Hal Moore
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.
Harold Gregory Moore Jr. | |
|---|---|
Moore at the United States Military Academy in May 2010 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Hal", "Yellow Hair" |
| Born | February 13, 1922 Bardstown, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | February 10, 2017 (aged 94) Auburn, Alabama, U.S. |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service/ | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1945–1977 |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | Army 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/wars | World War II Korean War Vietnam War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal (4) w/ "V" Device Purple Heart Air Medal (9) |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Relations | 5 children, 12 grandchildren |
| Other work | We Were Soldiers Once… And Young We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam Executive Vice-President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado |
Moore is remembered as the lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Battalion, 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 as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award by the West Point Association of Graduates.