LZ Xray Story

[TheBigRedOne]

It's a great story, and the website is top notch as well, especially the AARs on the battle. The story about Lt. Rick Rescorla who graced the cover of one of versions of the book, bayonet fixed, is an interesting one as well (he is on the front of the website in that famous pose). He was killed in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11 as he was organizing the evacuation of the building.

"We Were Young..." was the book that tipped me from being a casual military history buff into a serious one. I was home visiting my folks and shopping for a birthday gift. The movie was already out, and I was in a bookstore and picked up a copy of the book. From then on my obsession with the Vietnam war was full blown and I read as much on the conflict as I could. Being born in '69, I don't remember the war, but do have family members who spent time in SE Asia.

The movie was great, save the fictionalized scene at the end. I wish they'd have gone into a bit of the LZ Albany battle, which really tainted the 'victory' at X-Ray and should have been a harbinger that the war wasn't going to be a series of stunning victories. It was quite a sobering read.