Hal Moore: A Soldier Once…and Always (Leadership in Action)

This is a book that is a "must read" for everyone. Vietnam was a difficult time for our nation but not because of our military personnel and their families. They did their job and paid a terrible price for it. But this book makes it even more personal as we follow the career of one very dedicated soldier and his love for his troops. Hal Moore is an outstanding soldier and this book allows us a glimpse into his life in a more personal way. The training and experience that goes into making a leader and the intricacies of planning a major battle such as the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam and the pioneer use of helicopters to deliver troops into battle are all detailed. We got the beginning of the story in his own book (and the movie) called "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young" but this book fills in the gaps and gives us an even broader perspective. History comes alive under the expert pen of Mike Guardia and he gives us all a better sense of who this highly decorated soldier is and the sacrifices and his family made for our country. Definitely an outstanding book worthy of a place in your personal library and worth re-reading several times.

A very quick read on the life of Hal Moore, who most of us know based on his exploits in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. For me, I first became aware of General Moore when reading "We Were Soldiers Once and Young", which is quite simply the best book I have read regarding combat in Vietnam. Mike Guardia does a good job of quickly moving through General Moore's life, spending a little more time on topics such as the Ia Drang battle. I particularly appreciate that this book has many pictures that really help bring the story to life. The book is rich with quotes from General Moore, and at times is almost autobiographical. My only criticism, and it is a minor one, is at times I would have liked to see a little more narrative on a given topic. But much to his credit the author never gets bogged down in the weeds and keeps the story moving briskly. And it is quite a story. Hal Moore represents so much that is good in our nation and it was a privilege to read this book. Highly recommend.

As a veteran of the Vietnam war, I found this book to be as insightful and honest as Joe Galloway's book "We were Soldiers Once...and Young. This is a great tribute to a great man and a true leader of men, something we are missing in our society today. There is a lot of honest feeling from a ground combat leader about how the Vietnam war was waged. Hopefully others will read this book and see the damage that has been done to our military from un-knowning politicians.

Since the publication of We Were Soldiers, the name of Hal Moore has become imbedded in the history of not only the Vietnam War but also into the time honored history of the US Army. Since this reawakening of what really transpired in Vietnam, we also learn the lessons of military leadership in the actions and words of Lieutenant General Hal Moore (retired.) Hal Moore along with the First Cav Division in the first major battle of the Vietnam War in the Ia Drang Valley has brought forward to students of history a frank and balanced sense of what the war was about. In this book Mike Guardia also goes much deeper into the life and times of what I consider to be the best ground commander of troops in the 20th century regardless of nationality. Guardia's book is direct and to the point. There is no extended analysis or needless hyperbole written within. We learn of Moore's early life and how he developed his religious convictions and sense of right and wrong. The author develops how Moore sought admission into West Point and right there we see a young man who is determined to make something of himself. His development into becoming an officer during his years at the Military Academy is told of his academic struggles and the development of his character so determined to overcome his main enemy at the point, which was the demon of mathematics. What Moore lacked in mathematical skills, he made up in his superior skills in the social sciences of human nature and psychological skills. In short Moore's seeds of superior leadership skills were first honed on the plains of West Point. Nevertheless as Moore said "I graduated at the top of the bottom fifteen percent of my class." Guardia goes forward with young Moore's career to include his time served as a junior officer in occupied Japan where I have a sense that the young infantry officer thought of his time spent there as being a time of underutilizing his talents. After Japan we see Moore utilizing his expertise as an airborne trooper testing the latest and greatest jumping equipment to be used by the Army. From that point, Moore is deployed to Korea and serves as an infantry officer of the line in the 7th Infantry Division. Not only was he on the line and got the opportunity to develop his leadership skills, he got to know how to best utilize his people. Through stringent training and constant follow up along with the command of troops through his concept of leadership from the bottom up, Moore found the golden keys to military leadership. Along with line duty Moore also got to experience staff work in S3 operations planning. Hall Moore loved to lead troops but in order to advance in this man's army an officer needed to have staff time on his resume. By 1964 Moore found himself in the experimental 11th Air Assault Division in Fort Benning Georgia. From that time forward until their deployment as the renamed 1st Cav Division would be forever imbedded into the very persona of Hal Moore. What his leadership and command performance in the Ia Drang Valley did was to show to one and all that Moore was a leader extraordinaire and that the theory of Air mobility was in fact to become the doctrine of the US Army in Vietnam. From that point on Guardia takes us on the grand tour of Moore's life after the Ia Drang Valley. From stateside duty in the Pentagon to Norway to becoming the 7th Infantry Division commander in Korea we learn of how he applies his principles of leadership in many different situations and eclectic problems. At the end of the book Guardia reviews Moore's basic principles of leadership; which by the way should be posted on the walls of anyone who is in a leadership role from the basic Forman to the CEO and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. My favorite Moore principle is the following: "Soldiers in battle do not fight for what some leader says on television or in a speech. Soldiers fight and die for their buddies. They do not want to let their buddies down. It' a matter of honor." This book is written like Moore conducts his life and that is direct, honest providing inspiration that this should be the way we all conduct our lives. Bravo for you, Mike Guardia.

Very good biography of a distinguished fighting man of this century. He was committed, dedicated and sacrificing for his country. He and His wife moved to many places to fulfill military assignments--uprooting and relocating them to different parts of he world. During the Vietnam war, his wife was left without a house to live in and had to put their large family in a small home, while he put his life on the life in an ambush. He accurately shows how the politicians of the time undermined the military and negated all the gains and battles won in that country. He deserves more than metals; he deserves our nations gratitude and our God's gift of eternal life hereafter. Good book!

Very interesting and well written! I personally knew him serving as NATO officer.

Having read We Were Soldiers, We Are Soldiers Still and been a huge fan of the movie, I was excited to see a biography about Hal Moore. This book did not disappoint and offers some great insight into the man. It was also nice to see so many of His pictures included throughout the piece. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

A superb account of the horrors of war.

A very good read. I could not put thr book down.

Very well written, and extremely informative and if you like factual books this one is for you.