I was 33 years, 33 weeks, old when this book released.
From 3/3/1959 to 10/20/1992 is: 33 years, 33 weeks
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Were_Soldiers_Once_..._And_Young
Released October 20, 1992
We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young is a 1992 book by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and war journalist Joseph L. Galloway about the Vietnam War. It focuses on the role of the First and Second Battalions of the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Battle of Ia Drang. This battle was the first large-unit battle of the Vietnam War; previous conflicts involved small units and patrols (squad, platoon, and company sized units).
Friday, 3/1/2002
Sunday, 3/3/2002
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0277434/
We Were Soldiers (2002)
Release Date: 1 March 2002 (USA)
Plot Outline: The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.
I have been pondering Greg Kinnear's role as a helicopter pilot in that movie since I first watched the movie. That might have been my actual role in that battle. I might have been flying in the helicopter as co-pilot with Major Crandall.
From 3/3/1959 to 11/14/1965 is: 2448 days
From 6/17/1963 to 11/14/1965 is: 881 days
881 / 2448 = 0.359
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001427/
Greg Kinnear
Date of Birth: 17 June 1963
We Were Soldiers (2002) .... Maj. Bruce 'Snake' Crandall
It seems hard to imagine that I was flying a helicopter for U.S. forces in combat during this battle because I was not even quite 7 years old back on 11/14/1965. But if I have this all figured out correctly, I had won at least 2 gold medals in the Olympics almost 2 years earlier, so I must have had very good reflexes and capabilities. I recognize the date 5/1/1967 as when I first flew a fighter jet by myself and it would seem I could fly helicopters before that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ia_Drang
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle of the Vietnam War between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN). The two-part battle took place between November 14 and November 18, 1965, at two landing zones (LZ's) northwest of Plei Me in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. The battle derives its name from the Drang River which runs through the valley northwest of Plei Me, in which the engagement took place. "Ia" means "river" in the local Montagnard language.
Representing the American forces were elements of the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry, the 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry, and the 1st Battalion 5th Cavalry of the United States Army. The communist forces included the 33rd, 66th, and 320th Regiments of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as well National Liberation Front (NLF) of the H15 Battalion.
The battle is the subject of the critically acclaimed book We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young by Harold (Hal) Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. In 2002, screenwriter Randall Wallace depicted the first part of the battle in the film We Were Soldiers starring Mel Gibson.
