lieutenant colonel george forrest, commanding officer in the first battalion fifth cavalry that came into n to support the seventh cavalry after the third battle. this is 50 minutes. >> we are in crystal city hilton, washington, d.c., 40th anniversary union of the la drang valley. tell us your recollection of arriving on the 17th, 16th, and on that tuesday, what did it look like to you? >> my unit unlike the other units we walked in. we had spent the night, previous night, at l.t. columbus. then the next morning went overland. owe the way in we could see some of the casualties, at least to the north vietnamese casualties as we got into the landing zone. jack smith characterized it as they had that blind combat stare. >> did you know what happened there? >> we did not. communications was poor. we were not on the frequency until we got -- actually got in. >> do you remember the then lieutenant colonel -- >> absolutely. >> saw that. >> absolutely. he was -- probably this monumental figure standinging in the middle of all of this chaos with did a total control of who he was, what he was,

forrest johnson fills the air with music. he practices like it's his job. 11 years old from vienna, virginia, he is the youngest competitor in the 20th annual national trumpet competition at george university and it's pretty special to him. >> this is one of the very few times i get to perform in the competitions. and also to also at the same time see all these great players performing. >> reporter: long time tonight show band leader doc severnson is one of the many professionals willing to teach and inspire during this year's competition. >> give me the kid that's enthusiastic about it and he will practice because he wants to. >> reporter: to get in players from across the country submitted youtube videos as their first round performance. then if accepted, it's on to a live performance with a piano player in front of a panel of judges. >> the talent here is amazing. it's nice to be able to give them a little feedback. >> reporter: at stake, thousands of dollars in prize money or an all expenses paid course at the prestigeous interlochen music academy. but that's not the real value says event creator denny edhebrach. >> it's more important for them to hear students at their own