We Were Soldiers Once...and Young

I think that the first section of the book is very well written, and you really do get the sense that the author knew what was happening on the wide-scale. In some books, the author can only focus on 1 small element, whereas the introduction to this gives a broad sweeping overview of so many different things - many of which made it into the movie; the new Air-Cavalry concept, the emphasis placed on small-unit and larger-unit training exercises, the command structure being shifted to allow for the loss of leaders, the President's idea not to declare a state of emergency, and then the background of the conflict in Vietnam, including troop movements by the North Vietnamese forces, the tactics they used, and a look at their equipment.

The level of detail that is included is incredible, and although there is no traditional 'story-line' to keep the reader hooked, Hal doesn't even try to dress it up - it's a very well-written, factual overview of the situation, getting a lot of details across very quickly. I like this style of writing, as there is no drama involved with it, its just very accurate and to the point. The list of 'important' personnel is very interesting, and I have already bookmarked it - I'm sure it'll be very, very useful later on.

However, saying that, I also like the quick snapshot that is included where the reader is given a taste of what was involved in the battle, at the start of Chapter One: Heat of Battle (a snippet of which can be read here), where Hal and Joe skillfully weave factual content in with the shockingly personal stories of the men there (for example, Specialist 4 Arthur Viera's horrifying injuries). This reads a lot quicker, and is very dramatic. I suppose this is done to draw the reader in to the book, but I must saw, it is very effective.