Hal Moore

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, 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 film We Were Soldiers in 2002, which starred 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. In 2017, Moore's family and author Mike Guardia published, Hal Moore on Leadership: Winning When Outgunned and Outmanned, a book wherein Moore chronicles his leadership principles and strategies for success. 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.