helicopter pilot landed,
another platoons’ commander was angry and shouted at him for bringing his men to the hot LZ.
The pilot is angered and pointed a gun to the commander shouting that he has
the balls to face him but not the enemy. Fortunately, they are immediately stopped.
At night, the American soldiers are lying on the ground when one of the soldier told him
that he can smell the enemy crawling towards their location. When the requested illumination landed,
many Vietnamese soldiers are seen slowly walking as they immediately shoot and
reported that the artilleries on previously established targets to fire on effect.
He asks the captain for them to come to their rescue but to his dismay,
no one is coming for them. In the colonel’s side,
the colonel is asked how they are doing on. The colonel then asks them to know
the confirmed count of the dead and alive to know the whereabouts of his men. He then requested for
illumination at an area as they proceed to shoot on Vietnamese soldiers nearing their location.
On the US military base, a lady looked outside her window. She visited her neighbour as she
walked in and saw her crying as she reads on the telegram that his husband has passed away
on the battlefield. At home, she shakily picked up her husband’s photo as she prayed for her
safety when the door ring. The drivers asked her for address as she nervously faced him.
She asked him to give her all the letters so that she can give all the letters to the others.
Underground, the commanding leader of the Vietnamese soldiers announced about what they will
do after learning their tactics and capabilities. Men followed and disperse. In the forest,
Vietnamese soldiers are walking very slowly as the American soldiers remain quiet and suddenly shot.
Death is evident even at the darkness of the night.
Morning came, the Vietnamese leader sat as he speaks his gratitude for soldiers that will
and have sacrificed their lives for them. In their location, the colonel has his men
position ready to shoot. But everything is quiet and no movements can be found.
But the colonel told them to shoot in anything they find suspicious and when they did,
Vietnamese soldier rose and shoots to them. A battle commenced once again. Everyone is
shooting fire and while those who can attend for the injured did so.
A Vietnamese scout reported to their commanding officer that they
are through the enemy lines on all sides and congratulated him for beating the Americans.
On the other hand, the American soldiers’ lines have been cut off and the soldiers
are thinning again. The colonel told the radio man to report Broken Arrow to the headquarters.
It means that the American unit has been overrun and calls for every combat aircraft for support.
Planes are coming to their rescue as the landed missiles all over the Vietnamese soldiers.
When they wanted to call off and abort but the aircraft has landed again near
their location and killed some of their own men. While the aircraft keep on shooting everything on
the ground, the colonel commanded that the first squad to rescue the cut off platoon. When they
reached the location, 40 men have died while 2 have gone missing. It is a very tragic incident.
Helicopters have landed to recue that injured and replace the soldiers.
At night, the colonel is asked again to be lifted out by dawn as the general wants a briefing.
But he objected the order and choose not to leave his men behind. He then planned with
his men to get the two men that have gone missing. While walking, he saw the arm of one of his men.
Back at the base, the lady once again delivers the telegram to the families of the dead soldiers
while they comforted them for their lost. In the battlefield, the colonel kept his
man’s bracelet to give back to his family as they cover them. One of his men told him that
the headquarters are ordering them all out as they as reinforcement march to them the next day.
But the colonel told them that they can’t get out because if they get out,
they will be abiding to the enemy’s wish.
He predicted that the enemy soldier will give all out in the next day’s battle.
He then proceeds to command to the sergeant major to hand out the last of the ammunition.
On the Vietnamese’s underground base, they are discussing about their positions
and how they will overwhelm the enemy by the dawn before they are ready. The
soldiers obeyed and followed his commands as they dispersed and went to their assigned positions.
In the morning, Vietnamese soldiers are looking over the American soldiers.
Knowing that they are limited in bullets, they attacked a knife to their rifles and initiated
the gunfire. Vietnamese soldiers immediately sent reinforcement as they sound the trumpet.
While the American soldiers are nearing and the reinforcement troops have come,
the helicopter shot and killed almost everyone in that area while some are taken as prisoners.
This is reported to the commanding officer as he commanded them to retreat.
Everyone is quiet as they pile the dead bodies and retrieve their belongings.
Helicopters came as they are being rescued. Reporters came to take photographs on the war
and to interview the colonel about what had happened in the war but he didn’t answer.
After the Americans left, the Vietnamese soldiers then came to retrieve the dead
bodies of their comrades. Their commander held the U.S flag as he sticks it in the
wood as if he is admitting to their victory. The colonel is commanded to lead his army 235
more days and rewarded for his achievements. Back to the Army base, a cab passed by
again. The colonel’s wife suddenly heard a doorbell as she nervously opened the door.
When she opened the door, she happily greeted her husband. The movie ends where,
some of the families have no one to return to them anymore while some was injured and unable
to join the war again. The deceased’s names are all engraved in stone as a memorial to the fallen.