• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Retired Lt. Gen. Harold G. “Hal” Moore

Pops1967GTX

Pops1967GTX

FBBO Gold Member
FBBO Gold Member
Local time
10:57 AM
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
35,631
Reaction score
137,100
Location
Monroe, New York
tumblr_ol8rz6EuYW1qz9tkeo1_400.png
tumblr_ol8rz6EuYW1qz9tkeo2_1280.jpg


Retired Lt. Gen. Harold G. “Hal” Moore, the American hero known for saving most of his men in the first major battle between the U.S. and North Vietnamese armies, has died. He was 94.


Lt. Gen. Hal Moore dies; depicted in film 'We Were Soldiers' - U.S. - Stripes
 
Did you read the book? The way I read it was that he put his men in a bad situation. There where many, many mistakes made that day in the A Shaw Valley. The military considers every battle a victory and the book (written by himself & Joe Galloway) made him out to be a hero. The movie only accentuated it. I cringed when I read some of the tactics that where used in that operation. They took the bait and walked right into an ambush. I don't see him as a "hero".
 
I read the book, yes as with any military book, when the people the story is about are involved in writing it, they always try to look heroic. The movie was better because i think it was more about joe galloway tham on hal, and was focusing on what hadnt really been done before by sticking a reporter in a helmet. It was a brand new war with a brand new enemy and brand new soldiers. Vietnam was a horrible war for america the exact same way as the american revolution was for great britain. Guerilla warfare is a mess if you dont expect it. How else could it have played out? Mistakes will obviously happen. Regardless of how the story leaned one way or the other, That fact that he willingly signed his name giving himself to our country for 3 wars makes him a hero. Anyone at all who volunteers for that is a hero. i dont care who you are.
 
RIP Ret. Lt Gen. Harold Moore
 
Didn't read the book but saw the movie " When we were Soldiers". That was the first great battle of the Vietnam war and as I saw it was the one that convinced the military the U.S. Could win in the short run. Of course we all know what happened. I had three older brothers that served in Vietnam. It was indeed a gut wrenching war. And so unnecessary. But we honor our vets and our dead and move on. May God bless them all.
 
"ranger" and others- Ibelieve he was only a "light"colonel at the time and the higher-ups sent him in with limited intel. Mountains all around? He did a good job. RIP...
 
R.I.P.
 
68GTXNH said:
That fact that he willingly signed his name giving himself to our country for 3 wars makes him a hero. Anyone at all who volunteers for that is a hero. i dont care who you are.
Click to expand...
That would make him a patriot, not a hero. The word hero is thrown around WAY to freely. Moore may well have done heroic deeds and may well be a hero, but simply joining the service does not a hero make.
 
Ranger16 said:
Did you read the book? The way I read it was that he put his men in a bad situation. There where many, many mistakes made that day in the A Shaw Valley. The military considers every battle a victory and the book (written by himself & Joe Galloway) made him out to be a hero. The movie only accentuated it. I cringed when I read some of the tactics that where used in that operation. They took the bait and walked right into an ambush. I don't see him as a "hero".
Click to expand...
Hind site is 20/20. That style of combat was in its infancy, it could have been a total disaster. The Vietnam War contained many mistakes. It also contained acts of extraordinary valor. As did that very first confrontation in the A Shaw Valley.
Out of all that our Armed Services have done, our Vietnam Vets are nearest and dearest to my heart.

RIP HAL MOORE
 
Ranger16 said:
Did you read the book? The way I read it was that he put his men in a bad situation. There where many, many mistakes made that day in the A Shaw Valley. The military considers every battle a victory and the book (written by himself & Joe Galloway) made him out to be a hero. The movie only accentuated it. I cringed when I read some of the tactics that where used in that operation. They took the bait and walked right into an ambush. I don't see him as a "hero".
Click to expand...


I read the book also Ranger
"We were soldiers once and young" Joe Galloway
The way I see it: It wasn't Lt. Col Moore's mistakes....
It was the U.S. ARMYs mistakes/issues.
1. We simply had no INTEL (NVA forces were grossly under-estimated in both size and strength)
2. "Testing" AIR CALVARY for the very first time.
(Come on, biggest mistake ever, carrying only a few into a Hot Zone at a time?, Ridiculous)
3. Kids, un-prepared, we America, were in a "Lull" so to speak, the kids were not Korean war vets, they were all rookies who didn't even know who or what Vietnam was never mind their Philosophical mind set.
One of the NVA Generals later laughed when America met with them, said we were only in the Country for a few years and Viet Nam had been fighting oppression for Centuries!
Ha Ha!
PS: One of my Co-Workers (He's Lockheed-Martin Areo) is a Electrical Engineer and a "Boat People" refugee!
 
Last edited:
I've never read the book. Like the movie though.

1. What was Lt. Col. Moores military background prior to A Shaw Valley? He lived to be 91 and that puts him the same age as most veterans of D-Day or Okinawa

2. My favorite character in the movie was Sam Elliot. Was that guy (not sure name and rank, but was obviously Moores right hand) fictional, in the movie he was a hardened vet from several wars who had made multiple combat jumps with the 82nd or 101st.
My favorite line in any war movie. "Sir, Custer was a pussy, you're not."
 
Moore wore the CIB with star (post #1) indicating that it was the second award so he probably saw combat in the Korean War. He was in West Point during WWII .

The movie (as all of them) took even more literary license than the book and the book was written by a reporter who really did not understand what was happening in the first place.

Correction:
It was the Battle of the Ia Drang valley, not the A shau valley. The A Shau was a few years letter during Tet.
 
Yeah,
got it
I read the book
Army Sgt. Major Basil L. Plumley was in WWII and Korea
General Moore was a West Point grad, graduated in 1946 I think.
 
Moore joined westpoint in 1942 and graduated under the accelerated 3 year program (instead of 4) because of the war. but graduate the day before the d day anniversary. not sure if he went over seas for that one, but did sign up for westpoint in hope of the war. then plenty of combat in korea and vietnam his wiki is interesting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Moore

sam elliot played the real Plumley, another old school bad *** airborne into normandy kind of guy, lot of battles. unfortunatly he looked like he kind of tooted his own horn a bit. theres some info on him wearing excessive medals and stuff to look cooler.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_L._Plumley

yes sam elliot is great in everything, im a big fan, if you guys get a chance to watch "the ranch" on netflix, its hysterical, sam is the hardass rancher dad.
 
Last edited:
68GTXNH said:
Moore joined westpoint in 1942 and graduated under the accelerated 3 year program (instead of 4) because of the war. but graduate the day before the d day anniversary. not sure if he went over seas for that one, but did sign up for westpoint in hope of the war. then plenty of combat in korea and vietnam his wiki is interesting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Moore

sam elliot played the real Plumley, another old school bad *** airborne into normandy kind of guy, lot of battles. unfortunatly he looked like he kind of tooted his own horn a bit. theres some info on him wearing excessive medals and stuff to look cooler.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_L._Plumley

yes sam elliot is great in everything, im a big fan, if you guys get a chance to watch "the ranch" on netflix, its hysterical, sam is the hardass rancher dad.
Click to expand...
He's too much of a prick in the ranch. My favorite character he portrayed was in we were soldiers
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ghostrider 67
"White Christmas"
Replies
6
Views
958
JackR
JackR
G
On Memorial Day
Replies
15
Views
1K
VANDAN
VANDAN
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top