We Were Soldiers (2002)

Barry Pepper: Joe Galloway

Photos 

Quotes 

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : I'll never forgive myself.

  Joseph Galloway : For what, sir?

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : That my men... that my men died and I didn't.

• Joe Galloway : [narrating]  We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young.

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Glad you made it son.

  Joe Galloway : Thank you, Sir, You too.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : [after a short pause]  I'll never forgive myself.

  Joe Galloway : For what, Sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : That my men - that my men died and I didn't.

  Joe Galloway : Sir, I don't - I don't know how to tell this story.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Well you got to Joe. You tell the American people what these men did here. You tell them how my troopers died.

  Joe Galloway : Yes, Sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Thank you.

• [Galloway is on the ground] 

  Sergeant Major Basil Plumley : You can't take any pictures from down there, sonny.

  [Galloway gets up and is handed a rifle] 

  Joseph Galloway : I'm a non-combatant.

  Sergeant Major Basil Plumley : Ain't no such thing today.

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : You got a death wish, Galloway?

  Joe Galloway : No, sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Then why are you here?

  Joe Galloway : Cause I knew these dead boys would be here, sir.

• Joe Galloway : [Narrating; voice-over]  In Saigon, Hal Moore's superiors congratulated him for killing over 1,800 enemy soldiers. Then ordered him to lead the Seventh Cavalry back into the valley of death. He led them and fought beside them for 235 more days. Some had families waiting. For others, their only family would be the men they bled beside. There were no bands, no flags, no Honor Guards to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end, they fought not for their country or their flag, the fought for each other.

• [first lines] 

  Joe Galloway : [Narrating; voice-over]  These are the true events of November, 1965, the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam, a place our country does not remember, in a war it does not understand. This story's a testament to the young Americans who died in the valley of death, and a tribute to the young men of the People's Army of Vietnam who died by our hand in that place. To tell this story, I must start at the beginning. But where does it begin? Maybe in June of 1954 when French Group Mobile 100 moved into the same central highlands of Vietnam where we would go 11 years later.

• Joe Galloway : Sir, I don't know how to tell this story.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Well you have to, Joe. You tell the American people what happened here. You tell them how my troopers died.

  Joe Galloway : Yes sir.

• Joseph Galloway : [narrating]  Some had families waiting. For others, their only family would be the men they bled beside. There were no bands, no flags, no Honor Guards to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end, they fought not for their country or their flag, they fought for each other.

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Where you from, son?

  Joseph Galloway : Refugio, Texas, sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Well, that's the first thing I've heard today that makes any sense.

• Sergeant Major Basil Plumley : Can't take no pictures lying down there, sonny. Down, right there.

  Joseph Galloway : I'm a noncombatant, sir.

  Sergeant Major Basil Plumley : Ain't no such thing today, boy.

• Joseph Galloway : [narrating]  Some had families waiting, for others their only family would be the men they bled beside, there were no bands, flags no honor guards to welcome them home, they went to war because their country ordered them to, but in the end they fought not for country or their flag, they fought for each other

  Joseph Galloway : We who have seen war will never stop seeing it, in the silence of the night we will always hear the screams. So this is our story... For we were soldiers once and young.

• [last lines] 

  Joseph Galloway : [narrating]  Some had families waiting. For others, their only family would be the men they bled beside. There were no bands, no flags, no Honor Guards to welcome them home. They went to war because their country ordered them to. But in the end, they fought not for their country or their flag, they fought for each other.

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : I'm glad you made it, son.

  Joseph Galloway : Thank you, sir. You too.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : I'll never forgive myself.

  Joseph Galloway : For what, sir?

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : That my men... That my men died and I didn't.

  Joseph Galloway : Sir, I don't... I don't know how to tell this story.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Well, you got to, Joe. You tell the American people what these men did here. You tell 'em how my troopers died.

  Joseph Galloway : Yes, sir.

• Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Do you got a death wish, Galloway?

  Joseph Galloway : No, sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Well, then why are you here?

  Joseph Galloway : Cause I knew these dead boys would be here, sir.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Why aren't you a soldier?

  Joseph Galloway : I just came to take photos.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : You are shittin' me.

  Joseph Galloway : No, sir. I swear to God. Anyway, one had a daughter, one had a son... my grandparents.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : What do you suppose the odds of them having the same shoe size was?

  Joseph Galloway : I don't know, Colonel. It was meant to be, I guess.

  Lt. Colonel Hal Moore : Yeah. Meant to be.