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==Writings by Hal Moore== | ==Writings by Hal Moore== |
Revision as of 09:54, 16 March 2009
Harold G. Moore | |
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File:Ia Drang Col. Moore and north vietnamese casualties.jpgLTC Moore and North Vietnamese casualties during the Battle of Ia Drang | |
Nickname(s) | Hal |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1945-1977 |
Rank | Lieutenant General |
Commands | 7th Cavalry Regiment |
Battles / wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War *Battle of Ia Drang |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Legion of Merit Bronze Star Purple Heart Combat Infantryman Badge |
Other work | author President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado |
Harold Gregory "Hal" Moore, Jr. (born February 13, 1922) is a former lieutenant general in the United States Army. Moore is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army. He was the lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, at the Battle of Ia Drang on November 14–16, 1965, in Vietnam. Today he is the "Honorary Colonel" of the Regiment.
Biography
Born in Bardstown, Kentucky, Moore's chances of obtaining an appointment to the United States Military Academy were reduced due to the demographics of the area. Moore therefore moved to Washington, D.C., where he completed his high school education, and attended George Washington University for two years before receiving his appointment from a Georgia congressman in 1942 (despite having never before been to Georgia).
He graduated from West Point in 1945 and attended graduate studies at George Washington and Harvard universities, obtaining a Masters degree in international relations.
Moore was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1945. Moore was the first of his class (1945) to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general. After his retirement in 1977, Moore served as the Executive Vice President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado.
Hal Moore is best known for the Battle of Ia Drang, well-detailed in his 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, which was made into a movie in 2002, entitled We Were Soldiers. The Battle of Ia Drang began in November 1965 when 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley, South Vietnam. Unbeknownst to Moore and his commanders, this clearing was adjacent to more than 4,000 North Vietnamese soldiers, who quickly surrounded the small unit. Encircled by enemy soldiers with no clear landing zone (LZ) that would allow them to leave, Lieutenant Colonel Moore managed to persevere despite overwhelming odds that led to a sister battalion only two-and-a-half miles away being massacred. Moore's dictum that "there is always one more thing you can do to increase your odds of success" and the perseverance and courage of his entire command are credited with this astounding outcome.
Importantly, despite the fact that Moore's spirited defense led to more than a 4-to-1 ratio between North Vietnamese casualties and US casualties, Moore considers the battle a draw because the US left the area and allowed the North Vietnamese to reassert control. However, the US Army was extracted after the North Vietnamese abandoned thier defenses. Only after the battle did the North Vietnamese regain thier posistions. Many consider the battle a microcosm of the war.
Hal Moore and his deceased wife, Julia Compton Moore, have five children and numerous grandchildren.
Selected awards
- Combat Infantryman Badge (2)
- Distinguished Service Cross
- Master Parachutist Badge
- 2003 USO Patriot Award he now has nomerous grand children called dean watson and kenneth watson
Writings by Hal Moore
- We Were Soldiers Once… And Young (with co-author Joseph L. Galloway), which was adapted into the film We Were Soldiers, which was filmed at Fort Hunter Liggett and Fort Benning; Moore was played by Mel Gibson.
- LTG Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway have co-authored another book together, a follow-up to their highly successful first title. We Are Soldiers Still; A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam was highly anticipated and published in 2008.
See also
Trivia
This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (July 2008) |
Moore was known as "Yellow Hair" to his troops at the battle at Ia Drang, for his blonde hair, and as a tongue-in-cheek homage referencing Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, commander of the same unit (7th Cavalry) at the Battle of the Little Bighorn just under a century before.
External links
- Interview on We Were Soldiers Once...And Young
- Interview on We Are Soldiers Still
- Interview on Veterans Chronicles produced by the American Veterans Center
- Gathering of Eagles Biography retrieved June 3, 2008
Notes
- Galloway, Joseph L. (1990-10-29). "Vietnam story: The word was the Ia Drang would be a walk. The word was wrong". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved 2007-04-29.
- Articles with trivia sections from July 2008
- 1923 births
- Living people
- American Roman Catholics
- American military personnel of the Korean War
- American military personnel of the Vietnam War
- American military writers
- People from Kentucky
- Irish-Americans
- Irish-American writers
- Irish-Americans in the military
- Recipients of the Combat Infantryman Badge
- Recipients of US Distinguished Service Cross
- Recipients of the Legion of Merit
- Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal
- Recipients of the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry
- United States Army generals
- United States Military Academy alumni
- Roman Catholic writers
- Battle of Ia Drang