Photographer Joe Galloway

Photographer Joe Galloway was in the first conflict between American troops and Vietnamese soldiers. It was the culmination of many men’s deaths and the unexpected use of a rifle rather than a camera that burned this story deep into Joe Galloway. Colonel Hal Moore told Joe that he had to write this story. It was of the utmost importance that the men who died at the battle in the Ia Drang Valley were not forgotten by the American people.
Joe Galloway and Hal Moore wrote “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young.” It was about the bloody conflict in the Ia Drang Valley. In the Ia Drang Valley 234 of our soldiers died and 242 were wounded. However an estimated 837 dead and 1,365 wounded. It was very clear that Lt. Hal Moore inspired and guided his troops to do better than they ever thought they could. They were up against a force of Vietnamese regular soldiers, not just some gooks from a village. Even though the Vietnamese had over four times our troops, local knowledge of the ground, and some of them had over 20 years of battle experience we came out victorious.
Joe Galloway did not just write about others fighting in the valley, he actually fought the to repel the Vietnamese from our lines. Furthermore this was not uncommon for Joe to participate in combat and to report on it. Galloway's overseas postings include tours in India, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore and three years as the United Press International bureau chief in Moscow in the former Soviet Union. Galloway covered the 1971 India-Pakistan War served four tours as a war correspondent in Vietnam and also covered half a dozen other combat operations. Galloway covered Desert Shield/Desert Storm, riding with the 24th Infantry Division in the assault into Iraq. On May 1, 1998, Galloway was decorated with a Bronze Star Medal with V for rescuing wounded soldiers under fire in the Ia Drang Valley. Galloway was awarded the National Magazine Award in 1991 for a U.S. News cover article on the 25th anniversary of the Ia Drang battle.
Barry Pepper played Joe Galloway in the movie version, of the book “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young”, called “We Were Soldiers.” In this movie Lt. Col. Hal Moore, played by star Mel Gibson, lead his troops, along with the help Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley, played by Sam Elliott, into the Ia Drang Valley. The landing zone, also known as the LZ, was called X-Ray. After a couple landings this landing zone was declared too hot and was closed. Lt. Col. Hal Moore needed more troops and he also needed to get the wounded out of the valley. He ordered the making of a new landing zone and his men blew a hole in the forest. This allowed reinforcements to enter the valley and fight off these North Vietnamese regulars. After a long intense battle Hal Moore decided to push up the mountain and take the Vietnamese base. After the battle was won a helicopter dropped in and let off the regular reporters. They immediately rushed Joe Galloway who was awestruck about this bloody battle in a land far away from home. Hal Moore told Joe that he had to tell the story of these men. The men that fought and died not for America, but for each other are the men composed in this real life story.
The book that Joe Galloway wrote about the Ia Drang Valley was the hardest story in his life to tell. This battle forged him for a lifetime of reporting on who the American soldier really was. He would further his reputation as a great reporter and friend to all American fighting men.