The 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division's fight against overwhelming odds in Vietnam's Ia Drang valley in 1965 is told through the eyes of Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, played by Mel Gibson. The story follows Moore as he takes command of the battalion and prepares it for deployment to Vietnam, where he reflects on the French defeat in the same area years earlier. The battle marks the first major engagement between US and NVA forces in South Vietnam, showcasing the use of helicopters as mobility providers and assault support aircraft.

We Were Soldiers
The film opens with a intense battle scene, as American and Vietnamese soldiers clash in a brutal fight, leaving the anxious loved ones of the soldiers back in the United States eagerly awaiting news of their fate.