"[An] outstanding biography..." -- Armchair General
Finalist 2013 Army Historical Society Distinguished Writing Award.
Hal Moore, one of the most admired American combat leaders of the last
50 years, has until now been best known to the public for being
portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie "We Were Soldiers." In this
first-ever, fully illustrated biography, we finally learn the full story
of one of America's true military heroes.
A 1945 graduate of West Point, Moore's first combats occurred during the
Korean War, where he fought in the battles of Old Baldy, T-Bone, and
Pork Chop Hill. At the beginning of the Vietnam War, Moore commanded the
1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry in the first full-fledged battle
between U.S. and North Vietnamese regulars. Drastically outnumbered and
nearly overrun, Moore led from the front, and though losing 79 soldiers,
accounted for 1,200 of the enemy before the Communists withdrew. This
Battle of Ia Drang pioneered the use of "air mobile
infantry"--delivering troops into battle via helicopter--which became
the staple of U.S. operations for the remainder of the war. He later
wrote of his experiences in the best-selling book, We Were Soldiers
Once...and Young.
Following his tour in Vietnam, he assumed command of the 7th Infantry
Division, forward-stationed in South Korea, and in 1971, he took command
of the Army Training Center at Fort Ord, California. In this capacity,
he oversaw the US Army's transition from a conscript-based to an
all-volunteer force. He retired as a Lieutenant General in 1977.
Moore graciously allowed the author interviews and granted full access
to his files and collection of letters, documents, and
never-before-published photographs. Mike Guardia, currently an officer
in the U.S. 1st Armored Division is also author of two highly acclaimed
biographies, American Guerrilla, about the life of the true founder of
Special Forces, Russell Volckmann, and Shadow Commander, about the
career of Donald Blackburn.
Sadly, Lt Gen Moore passed in 2017 at the age of 94.
