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The FReeper Foxhole Profiles Lt. Col. Harold G.(Hal) Moore - Sep. 6th, 2003
Army Magazine ^
| November 2002
| Col. Cole C. Kingseed, U.S. Army retired
Posted on 09/12/2003 7:27:06 PM PDT by SAMWolf
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On the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, Gen. Moore returned to his alma mater at the invitation of the Department of History to address the Corps of Cadets on battlefield leadership during the Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Following a brief narration of the battle, Moore got to the main purpose of his visit: the preparation of American soldiers for combat. Cadet time is carefully regimented, but 200 of the 1,000 cadets remained one hour beyond the scheduled lecture to hear the old warriors remarks. For an additional hour, Moore captivated his audience, dividing his comments between a leaders preparations for battlefield leadership and his own philosophy on the conduct of a leader in battle.
In preparing Americas sons and daughters for combat, Gen. Moore directed the cadets to read military history, particularly small unit actions. The personality of a big battle is often formed by a small unit action. During the Ia Drang Battle, for example, much of Moores efforts were directed at rescuing an isolated platoon of one of his companies. In addition to Steven Pressfields Gates of Fire, Moore cited Stephen E. Ambroses Band of Brothers and Ian Knights books on the defense of Rorkes Drift during the Zulu Wars of 1879. Both books have appeared on the Army Chief of Staffs recommended reading list.
Second, Moore urged cadets to visit historic battlefields with maps, books and narratives from actual participants to understand the intricacies of battles and campaigns. The staff ride concept was pioneered by Capt. Arthur L. Wagner at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., at the turn of the 20th century and emerged as a vital component of officer professional development for more than a hundred years. Today most commanders incorporate some aspect of the staff ride in their training to enhance unit morale and to determine how and why key leaders made their decisions under hazardous conditions. Moore himself recently returned from the Normandy battlefields where he contemplated the decisions by the senior Allied commanders.
Next Moore stressed the necessity of installing the will to win in ones command. He was adamant that commanders should not place any second place trophies in the unit. "Focus on winning, being first," and the soldiers will respond more rapidly. His remarks were reminiscent of former Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi who demanded a commitment to excellence and victory above all else. To Lombardi the greatest joy in life was to give ones last ounce of strength and to lie exhausted in victory.
Fourth, Moore concentrated on building unit discipline and teamwork. When he commanded Fort Ord in 1971, Moore instituted bayonet and pugil stick training, hand-to-hand combat training, confidence and close combat courses, field marches and rappelling to improve morale and prepare his soldiers for combat. Such combat-enhancing courses resulted in a "family of warriors," much the same as his 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry in the Ia Drang Valley. Only by installing "layer after layer after layer of personal discipline on ones troops" will units "stand tall, hang in, and stay alive when the going gets tough."
Fifth, Moore urged the cadets to prepare their commands for their own death and that of their subordinate leaders. Squad leaders must be ready to assume command of a platoon and a company.
To illustrate his point, Moore remembered on the first day of the Ia Drang fight, one of Bravo Companys platoons lost every officer and noncommissioned officer save one. Faced with overwhelming pressure from the North Vietnamese Army, Sgt. Ernie Savage, the fourth man to inherit Lt. Henry Herricks Lost Platoon, called indirect fire upon his own position. His action saved the remainder of the platoon, which had suffered nine dead and 13 wounded in the first 90 minutes of combat.
Not only must platoon leaders train squad and fire team leaders to adjust artillery and mortar fire, but leaders at all levels must prepare for wounded men yelling for "Medic" or "Mom." In battle, leaders must divorce themselves from the sounds of combat and concentrate on making clear, logical decisions.
Gen. Moore concluded his comments on preparation for battlefield leadership by reminding the cadets that mission accomplishment comes first, then care of their soldiers. The easiest part is responding to the soldiers personal needs -- food, water, mail and information on what is going on. The more important steps are developing stressful realistic training, rigorous physical conditioning and "stern, fair and square discipline."
With respect to his own battalion, Moores pre-combat training inculcated the Spartan qualities of self-denial, discipline and sacrifice into the troopers who deployed to Vietnam in 1965.

So important was the work of Crandall and his helicopter crews that Hal Moore (then a Lt. Col. and now a retired Lt. General) wrote a personal letter thanking Crandall for his heroism during Ia Drang. "We on that field would have gone down" without the "extraordinarily heroic effort" of Crandall and his men.
Treated right, Moore said, the least PFC is capable of acts of valor and sacrifice that are breathtaking. One only has to return to the Ia Drang to confirm Moores theory. Two cavalry troopers, Russell Adams and Bill Beck, manned an M-60 machine gun and with another crew, they protected Alpha Companys left flank during the opening stages of the battle. When Adams suffered a debilitating wound, it fell to assistant gunner Beck to maintain a withering fire on the enemy, now within 30 yards of his position. Moore later recalled that when Spc. 4 Becks company and his country needed him most, Beck rose to the occasion and answered the call.
Gen. Moore summarized his remarks on battlefield preparation by reminding the cadets to "live each of your troop duty days to the fullest." No one ever wrote a book about the joy and delights of being a staff officer, stated Moore, so "spend time with your soldiers. Talk with them. Never ever abuse them by act of omission. They are the secret to successful command on or off the battlefield." Again his words are reminiscent of the Spartan warrior who described his king Leonidas as a monarch "who did not command his mens loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold, rather he earned their respect by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endured for their sake."
1
posted on
09/12/2003 7:27:07 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
Comment #2 Removed by Moderator
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
Comment #4 Removed by Moderator
To: All
Turning his attention to conduct in battle, Moore next outlined four basic principles to govern ground combat. First, "Three strikes and you are not out!" A commander has two alternatives in battle. He can either contaminate his environment and his unit with his attitude and actions, or inspire confidence. To inspire confidence a leader must be visible on the battlefield and must be in the battle. Moore cautioned cadets to possess and display the will to win by ones actions, ones words, ones tone of voice on the radio, and face to face.

Lt Col Hal Moore at the Battalion command post in LZ Xray on 15 Nov 65.
Moreover, a commander must display quiet confidence and display no fear, ignoring "the noise, dust, smoke, thirst, explosions, screams of wounded, the yells, the dead lying around him." Such chaos is normal in battle, not the exception. Battle by its nature is chaotic. Good commanders strive to make battle organized chaos, rather than disorganized carnage. In Ia Drang, Moores lead helicopter pilot, Maj. Bruce Crandall, remembered Moore as "always making the right decision, always fully aware of the situation."
Second, "Theres always one more thing you can do to influence any situation in your favor -- and after that one more thing -- and after that one more thing." Taking a few seconds to separate ones self mentally from the battle, Moore repeatedly asked himself, "What am I doing that I should not be doing? And what am I not doing that I should be doing to influence the situation in my favor?" These quiet seconds of reflection allowed Moore to enter a "zone" in which opportunities rapidly crystallized. By refusing to surrender the tactical initiative to the enemy, Moore dictated the course of the battle to the best of his ability, directing arriving units to the most dangerous portions of the battlefield, often minutes before the enemy attacked.
The third principle is "When theres nothing wrong, there is nothing wrong except theres nothing wrong!" That was exactly when a leader must be most alert. On the morning of the battles second day, Moore noticed that things were too quiet, not even the birds were singing. Something in his gut told him that something was wrong, so he directed each company to send out patrols. Within minutes these patrols intercepted the enemy as the NVA moved into position to assault Moores beleaguered troopers. The Americans repelled the attack, inflicting massive casualties on the enemy.
Last, Moore urged the cadets to trust their instincts. In a rapidly developing battle, ones instincts amount to an instant estimate of the situation. There is no time to conduct a detailed commanders estimate by the book and to make a matrix of alternative courses of action. An officers instincts are the product of education, training, reading, personality and experience according to Moore. Leaders must act fast and impart confidence. Dont second guess decisions. Face up to the facts, deal with them and move on to the next situation. In the Ia Drangs opening minutes, Moores instincts told him that the enemy commander was likely to strike on his left flank, heading for the clearing that marked the landing zone. As soon as Moores Charlie Company arrived on the landing zone, he directed them to take position on Alpha Companys left, taking the risk of leaving his own rear unguarded from the north and east. They arrived just as the NVA launched an attack.

PFC Ira Rolston uses the bugle captured during the Battle of the Ia Drang to signal Co. B, 1st Plt., to move toward a valley objective, Feb. 1966.
Moore concluded his remarks by stressing the bond that exists between a commander and his soldiers. When one cadet inquired about the feeling of comrades in arm, Moores eyes welled with tears and he said, "When your men die and you dont, you feel guilty. Thats all I can say about it." Today 37 years after the Battle in the Ia Drang Valley, Moore makes annual pilgrimages to the cemetery at Fort Benning, Ga., where several of his troopers are interred, and to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington, D.C. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, the old commander, now in his 80th year, paid his respects to Rick Rescorla, a former lieutenant who died in the destruction of the World Trade Center.
How was Moore received by West Points Corps of Cadets? A random sample of unedited comments tells the story. "The most important part of Gen. Moores lecture was the advice on how people should lead," noted one cadet. Another said, "The single most noteworthy accomplishment was being able to keep his cool and composure while on the verge of being overrun. ... He inspired me to always remain optimistic, even when things look bad." Yet another remarked, "I was hanging on every word. It was the best lecture I have ever heard at West Point. ... I would have stayed and listened to him all night if that were possible."

COMPANY B SWEEPING FORWARD OF THE BATTALION PERIMETER
Perhaps the most touching comment came from a first class cadet who said Moores presentation was the "best, most down-to-earth lecture I have ever experienced. It made me feel proud becoming an officer and entering into the Army as a profession. His words are inspirational and his experiences are a model of admiration. I wish I would have gone Infantry."
How many other cadets Moore inspired to select Infantry as a branch is speculative, but the general consensus that April evening was that listening to Hal Moore made these cadets better future commanders. Listening to Moore could make one a better officer and possibly a better person.
One final observation. In the audience the night Moore addressed the Corps was New York Times reporter John Kifver, who asked Moore if his comments were on the record. "All my comments are for the record," Moore replied, "Feel free to publish anything you desire." In the subsequent column that graced the front page of the Times, Kifver described Moore as a "courtly old warrior."
In the final analysis, Moore typifies the finest attributes of the U.S. Armys officer corps and West Points motto of "Duty, Honor, Country."
His mantra for years has been and continues to be "hate war, love the American warrior." As heroic and inspirational as his battlefield leadership was in countless battles in two foreign wars, however, Moores greatest legacy remains the preparation of future officers to lead Americas finest soldiers into battle. That is why he is cherished by officers and soldiers alike.
Additional Sources: www.cav57.org
www.jbs.org
www.army.mil
www.cantho-rvn.org
www.lzxray.com
www.vva.org
www.heritagestudio.com
5
posted on
09/12/2003 7:32:43 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: All
'American soldiers in battle dont fight for what some president says on T.V., they dont fight for mom, apple pie, the American flag
they fight for one another.' -- Lt. Col. Hal Moore 'If youre going to go to war against a major enemy, go; knock the hell out of him fast, and go in there to kill him and get it over with.' -- Retired Lieutenant General Harold Moore Lt. Col. Hal Moores simple rules governing media visits to his unit, the 1st Battalion 7th Cavalry in Vietnam in 1965.
To the press: Dont get in the way, and dont give out information that would help the enemy.
To his troops: Tell the Truth, and speak from your pay-grade. Dont try to answer questions that would better be directed to the battalion commander or Gen. William Westmoreland or President Lyndon Johnson. If you are a squad leader, answer questions about what you know and do. |
6
posted on
09/12/2003 7:33:16 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: All
7
posted on
09/12/2003 7:33:59 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: SAMWolf
To: SAMWolf; ALOHA RONNIE; Admin Moderator
Thanks for the ping, Ronnie. Copying from the other thread.
For Rick, and Col. Moore.
Moore concluded his remarks by stressing the bond that exists between a commander and his soldiers. When one cadet inquired about the feeling of comrades in arm, Moores eyes welled with tears and he said, "When your men die and you dont, you feel guilty. Thats all I can say about it." Today 37 years after the Battle in the Ia Drang Valley, Moore makes annual pilgrimages to the cemetery at Fort Benning, Ga., where several of his troopers are interred, and to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Washington, D.C. In the wake of the tragedy of September 11, the old commander, now in his 80th year, paid his respects to Rick Rescorla, a former lieutenant who died in the destruction of the World Trade Center.
Thank you for your service, Ronnie...and your loyalty.
Good thread, SAM. Thank you.
Thanks, A.M.
9
posted on
09/12/2003 7:46:02 PM PDT
by
Ragtime Cowgirl
("Our whole nation has been reminded that we can never take our military for granted." *GW * 9/12)
To: The Mayor; Prof Engineer; PsyOp; Samwise; comitatus; copperheadmike; Monkey Face; WhiskeyPapa; ...
We've had a heck of a night. Please stop in and see post #8.
We have reposted the Hal Moore thread due to it being linked from Stephan Moore's website "We Were Soldiers Once and Young".
Our earlier thread lost it's graphics due to a server change and we needed to repost for our additional audience.
Please stop by and say hello. We apologize for all the confusion.
To: Ragtime Cowgirl; ALOHA RONNIE; snippy_about_it
Thanks Ragtime Cowgirl.
It's an honor for us to have this thread linked on Col. Moore's site. We felt it deserved to have the graphics restored and with some trial and error and a lot of help from the Admin Moderators we were able to repost and link the threads.
Thanks Aloha Ronnie, we appreciate this.
11
posted on
09/12/2003 7:51:17 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: SAMWolf
Just wanted to say "Hi All", I know I wasn't here in a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time but didn't forget!
12
posted on
09/12/2003 7:53:22 PM PDT
by
Mon
To: Mon
Hey Mon! Good to see ya again. How you been?
13
posted on
09/12/2003 7:54:44 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: SAMWolf
Hi Samwolf! Ranting and raving about the California @#$&%, busy working, my sport, had the flu, the usual haha. How have you been?
14
posted on
09/12/2003 7:57:48 PM PDT
by
Mon
To: *all
To: Mon
Ranting and raving about the Oregon @#$&%, busy working, Doing Foxhole Threads, dealing with having the kids back in school, the usual. ;-)
16
posted on
09/12/2003 8:01:02 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: SAMWolf
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a loooong summer (daughter teenager). I have to pick her up from the school dance, I try and peek back in later, want to read what you posted on Mr. Moore :)
17
posted on
09/12/2003 8:03:08 PM PDT
by
Mon
To: *all
To: Mon
I have two teenage daughters and a teenage son, I know what it's like. ROTFL!
19
posted on
09/12/2003 8:14:13 PM PDT
by
SAMWolf
(The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul.)
To: Ragtime Cowgirl
Welcome ;)
Beautiful thread.
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