Harold 'Hal' Moore
Lieutenant Colonel / General, US Army
"I will be the first to set foot on the field and the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind."
Biography
Commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry at Ia Drang — the first major US Army battle against the NVA. Moore led 400 men surrounded by 2,000 enemy troops for three days and brought most of them home. His memoir 'We Were Soldiers Once… And Young' remains the most celebrated account of Vietnam combat.
Did you know?
True to his promise, Moore was the last American soldier to leave Landing Zone X-Ray at Ia Drang. He insisted on being the last man to board the final helicopter, after every single soldier under his command had evacuated. He later said: 'I promised my men. I always keep my promises.'
Key Battles
Battle of Ia Drang Valley
US & South Vietnam victoryNovember 14–18, 1965 · 3,561 total casualties
Proved helicopters could transform tactical mobility but also showed the NVA was a formidable force willing to fight at close quarters to neutralize US firepower. The after-action body counts — a metric that would define and distort the entire war — showed a 12:1 kill ratio. US commanders concluded they were winning. They were not.
Life Journey
Timeline
February 13, 1922
🌅 Birth
Born in Bardstown, Kentucky
1941–1945
📚 Education
U.S. Military Academy, West Point
1950–1953
⚔️ Battle
Korean War — combat infantry service
November 14–18, 1965
⚔️ Battle
Battle of Ia Drang — leads 400 men against 2,000 NVA; last to leave the field
February 10, 2017
✝️ Death
Dies in Auburn, Alabama