Voting Station

Harold 'Hal' Moore

Please vote to return to collections.

Military Personnel

The Resume

    (February 13, 1922-February 10, 2017)
    Born in Barnstown, Kentucky
    Birth name was Harold Gregory Moore, Jr.
    US Army lieutenant general
    1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment
    Served in World War II, The Korean War, and Vietnam
    Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism in the Battle of Ira Drang (1965)
    After retiring, served as the Executive President of the Crested Butte Ski Area, Colorado
    Author of 'We Were Soldiers Once… And Young' (1992)
    Portrayed by Mel Gibson in the book's film adaptation of the same name, for which he acted as a consultant (2002)

Why he might be annoying:

    He wrote two autobiographies.
    He attained entry into West Point by bartering his appointment to the Naval Academy by Congressman Ed Creal.
    He was nicknamed 'Yellow Hair' by his troops.
    The nickname was in reference to the ill-fated General George Armstrong Custer, who commanded the same Cavalry regiment during the Battle of Little Bighorn (awkward).
    He differed sharply from fellow Ira Dang vet and 'We Were Soldiers' co-author, Rick Rescorla, in that he enthusiastically endorsed the film treatment of the book.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His kids and grandkids called him 'Captain Fun.'
    He became the first of his West Point graduating class to reach the rank of lieutenant general.
    He returned to West Point, in 1954, and served for three years as an instructor in infantry tactics.
    During his time as an instructor, he taught then-Cadet Norman Schwarzkopf (he later named Moore as one of his heroes, citing him as the reason for his choice of the infantry branch).
    He led the first major battle of the Vietnam War.
    He saved the lives of most of his men despite being heavily outnumbered by North Vietnamese forces.
    He was the first American commander to engage in a large-scale battle with the M16 family of rifles.
    His praise of the M16, in 'We Were Soldiers,' is believed to have been a factor leading to its adoption for main usage by the US military (as well as the proliferation of the AR-15).
    He completed an M.A in International Relations, at Harvard, in 1968.
    He received the Distinguished Graduate Award by the West Point Association of Graduates (2003).
    He was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice by the National Infantry Association (2005).
    He died three days before his 95th birthday, and on his late wife's own birthday.
    Joseph Galloway, Moore's co-author, said of him: 'Those of us who survived Landing Zone X-Ray survived because of his brilliance of command. I think every one of us thought we were going to die at that place except Hal Moore. He was certain we were going to win that fight and he was right... They don't make them like him anymore.'

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 15 Votes: 13.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 185 Votes: 61.62% Annoying