Hal Moore

Harold Gregory "Hal" Moore, Jr.
Moore at the U.S. Military Academy in May 2010
Birth name	Harold Gregory Moore, Jr.
Nickname(s)	"Hal", "Yellow Hair"
Born	(1922-02-13)February 13, 1922 Bardstown, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	February 10, 2017(2017-02-10) (aged 94) Auburn, Alabama, U.S.
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1945–1977
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands held	2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment (United States) 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division 7th Infantry Division Fort Ord Army Training Center [Army Military Personnel Center]
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War Battle of Ia Drang
Awards	Distinguished Service Cross Army Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal (4) w/ "V" Device Air Medal (9)
Spouse(s)	Julia Compton Moore (m.1949–2004; her death)
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

Korean War
Vietnam War

Harold Gregory "Hal" Moore, Jr. (February 13, 1922 – February 10, 2017) was a United States Army lieutenant general and author. He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, which is the U.S. military'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 best 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 made into the movie We Were Soldiers in 2002, which starred actor Mel Gibson as Moore; Moore was the "honorary colonel" of the regiment.

In 2007, Moore's volunteer driver wrote a book on Moore's personal religious journey titled A General's Spiritual Journey. In 2013, author Mike Guardia published the first full-length biography of Moore's life and career titled Hal Moore: A Soldier Once...and Always.

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.

Moore was born on February 13, 1922, in Bardstown, Kentucky, the eldest of four children born to Harold, Sr. and Mary (Crume) Moore. His father was an insurance agent whose territory covered western Kentucky and his mother was a homemaker. Because he was interested in obtaining an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York and felt his chances were better if he was located in a larger city, he left Kentucky at the age of seventeen before finishing high school and got a job in Washington, D.C. working in the U.S. Senate book warehouse. Moore finished high school at night while working days and graduated from St. Joseph Preparatory School in Bardstown with the class of 1940. Moore attended George Washington University at night for two years, working at his warehouse job while waiting on an appointment to West Point. During his time at George Washington University he was initiated into the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. After President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation authorizing each senator and representative additional appointments to the military and naval academies, Moore was offered an appointment to the United States Naval Academy by Representative Ed Creal (4th District, Kentucky) but Moore had no desire to go to the Naval Academy. Moore asked Creal if he could find another congressman that would trade his Military Academy appointment for Creal's Naval Academy appointment would he be agreeable to that arrangement. Creal agreed, and Moore soon found Representative 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.