Hal Moore

Harold G. Moore
File:Ia Drang Col. Moore and north vietnamese casualties.jpg Lt. Col. Moore and North Vietnamese casualties during the Battle of Ia Drang
Nickname(s)	Hal
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1945-1977
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	1/7th Cavalry
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. (was born November 29, 1923) 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.

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 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 is best known for the Battle of Ia Drang, portrayed in the 2002 film We Were Soldiers and well-detailed in the 1992 book We Were Soldiers Once… And Young. The Battle of Ia Drang began in November of 1965 when 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry were dropped into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. 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. 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 (United States)
• Master Parachutist Badge
• 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

• Basil L. Plumley
• Battle of Ia Drang
• Julia Compton Moore
• Bruce P. Crandall
• 1st Cavalry Division

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

• Interview on We Were Soldiers Once...And Young
• Interview on We Are Soldiers Still
• Gathering of Eagles Biography retrieved June 3, 2008