1. Hal Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the US Army's second-highest decoration for valor, and was the first soldier in his West Point graduating class of 1945 to be promoted to brigadier general, major general, and lieutenant general.
Hal 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.
Hal Moore was born on February 13,1922, in Bardstown, Kentucky, the eldest of four children born to Harold Sr.
Hal Moore's father was an insurance agent whose territory covered western Kentucky.
Hal Moore finished high school at night while working days and graduated from St Joseph Preparatory School in Bardstown with the class of 1940.
Hal Moore attended George Washington University at night for two years, working at his warehouse job while waiting on an appointment to West Point.
Creal agreed, and Hal Moore soon found Representative Eugene Cox of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District, who had an open appointment to West Point.
Hal Moore received his appointment to the US Military Academy shortly after the United States entered into World War II.
Hal Moore reported to West Point for "Reception Day" on July 15,1942, and the summer training referred to as "Beast Barracks" held before the formal academic school term took up in the fall.
Hal Moore was in the bottom fifteen percent and he wanted an infantry assignment.
Hal Moore graduated from West Point on June 5,1945, and he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry branch.
Hal Moore's first assignment after graduation was the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, which was a six-week course.
Hal Moore was not selected, and was instead assigned to the three-week jump school held at the 11th Airborne Division in Tokyo, Japan.
Hal Moore volunteered to join the Airborne Test Section, a special unit testing experimental parachutes.
In June 1952, Hal Moore was assigned to the 17th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division.
Hal Moore next served as regimental Assistant Chief-of-Staff, Operations and Plans.
In 1954, Hal Moore returned to West Point and served for three years as an instructor in infantry tactics.
In 1956, Hal Moore was assigned to attend the year-long student course at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1960, following graduation from the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia, Hal Moore served a three-year tour as NATO Plans Officer with Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe in Oslo, Norway.
In 1964, now a lieutenant colonel, Hal Moore completed the course of study at the National War College, while earning a master's degree in International Relations from George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Hal Moore was transferred to Fort Benning and commanded 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry later to become a part of 11th Air Assault Division, undergoing air assault and air mobility training and tests.
Hal Moore led the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division in the week-long Battle of Ia Drang.
Hal Moore never wore the ribbon or the medal on his uniform.
The blond haired Hal Moore was known as "Yellow Hair" to his troops at the battle at Ia Drang, a tongue-in-cheek homage referencing the legendary General George Armstrong Custer, who commanded as a lieutenant colonel the same 7th Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of the Little Bighorn just under a century before.
Hal Moore was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism at Ia Drang.
Hal Moore then helped draft the Army plan for the withdrawal of two brigades of the 9th Infantry Division to the United States as a part of the Vietnamization of the war effort.
Shortly after becoming commanding general of the 7th Infantry Division, Hal Moore was promoted to major general in 1970 and he and his family moved to Camp Casey, South Korea.
Hal Moore was charged by General John H Michaelis, commander, United States Forces Korea, with cleaning up the drug abuse problem and racial strife that were prevalent at the time in the 7th Division.
Hal Moore's plan established Officer's Leadership Schools for company-grade officers and an NCO Leadership School for staff sergeants and below as well as issuing an "Equal Opportunity Policy".
Hal Moore backed up the policy with the promise to punish those leaders who discriminated based on race, ethnicity or creed.
Hal Moore dealt with army recruiting issues after the termination of the draft, as well as the orderly reduction of forces after the close of the Vietnam War.
Hal Moore retired from the army on August 1,1977, after completing 32 years of active service.
In June 2009, the 87-year-old Hal Moore attended the opening of the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia.
Hal Moore died from a stroke on February 10,2017, three days before his 95th birthday.
Hal Moore was buried in Fort Moore Main Post Cemetery on February 17,2017, with full military honors and laid to rest beside his wife of 55 years who died in 2004.