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Revision as of 01:55, 20 November 2007 by MWaller (talk | contribs) (Added age)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| Harold G. Moore | |
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| File:Ia Drang Col. Moore and north vietnamese casualties.jpgLt. Col. Moore and North Vietnamese casualties during the Battle of Ia Drang | |
| Nickname(s) | Hal |
| Allegiance | U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1945-1977 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 1/7th Cavalry |
| Battles / wars | 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 retired United States Army Lieutenant General. 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.
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 and retired in 1977. Moore was the first of his class (1945) to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general. After his retirement, Moore served as the Executive Vice President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado.
Hal Moore and his deceased wife, Julia Compton Moore, have five children and numerous grandchildren.
Selected awards
- Combat Infantryman Badge (2)
- Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
- Master Paratrooper
- 2003 USO Patriot Award
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.
See also
Trivia
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
- Tribute to Hal Moore
- Hal Moore at LZ X-Ray Painting
- Interview on We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young at the Pritzker Military Library
.
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.
- 1922 births
- Living people
- American Roman Catholics
- American military personnel of the Korean War
- American military personnel of the Vietnam War
- People from Kentucky
- 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