Hal Moore

Hal Moore
Moore in 1975
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.
Buried	Fort Moore Main Post Cemetery
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	1945–1977
Rank	Lieutenant general
Commands	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 Battle of Ia Drang
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)	Julia Compton Moore ​ ​ (m. 1949; died 2004)​ [1]
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[2] Executive Vice-President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado

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 soldier in his West Point graduating class (1945) to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general.

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^[3] as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award by the West Point Association of Graduates.^[4]