We Were Soldiers (2002) is pretty accurate, notes Robert Mueller, who seldom mentioned his Marine service

We Were Soldiers (2002) – DVD. A blurb at the Toronto Public Library reads: “Summary/Review: An action-packed war movie that features explosive battle sequences, thrilling aerial photography, and unforgettable military heroes who fought for their country, their loved ones, and their freedom.”

According to the Toronto Public Library, the publication date for the DVD is 2010. However, 2002 is the date that is featured on the back cover of the DVD case, and it’s listed as 2002 elsewhere.

I became interested in seeing this film when I read an article, from the June 2018 issue of Wired, entitled: “The Untold Story of Robert Mueller’s Time in Combat.”

An excerpt from the Wired article reads:

Mueller, for his part, not only volunteered for the Marines, he spent a year waiting for an injured knee to heal so he could serve. And he has said little about his time in Vietnam over the years. When he was leading the FBI through the catastrophe of 9/11 and its aftermath, he would brush off the crushing stress, saying, “I’m getting a lot more sleep now than I ever did in Vietnam.” One of the only other times his staff at the FBI ever heard him mention his Marine service was on a flight home from an official international trip. They were watching We Were Soldiers, a 2002 film starring Mel Gibson about some of the early battles in Vietnam. Mueller glanced at the screen and observed, “Pretty accurate.”

[End]

Update

An Aug. 9, 2019 CNN article is entitled: “Southwest pilot flew his Vietnam veteran father’s remains back to the place where he last saw him 52 years ago.”