Hal Moore

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For the American Olympic wrestler, see Hal Moore (wrestler).

Harold Gregory Moore Jr.
Moore at the United States Military Academy in May 2010
Nickname(s)"Hal", "Yellow Hair"
Born(1922-02-13)February 13, 1922
Bardstown, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 2017(2017-02-10) (aged 94)
Auburn, Alabama, U.S.
Buried
Fort Moore Main Post Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Army
Years of service1945–1977
RankLieutenant general
Commands heldArmy Military Personnel Center
Fort Ord Army Training Center
7th Infantry Division
3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division
1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment
2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
Awards
"V" Device
Purple Heart
Air Medal
(9)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1949; died 2004)​
We Were Soldiers Once… And Young
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam[2]
Executive Vice-President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado

Harold Gregory Moore Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army lieutenant general and author. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. Army's second-highest decoration for valor, and was the first of his West Point class (1945) to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general.

Moore is remembered as the

7th Cavalry Regiment, at the Battle of Ia Drang in 1965, during the Vietnam War. The battle was detailed in the 1992 bestseller We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, co-authored by Moore and made into the film We Were Soldiers in 2002, which starred Mel Gibson
as Moore; Moore was the "honorary colonel" of the regiment.

Moore was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice by the National Infantry Association[3] as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award by the West Point Association of Graduates.[4]

Early life and education

Moore was born on February 13, 1922, in

Eugene Cox of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District, with an open appointment to West Point. Cox was impressed with Moore's tenacity and he left Cox's office with the West Point appointment.[7][8]

Military service

West Point

Moore received his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy shortly after the United States entered into World War II. He reported to West Point for "Reception Day" on July 15, 1942, and the summer training referred to as "Beast Barracks" held before the formal academic school term took up in the fall.

Camp Popolopen for summer military training where his company trained with various vehicles and fired many types of weapons.[Note 1] The summer ended with maneuvers held again at Pine Camp.[9] During the second year at the Academy, he studied more complicated subjects like calculus, electrical engineering, thermodynamics and historic military campaigns. Wednesdays were spent watching the latest Staff Combat Film Report which reported the most recent fighting from the Pacific and European war fronts. Summer military training after his second year consisted of touring U.S. Army basic training centers to study tactics and techniques. The final academic year was spent studying military history and tactics as the war was winding down in Europe. Just before graduation each cadet selected his branch of assignment dependent on their academic standing in the class and the quota of openings in each branch. Moore stood in the bottom fifteen percent and he wanted an infantry assignment. When his name was finally called to declare, there were still infantry openings available. Moore graduated from West Point on June 5, 1945, and he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry branch.[4][9]

Post-World War II

Moore's first assignment after graduation was the Infantry Officer Basic Course at

Fort Bragg. He volunteered to join the Airborne Test Section, a special unit testing experimental parachutes, and he made the first of some 150 jumps with the section over the next two years on November 17, 1948.[4][14] Over the course of his career, he became a jumpmaster with over 300 jumps.[15][16]

Korean War

During the

captain, he commanded a heavy mortar company in combat. He next served as regimental Assistant Chief-of-Staff, Operations and Plans. Moore's promotion to major was put on hold by a policy of the 7th Division commanding general that stated that no promotion to major would be possible without command of an infantry company in combat. The division commander personally assigned Moore to an infantry company so that Moore could be promoted to major and thus later become divisional assistant chief-of staff for operations.[18]

Return to the US

In 1954, Moore returned to West Point and served for three years as an instructor in infantry tactics. While serving as an instructor, Moore taught then-Cadet Norman Schwarzkopf, who called Moore one of his "heroes," and cites Moore as the reason he chose the infantry branch upon graduation.[4][19] Schwarzkopf later became a general in the U.S. Army and led the U.N. coalition forces in the Persian Gulf War against Iraq.[19] During this assignment, Moore took a personal interest in the battles between the French Army forces and the Việt Minh at Điện Biên Phủ in Vietnam.[20]

Moore was assigned to attend the year-long student course at the

Oslo, Norway.[22]

LTC Hal Moore in 1965
LTC Hal Moore in 1965

In 1964, now a

An Khê Base Camp a month later.[26]

Vietnam War

Battle of la Drang

LTC Hal Moore during the Battle of Ia Drang in November 1965.
Main article: Battle of Ia Drang

Beginning on November 14, 1965, Lt. Col. Moore led the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in the week-long Battle of Ia Drang. Encircled by enemy soldiers with no clear landing zone that would allow them to leave, Moore managed to persevere despite being significantly outnumbered by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) forces that went on to defeat the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry only two-and-a-half miles away the next day. Moore's dictum that "there is always one more thing you can do to increase your odds of success" and the courage of his entire command are credited by Moore with this outcome.[11] Moore was wounded and earned a Purple Heart, but because the wound wasn't serious, he tried unsuccessfully to return the medal and, denied that, he never wore the ribbon or the medal on his uniform.[27] Blond haired Moore was known as "Yellow Hair" to his troops at the battle at Ia Drang, and as a tongue-in-cheek homage making reference to the legendary General George Armstrong Custer, who commanded as a lieutenant colonel the same 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of the Little Bighorn just under a century before.[28] Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism at Ia Drang.[4] After the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley, Moore was promoted to colonel and took over the command of the Garry Owen (3rd) Brigade.[29]

Post-Vietnam War service

Lt General Moore in 1975
Lt General Moore in 1975

After his service in the

U.S. Army Japan, but he decided to retire instead. Moore retired from the army August 1, 1977, after completing 32 years of active service.[38]

Personal life

While assigned to Fort Bragg, Moore met Julia B. Compton, the daughter of Colonel and Mrs. Louis J. Compton. Julia was a student enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina and was visiting her parents at Fort Bragg.[12][39] They were married at the Fort Bragg main post chapel on November 22, 1949.[39][40] After his retirement in 1977, Moore served as the Executive President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado. In June 2009, the 87-year-old Moore attended the formal opening of the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia. One of the featured exhibits of the museum is a life-size diorama of L.Z. X-Ray from the Battle of Ia Drang.[41][42] The Moores had five children, Greg Moore, Steve Moore, Julie Moore Orlowski, Cecile Moore Rainey, and David Moore,[43] as well as twelve grandchildren.[15] Two of their sons are career U.S. Army officers: one a retired colonel and another a retired lieutenant colonel.[44]

Moore died from a

Fort Benning Post Cemetery on February 17, 2017, with full military honors and laid to rest beside his wife of 55 years who died in 2004.[46][47]

Bibliography

Awards and decorations

Purple Heart

While included in the list of awards, Moore never wore the Purple Heart and tried to return the award to the Army while in Vietnam and more formally in 1968. In his January 11, 1968, letter to the Army Adjutant General, he provided this rationale, "I have great respect for the Purple Heart Medal and would be proud to wear it if I consider it were fully earned by me in the future. In the case of this particular award, it was presented on the basis of a superficial "punji-stake" injury in Vietnam in October 1965. I do not feel that I earned the award for that slight injury and hence have never worn it, do not intend to, and request my records be set straight."[50]

On January 16, 1968, the Adjutant General provided a formal response declining the request. The letter summarized, "General Orders pertaining to this award cannot be revoked. This award is part of your official records. It will be available to you in the future if you desire it."[51]

List of awards and decorations

Bronze star
Badge Combat Infantryman Badge w/ Star
Badge Basic Army Aviator Badge
1st row Army Distinguished Service Cross[4] Army Distinguished Service Medal
2nd row Legion of Merit with two bronze oak leaf clusters
"V" Device and three bronze Oak Leaf Clusters (three awards for Valor)[4]
 Purple Heart
3rd row Air Medal w/ eight Oak Leaf Clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal
w/ two Oak Leaf Clusters
4th row American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
 World War II Victory Medal
5th row Army of Occupation Medal National Defense Service Medal w/ one bronze 3⁄16" service stars Korean Service Medal w/ three bronze 3⁄16" service stars
6th row Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal w/ three 3⁄16" bronze stars
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross
w/ three Palms
7th row
United Nations Korea Medal
 Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/ 1960– device Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Badge
Distinctive Unit Insignia
Badge Republic of Vietnam
Parachutist Badge
1st row US Army Presidential Unit Citation
2nd row
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
(two awards)
Badge 1st Cavalry Division Combat Service Identification Badge
Badges
Master Parachutist Badge
 Original Air Assault Badge
(Unofficial)
Badges Army Staff Identification Badge Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge

Other recognition

Notes

  1. ^ The name of Camp Popolopen was changed to Camp Buckner after World War II to honor General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., who was killed in action during the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa.

Citations

  1. ^ "Julia Moore Obituary". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (by Legacy.com). April 21, 2004.
  2. ISBN 978-0-06-114776-0
    .
  3. ^ a b "OSM0203" (PDF). Infantry Association. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2005. Retrieved February 19, 2005.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Harold G. Moore, Jr.", 2003 Distinguished Graduate Award, West Point Association of Graduates
  5. ^ Guardia 2013, pp. 13–14
  6. ^ Moore's WW2 Draft Card lists his employer as the United States Senate with the place of employment being the Senate Office Building.
  7. ^ a b Guardia 2013, pp. 15–19
  8. ^ Moore & Galloway (2008), p. 160
  9. ^ a b c d e f Guardia 2013, pp. 20–29
  10. ^ Moore & Galloway (2008), p. 73
  11. ^ a b Moore & Galloway (2008), p. 162
  12. ^ a b c Guardia 2013, pp. 30–36
  13. ^ Guardia 2013, p. 40
  14. ^ Guardia 2013, pp. 45–46
  15. ^ a b "Harold G. "Hal" Moore". The Air University. 2007. Archived from the original (Eagle Biography) on May 30, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  16. ^ Barnwell, Ross (February 10, 2019). "Footage: "We Were Soldiers" Hal Moore Talks About The Battle For Ia Drang". War History Online. Retrieved September 3, 2019. Moore was to become a "jumpmaster" with over 300 Airborne jumps
  17. ^ Guardia, pp. 58–59
  18. ^ Guardia, pp. 77–78
  19. ^ a b Guardia, p. 85
  20. ^ Guardia, pp. 86–87
  21. ^ Guardia, p. 87
  22. ^ Guardia, p. 92
  23. ^ "Graduation Exercises" (PDF). The United States Naval War College. June 17, 1964. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  24. ^ "A Soldier Once...and Always". Hal Moore: A Soldier Once. and Always. Facebook. Retrieved February 6, 2014. Lt. Col. Hal Moore in his first command portrait as the CO of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry (later re-designated: 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry).
  25. ^ a b c Guardia, p. 103
  26. ^ Guardia, pp. 105–106
  27. ^ Modinger, John H. (June 10, 2022). "Hal Moore A Life in Pictures". Army University Press. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  28. ^ "Moore, Harold ("Yellow Hair"), LTG". TogetherWeServed. TogetherWeServed, Inc. 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  29. ^ Guardia, p. 141
  30. ^ Guardia, p. 159
  31. ^ a b Guardia, pp. 160–161
  32. ^ Guardia, p. 162
  33. ^ Guardia, pp. 162–163
  34. ^ Guardia, pp. 163–169
  35. ^ a b Moore and Tuten, pp. 52–59
  36. ^ Guardia, pp. 170–175
  37. ^ Guardia, pp. 180–181
  38. ^ Guardia, p. 181
  39. ^ a b Moore & Galloway (2008), p. 217
  40. ^ Guardia, p. 54
  41. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Archived from the original
    on June 21, 2009.
  42. ^ Galloway, Joseph L. (October 29, 1990). "Vietnam story: The word was the Ia Drang would be a walk. The word was wrong". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002. Retrieved September 11, 2002.
  43. Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
    . April 21, 2004. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  44. ^ Moore and Galloway (2008), pp. 220–221
  45. ^ Turner, Troy (February 11, 2017). "We Were Soldiers' hero passes; the celebrated life story of a soldier, a leader, a father". Opelika-Auburn News. Archived from the original on August 29, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  46. ^ "Graveside Service Ft Benning, GA Lt. Gen. Hal Moore" (Video). YouTube. February 17, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  47. ^ Williams, Chuck (February 17, 2017). "Retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore remembered as great warrior, leader". Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. Columbus. GA. He was buried with his wife of 55 years, Julia Compton Moore, who died in 2004
  48. ^ Moore & Galloway (2008), pp. 221-222
  49. ^ "Moore and Galloway Webcast Interview". Pritzker Military Museum & Library. September 17, 2008.
  50. ^ Letter dtd January 11, 1968 from Harold G. Moore to AGPB-AC, HQ, DA, TAGO
  51. ^ Letter dtd January 16, 1968 from AGPB-AC, HQ, DA, TAGO in official records of Harold G. Moore Jr
  52. The Naming Commission (Aug 2022) Recommendation Archived October 9, 2022, at the Wayback Machine

References

External links

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