Hal Moore : A Soldier Once? and Always

"[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.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1: Early Years
2: The Military Life
3: Korea
4: The Road to Vietnam
5: Ia Drang
6: The Coastal Campaign, 1966
7: Command Decisions
8: When War Is Done

Epilogue: A Life in Words
Appendix: Moore’s Citation for the Distinguished Service Cross
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served six years on active duty as an Armor Officer. He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and is an active member in the Military Writers Society of America. He holds a BA and MA in American History from the University of Houston. He currently lives in Minnesota.