Lieutenant General Hal Moore passes
The sad news comes that Lt General Hal Moore, the co-author of the iconic Vietnam book “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young”, has passed at the age of 94. From Stars & Stripes;
Joseph Galloway, who with Moore co-authored the book “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” confirmed Saturday to The Associated Press that Moore died late Friday in his sleep at his home in Auburn, Alabama.
Galloway said Moore, his friend of 51 years, died two days shy of his 95th birthday.
“There’s something missing on this earth now. We’ve lost a great warrior, a great soldier, a great human being and my best friend. They don’t make them like him anymore,” Galloway said.
[…]
On a Facebook page managed by Moore’s family, relatives said he died on the birthday of his wife, Julia, who died in 2004 after 55 years of marriage.
“Mom called Dad home on her day,” the statement said. “After having a stroke last week, Dad was more lethargic and had difficulty speaking, but he had always fought his way back.”
Category: We Remember
Poetrooper talked about him earlier this week in an exchange with me about the 2/327 (ABN). RIP General.
I have a similar piece up at American Thinker this morning recounting my one occasion to meet the man and literally wage war at his side:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/02/lieutenant_general_hal_moore_rip.html
The guy was physically impressive–a tall, rangy, lean, mean, fighting machine as we used to say. SJ, your friend, Captain Luther Woods, commanding C/2/327 in that battle, may have had a different opinion of him than me because Moore was merciless with our officers, even our battalion commander that he took command of the battle area from. But he commanded with complete confidence and got our asses out of a tight spot where we were seriously outnumbered. He was one helluva an Airborne Soldier.
Garry Owen, Sir!
For any of you in the Fort Benning area who might wish to pay your final respects:
Editor’s note: Services will be announced for later next week, as the family will plan a local service in Auburn, and there will be a military graveside service at Fort Benning. Troy Turner is editor of the Opelika-Auburn News and may be reached at tturner@oanow.com.
No Poet, Luke was complimentary and respected him. The only comment he ever made that might be negative was when he first appeared at the firefight location he had a MacArthur air about him playing to the media. But Luke said he was exhausted and may have been overly cynical. He said that the Gen got him assets that he needed.
sj, that’s the first time I’ve heard a MacArthur reference applied to him but from the books I’ve read about MacArthur, it could fit.
As to media, if there were any present, I never saw them, certainly not before the battle nor during nor after. That’s why the Battle of Trung Luong remains so under reported in history books. I’ve never even seen any Army combat footage.
This was an unplanned encounter, at least of this magnitude, that developed quickly and was resolved in less than four total days with the most critical portion occurring from just before Moore’s arrival until the NVA completed their withdrawal.
A True Warrior.
Rest in Peace, Sir.
*Salute*
RIP catch up with you on the DZ Airborne.
RIP Sir. If anyone earned eternal rest, it was you
See you on the other side, sir.
Fair winds and following seas, General.
A man who led from the front and shared the danger with the men he sent into it; rare breed indeed. Godspeed, General.
Very well put, TOW…
RIP, LtGen Hal Moore
RIP Sir, they simply don’t make leaders like that anymore.
Led from the front, first on the battlefield, last off the battlefield.
Truly loved by his men.
“in his sleep”
A peaceful end for a brave warrior.
The book “We were soldiers once, and young” was riveting. The small area in which the battles took place was magnificently narrated by the authors. It is a must read.
Rest in Peace, General.
Rest well, Sir.
RIP, General. You were a tremendous leader of men going into harm’s way. Blessings to your family.
“I can’t promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we all come home together.”
RIP Gen Moore.
Thank You, my Lord, that such a man lived.Thank You for Your Peace which rests now upon those left behind, to comfort them in their grief.
See you in a while, Brother.
A sad event for me without doubt. Rest in well deserved peace General Moore. God be with your family.
“[H]e died on the birthday of his wife, Julia, who died in 2004 after 55 years of marriage. “Mom called Dad home on her day,” the [Moore family’s] statement said.”
Fiddler’s Green has a new CO.
Rest in Peace, Sir.
RIP, Sir.
Gary Owen.
Something I find depressing, other than the fact of Hal Moore’s passing, is that there has been almost no mention of it in the mainstream media. The single lone exception is a piece in the Chicago Tribune apparently picked up off the AP wire. Instead of anything about Moore, for example, the front page of Google News this morning had links to six or seven stories about how clever Alec Baldwin was– again– on Saturday Night Live (Live! From New York!) pretending to be Donald Trump.
We are not getting the news media we deserve.
Garryowen, General.
For what it’s worth, I was assigned to the 1st Cav at Fort Hood during the Spring and Summer of ’72 before ETS. It was a unit with a very long and proud tradition. Sometimes Moore’s 7th Cavalry part of it, also Custer’s old command, would have the band crank up the tune Garryowen as part of, say, an awards ceremony. It could make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Like being in the presence of ghosts.
My wife and I are visiting Crested Butte CO today which is where the General had a retirement home. Never met him but always wanted to tell him he would have made a heck of a Marine. Semper Fi,Sir
Rest in peace, sir! I pray God gives comfort to your family.
GarryOwen & Fair Winds and Following Seas, Sir.
The man that reinvented the concept of US Cavalry.
Rest well, you’ve earned it sir.