Hal Moore Is More Forgiving Than I Am - My Problem, Not His

There are few men that I admire more than Hal Moore, the legendary commander of the First Cavalry Division troops who fought so bravely in the Ia Drang Valley during the Vietnam War.

The following article was forwarded to me by the man who introduced me to retired Lieutenant General Moore when he came to Central Florida to help jump-start a scholarship fund in the name of a Marine killed in Iraq.

I also admire Moore because he has the ability to forgive his enemy.

Here is the article from USA Today:

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From USAToday.com:

How enemies became friends in this unique lesson of Vietnam

"When the blood of any war soaks your clothes and covers your hands, and soldiers die in your arms, every breath forever more becomes an appeal for a greater peace, unity and reconciliation.

It was Vietnam. I was their commander and accountable for them. We charged the enemy with bayonets fixed to our rifles in face-to-face combat. I still hear the ugly sounds of war.
…
(Photo - 1993 meeting: Vietnamese Lt. Gen. Nguyen Huu An, with the author at the Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam / File photo courtesy of Hal Moore)

... I still see the boots of my dead sticking out from under their ponchos, laces tied one last time by their precious fingers. … I still carry the wounded to the helicopters as they bled, screamed and begged to live one more day … and I still hold those who die in my arms, with their questioning eyes dreading death, as they called for their mothers … their eyes go blank and my war-crusted fingers close their eyelids. The blood of my dead soldiers will not wash from my hands. The stains remain.

On Nov. 16, 1965, we won the LZ-Xray battle in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam. But 79 of my dear troopers died for those of us who lived. During the battle, we took prisoners of war. We gave them water and aspirins to help relieve their pain. Their anxious faces soon gave way to expressions of relief that they were treated with dignity.

My unending thirst for peace and unity drove me to return to the "Valley of Death" in 1993. Some of my men accompanied me to meet with the man, along with a few of his soldiers, who had once endeavored to kill us all. Lt. Gen. Nguyen Huu An and I came face-to-face. Instead of charging one another with bayonets, we mutually offered open arms. I invited all to form a circle with arms extended around each other's shoulders and bowed our heads. With prayer and tears, we shared our painful memories. Although we did not understand each other's language, we quickly saw that the soul requires no interpreter.

Gen. An and I then walked toward each other and shook hands. He kissed me on both cheeks! A communion of friendship was established that far outweighed past bloody memories. Later, Gen. An and I walked part of the battlefield. Together we surveyed the once blood-soaked terrain. Foxholes dug long ago were adorned with blooming wildflowers. No thunder of war filled the air. Instead, birds sang with a most beautiful "noise." Ever so gently, Gen. An placed his arm in mine. We had made a very long journey from war to peace. This was sealed through the reverent affection of one arm in the other.

Col. Tran Minh Hao, one of An's soldiers, accompanied us during the battlefield visit. As we dined that night in Pleiku, he beautifully expressed the unity we all felt in the circle earlier that day.

"We have come to you this afternoon … feeling the loss of each of you … we come to span a bridge … untroubled by ancient rifts … we look together towards the future … we leave old hates for new friendships … forever in peace and harmony."

Spontaneous gestures of respect and friendship followed Hao's poem. I took off my wristwatch and offered it as a gift to Gen. An. Gladly, he accepted the gift. Then, he picked up his much-prized three-star helmet and offered it to me. Stunned, I accepted his most personal gift. Our eyes locked, as the door to our hearts had been fully opened to each other.

Lt. Gen. An died on April 9, 1995. I later visited his family in Hanoi to pay my respects. The wristwatch I had given him was displayed in a viewing case as a part of the family shrine in Gen. An's home.

Resting in my den, our dueling helmets duel no more! To the casual observer, they might just be old war souvenirs. But to me they are examples of a greater peace and unity between once warring nations.

From face-to-face combat to arm-in-arm friendship — unity was restored by our efforts to come together. I implore our great leaders on "the many days after" Memorial Day to advance this most worthy of causes for peace and unity. People and nations rise above their differences only through effort, through trust.

Without trust, unity is beyond reach and restoration. With trust, unity is within reach and preservation. We must reach out to others in order to preserve the freedom we hold dear. We are each called to bear witness to the ideals of liberty. When we treat others with the respect and friendship that true liberty engenders, they will be brought into that same liberty.

When the heartbeat of one soldier stops forever, the heartbeat of our nation should accelerate, driving us to ensure that this life was not sacrificed in vain. That racing pulse should rouse us to seek, at all costs, better ways to understand, forgive and deal with our differences. Reconciliation should always be our objective.

We owe our dead and their survivors no less! We owe our children much more! We owe our children's children even more! Let us pay our debts.

God bless America."

Hal Moore served in the Vietnam War from 1965-67. He is co-author of the book We Were Soldiers Once … And Young as well as the book We Are Soldiers Still, which will be published in August. He is also founder of the National Endowment for The Public Trust.

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Hal Moore is a better man than me. He experienced much more vicious combat than I did, lost more comrades in more horrible circumstances than I did and is much better qualified to make the decision to forgive such evil people.

The communist regime in Vietnam today is the same enemy who murdered so many innocent civilians during the war, who tortured our prisoners-of-war, who murdered untold thousands in the post-victory communist purge, who tortured untold numbers of South Vietnamese in the post-war “re-education” camps and who expect American tourists, veterans and visiting politicians to walk through the bullshit “American War Crimes Museum” when they visit Vietnam today.

If I ever made the trip to Vietnam – which I won’t – and some former NVA soldier tried to tell me about American “war crimes”, I’d have to kick his ass. Then I’d end up stuck in whatever replaced the “Hanoi Hilton.” Even as we increase our trade with Vietnam, we must never forget that the murder of innocents was part of the national policy of the communist North Vietnamese; when Americans did such evil deeds they were violating our own laws and national policy.

Other Vietnam veterans can make their own decisions, but - God forgive me – the “North” Vietnamese can still kiss my ass.

HERE IS A LINK TO A PRIOR POSTING ON HAL MOORE  - "STILL LEADING BY EXAMPLE": http://americanranger.blogspot.com/2007/01/still-leading-by-example.html

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Vietnam Hero Gets the Medal of Honor

History will record the actions of the men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment in 1965 as one of the most heroic efforts in American warfare. The story of their life and death struggle in the Ia Drang Valley was masterfully told by Lieutenant General Hal Moore and Joseph Galloway in the book “We Were Soldiers Once – And Young”. The book later became the Mel Gibson movie “We Were Soldiers”.

One of the many heroes of this battle was then-Major Bruce Crandall. Crandall was a pilot and the leader of a group of helicopters that re-supplied the beleaguered unit and extracted its casualties. Much of this effort took place under fire and many of the men in those helicopters were killed or wounded in their efforts to help the infantrymen.

When Hal Moore recommended Crandall for the Medal of Honor, he said the pilot’s efforts prevented a bloody massacre of the First Cavalry soldiers. Such a catastrophic defeat would have rivaled the deaths of George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry at the Little Big Horn.

Bruce Crandall will be presented with the Medal of Honor today in a ceremony in the White House. The military’s highest honor is a little late, but it is well-deserved by this great American warrior.

SFC Chuck Grist
www.AmericanRanger.blogspot.com

Still Leading by Example: Lt. Gen. Hal Moore

The following entry is a follow-up to the December 30th piece about Mike Harrington. In November of 2005 I had the opportunity to meet Lieutenant General Hal Moore of “We Were Soldiers” fame. I took Harrington along with me and we had a wonderful visit with a First Cav legend.

(From left to right in the above photo: SFC Chuck Grist, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore, SFC Michael Harrington)

This op-ed article resulted from that meeting:

STILL LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Special to the Orlando Sentinel
November 20, 2005

When the unassuming senior citizen walked up to me and held out his hand, I thought I was prepared to meet retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore of “We Were Soldiers” fame. I’m an old Vietnam veteran, but I was still in awe of a man who had been one of my own personal heroes for more than 35 years.

Most average Americans are familiar with Moore because he was portrayed by Mel Gibson in the highly successful movie. What most people may not know is that his leadership qualities have inspired so many for so long, from a young West Point cadet named Norman Schwarzkopf to the terrified soldiers in Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley to countless military, corporate and community leaders of today.

Moore came to Central Florida recently to lend his name and speaking prowess to a new scholarship fund in the name of Cpl. Andrew Bowling, a Casselberry Marine killed in the battle for Fallujah last year. The night before the general was to speak at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Oviedo, I was invited to meet him at a private dinner. There is no First Cavalry veteran alive who would not grab an opportunity to break bread with Hal Moore.

I also wanted the general to meet a friend of mine. Sgt. First Class Michael Harrington, who had been attached to the First Cavalry Division in Iraq and who had performed a gallant rescue mission for some of his own comrades. As I related the story of Harrington’s actions during that mission, Moore listened intently. It was a great feeling to see the general put his arm around Harrington in a personal acknowledgement of the sergeant as a fellow warrior.

My friend and I were enthralled as we listened to Moore recall his trip to Vietnam to research the book upon which the movie was based. As he talked about meeting Lt. Gen. An, who led the enemy forces in that long ago battle, it was easy to become drawn into the story. When Moore spoke about returning to the battlefield where so many had died, he was able to take us there with him because he is so gifted with the ability to describe sights, sounds and emotions.

During our evening with Moore, I watched as other guests met and spoke with him. Some of these people were elected officials, law enforcement professionals and others who would give anything to possess the inspirational abilities and leadership qualities of this retired general. It is to their credit that they would even try to follow the example of such a man.

Although he is in his mid-80s, Moore still travels frequently around the country. When he is not teaching leadership to military and civilian bosses, he is reminding Americans of a new generation of young warriors who are standing up to defend this country. Many of them, like Andrew Bowling, are making the ultimate sacrifice.

It is said that soldiers follow commanders because they have to; they follow leaders because they want to. Moore has always led by example. He never asked his soldiers to do anything that he was not willing to do himself, and he understood that rank is something you wear; respect is something you earn. Ultimately, he not only earned that respect himself, he discovered that he had the gift to teach others how to earn it as well.

We often say that young Americans need more real heroes. It is a shame that every one of them can’t spend just one hour with Hal Moore.

SFC Chuck Grist