The Battle of Ia Drang
The first major clash between American and North Vietnamese regulars proves both sides' new way of fighting.
Quick facts
- Location
- LZ X-Ray, Ia Drang Valley
- US commander
- Lt. Col. Hal Moore, 1st Bn, 7th Cavalry
- Medal of Honor recipients
- Maj. Bruce Crandall, Capt. Ed Freeman
What happened
On the morning of 14 November 1965 the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore, landed by helicopter at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam's Central Highlands. By noon the battalion was under attack from three North Vietnamese regiments trying to annihilate it. Temperatures topped 100 degrees as the fighting stretched into the night, with Moore's men holding on with artillery and air support. Major Bruce Crandall and Captain Ed Freeman flew their unarmed helicopter into the landing zone repeatedly over 14 hours under fire to resupply ammunition and evacuate wounded, saving an estimated 70 soldiers; both later received the Medal of Honor. Two more air cavalry battalions were flown in by 16 November, and North Vietnamese forces began to withdraw. Civilian journalist Joseph Galloway, who fought alongside the unit, later earned a Bronze Star, the only civilian ever so honored.
Why it matters
Ia Drang was the first large-scale helicopter air assault of the war and the first tactical use of B-52 bombers in direct support of ground troops. It set the pattern both sides would follow for years: American firepower and mobility against North Vietnamese willingness to close to close range where artillery and air support were harder to use.
How we know
Moore and Galloway's own account, later published as 'We Were Soldiers Once... and Young,' is corroborated by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's institutional history of the battle.
Sources
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley · General sourcevvmf.org · Cited as a "reference" source (no stronger domain match).
- Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State. U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: the Gulf of Tonkin and Escalation, 1964 · Reputable sourcehistory.state.gov · The domain "history.state.gov" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
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