This Is Why We Stand: Hal Moore At The Battle of Ia Drang.
“When we go into combat, I will be the first man on the ground, and the last man out, and I will leave no man behind.” As we reflect on the passing of Lieutenant General Harold Moore, we must never forget the words that he lived by. Moore was in command of the 1st battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, at the Battle of la Drang in 1965. It was the first major battle between American forces and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War. During the initial stages of the three day battle, Moore and his men were outnumbered nearly eight to one against the NVA. Joe Galloway saw the battle firsthand as a war correspondent. When speaking about Moore and the battle, Galloway said, “ 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.” 79 Americans were killed during the battle, with another 121 wounded. True to his words, Moore was the last man off the battlefield, and none were left behind. Moore’s story during the battle is depicted in the 2002 film, “We Were Soldiers” and the book “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young”. Both help immortalize one of the most brilliant and fearless men in American history. We stand for Harold Moore and we honor our duty to him by remembering his story forever.
