A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
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Vietnam Veterans Portrayed in Hit War Movie To Be Featured in Patriots Point Symposium

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MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Many of the men depicted in the popular 2002 Mel Gibson Vietnam War film We Were Soldiers, will share their memories of the Battle of Ia Drang Valley at an upcoming free symposium at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum.

Seating for the event will begin at 7:00 p.m., April 17th, aboard the USS YORKTOWN.  The symposium will start at 7:30 p.m.  It is part of a week-long reunion for members of the Army’s 1st Battalion, 7th Calvary, marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

During the symposium, men of the 7th Calvary, including Medal of Honor recipient Col. Walter J. (Joe) Marm Jr., will use scenes from We Were Soldiers to describe what the heavy fighting was like.  Ia Drang Valley was the first major battle between American forces and the North Vietnamese.   It is considered by many as the battle that changed the entire war.

In addition to the veterans, guests will also hear from the wives and family of those who fought.  The women will discuss how they received news from the battlefront and what it was like to anticipate those updates.

Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is an official Vietnam War 50th anniversary commemorative partner of the Department of Defense.  The Battle of Ia Drang Valley symposium is part of the museum’s ongoing commemoration efforts of the war.  Parking for the event on April 17th will cost $5.

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