Introduction
This research project shall depict Lt Col. Hal Moore as a leader of his characteristics of Loyalty, Courageousness, and preparation. All the resources used in the project portray Moore’s leadership through undying loyalty to his troops and determination to succeed despite the extent of known or unknown challenges. Throughout his battle of Ia Drang he showed his courage as a leader by being an active part in the battle and not by standing in the back, he led from the front.
As a great leader, he showed his men perfect examples to follow throughout this battle. Using strategic battle skills he did his best to bring his soldiers back home. As Moore prepared for this new assignment he was very good at researching what it was he and his men were going to be against. This preparation allowed him to train his men effectively for this type of battle. Moore would be a good example of the Army Field Manual FM 22-100. As you read the definition of leadership in this manual you will see how Moore reflects it. The type of leader exemplified in Lt Col. Hal Moore will be explained through a vivid description of his actions and the relation to the FM.
Characteristics
Loyalty
Lt Col. Hal Moore’s leadership styles met several, if not all, key requirements expected of a military leader. First, he was able to exemplify self-sacrifice for the success and safety of all his men. The loyalty that Lt Col. Hal Moore has for his men was amicable he led their leader but like another soldier who was at par with them. This meant that he was liable for their welfare, something that the men also retained back in the same gesture.
He understood that success for the group did not entirely depend on him but the abilities of his men to perform the tasks that were laid before them by their military superiors. Lt Col. Hal Moore further understood that all men in his group had one goal and could only succeed he provides the right leadership that would increase trust and sense of responsibility of each other among themselves. This trait was seen in his loyalty to his men.
This trait was helpful not only to his own benefit but to the very safety of his brave followers. One can easily observe that Lt Col. Hal Moore was always concerned with the safety of his men, which without, would have led to their demise on the battlefield. For instance, during the Battle of la Drang, the colonel understood that his men were outnumbered by the enemy, which increased the chances of losing, but he was not ready to lose. Instead, he could order regiments to pull back from engagements even when they were pushing hard from the enemy engagement (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 126) meaning that safety came first due to strategic reasons.
This leadership trait enabled Lt Col. Hal Moore to cultivate an excellent working relationship among his men and especially other ranking officers that he worked closely with. Lt Col. Hal Moore was thus always willing to listen to the men leading different groups. For instance, he was willing to listen to other’s opinions: like when Alpha and Bravo leaders requested to pull back after experiencing heavy fire engagement (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 244). that made him agree with their decision to retreat. Such a decision brings out the trait of adaptation, meaning that Lt Col. Hal Moore was always ready to change tactics and decisions depending on the scenario that faced his men.
Courageous
Lt Col. Hal Moore’s courage to fight on despite the odds that had afflicted his men was the major driving factor that led to the victory of his group over the Vietnamese. It requires courage for a leader of 450 men to convince his troops that 2000 Vietnamese should not worry them at all. But it was not a hard task for the courageous Lt Col. Hal Moore. It dazzles observers to understanding that despite fact that the colonel’s troops were surrounded and outnumbered, he never asked for help; he decided to develop winning strategies and fight on. It was only when it became clear that complete success could not be reached without aerial help despite his men’s victory over their enemy.
This courageous soldier was thus determined to fight with the few men he had; he knew that instilling courage in them will lead to victory and he did just that. As a courageous leader, Lt Col. Hal Moore was able to use what he had (men and artillery) to accomplish the tasks, rather than wishing he could have air power to make his mission easier. This soldier was not ready for shortcuts to victory, because he knew that courage was all that soldiers needed to overcome their worst nightmare: fear.
Courage to withstand fire and restraint from immediate retaliation was another factor that characterized Lt Col. Hal Moore’s leadership. He hardly asked his men to retaliate immediately after experiencing an enemy fire. Instead, he waited until the right time availed itself and proper strategies had been developed. That is tough courage to develop considering that it applied on the battlefield. But one man in the name of Lt Col. Hal Moore developed; His men must have understood the reasons behind Lt Col. Hal Moore decisions later in the batter or even years after it the war; there is no doubt that they were silently equally dazzled and appreciated their leader’s decision.
Honorable/Honest
During his leadership, Lt Col. Hal Moore showed many instances that his honesty left a long-lasting legacy in the nation’s disciplined forces. Other sectors (private and public) in the country have lessons to learn from his leadership, especially in the Battle of la Drang. He had together with his men underwent thorough one of the most challenging confrontations on the Vietnamese battlefield, and arguably one of the toughest assignments in respective forces’ recent histories. Despite his group’s victory, Lt Col. Hal Moore has honestly asserted that the success was little lived because their enemies were able to assert control in the area after the end of that deadly confrontation engage (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 315).
Leadership
Led by Example
Lt Col. Hal Moore always led his men from the front. He was utterly engaged with the enemy just like his fellow comrades were. This must-have set a good example for the rest of his men. Seeing their top-ranking offer crawling with them and fighting together instilled them with the courage that drove them into victory over their enemy. The leading by example character trait helped to create and enhancing team ethic within his men.
By working with his men side by side, Lt Col. Hal Moore was able to develop a relationship with all that he could engage with. To him, this was a time that he could observe how his men were performing their duties; he could thus give credit where it was due, criticize, and advise the others on ways to improve the way they were executing responsibilities.
Inexperienced men thus benefited from his encouragement, something that a successful leader should have. By leading his men in one of the toughest assignments of the war, Lt Col. Hal Moore was tasked with the burden to help his soldiers overcome any fear that could lead to their demise on the enemy’s hands. He recognized the regrettable consequences of fear on the battlefield and quickly came up with ways of concurring that fear; he asserted that recognizing fear makes it go away as fast as it appeared to engage (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 170) and it gives courage room to develop.
Strategies
Lt Col. Hal Moore was able to develop winning strategies that saw his men overpower a multitude of their enemies. This strategy included the use of restraint before retaliating against an enemy power. As noted earlier in the paper, Lt Col. Hal Moore was keen to come up with strategies before ordering his men to fire back to the enemy, which one could argue help contain the number of American casualties in the Battle of la Drang. At the beginning of that tough assignment, Lt Col. Hal Moore further followed the following strategy to ensure that all of his men were ready to engage (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 33).
First, he ensured that all soldiers in his group had been transported in the area of assignment. Secondly, each group had been assigned their location, which they occupied upon arrival. Third, he located the command station at the center of all regiments; this ensured the fluent flow of information from the station to peripherals. After the arrival of all personnel, Lt Col. Hal Moore officers did not start to attack immediately; he waited for some time and then had the groups attack in sections rather than all at the same time engage (Moore & Galloway, 1992, p. 86). This ensured there was personnel guarding the center and ready to help overwhelmed collogues.
Preparation
It would be ironic to claim that Lt Col. Hal Moore was aware of what awaited his men before they were airlifted for the assignment. Soldiers are however trained to deal with situations even tougher than those in the Battle of la Drang. Though his soldiers were ready for what befell them, it is arguable that the most preparation for the confrontations was done right there on the battlefield; this preparation involved perseverance and determination to succeed. The preparation for perseverance was done through the development of the aforementioned strategies. Another preparations strategy that was developed by Lt Col. Hal Moore involved immediate capture of the unarmed enemy that ended up providing information regarding the number of enemy soldiers and their location on the battlefield.
This enabled Lt Col. Hal Moore to prepare his men for what they were to deal with during the battle, which enabled the soldiers to prepare psychologically. During the entire battle, Lt Col. Hal Moore never took any measure without preparing his soldiers for what will come next. Towards the end of the Battle of la Drang, Lt Col. Hal Moore made sure to prepare his soldiers for the incoming gunships that would shoot at close range; he requested soldiers to mark the boundary of their areas with colored grenades for easier recognition. This helped curtail American casualties from friendly fire.
Army Field Manual FM 22-100
Army definition
The Field Manual FM 22-100 defines leadership as the ability to help a group of individuals to attain certain goals through the provision of purpose, improving motivation, and showing direction—all of which must be in line with the organization’s mission (FM 22-100, 2006, p. 1-1).
The leader is thus supposed to be the person who understands very well the mission of the army, the ways, and means of attaining the army’s goals, and is exemplifies qualities that can help followers reach goals bestowed upon them through orders. Lt Col. Hal Moore is one kind of military leader that exemplified such qualities. He well understood what the army wanted to accomplish, he had skills to make that happened, and also had the necessary abilities to lead a group of men into attaining the tasks bestowed upon them through the orders provided by their superiors. As a leader, Lt Col. Hal Moore was able to motivate his followers during a challenging time of their career, which resulted in attaining the goal of subduing the enemy.
Type of leader
Army leaders should be knowledgeable enough regarding the importance of character in soldiers’ lives, whether in combat or in barracks. It is this character that keeps soldiers disciplined enough so they are ready for combat or any assignment at all times. The characters that were exemplified by Lt. Col Hal Moore are the best examples of the ones to be found in members of disciplined forces. Army leaders who portray such characters further help young soldiers to learn, when means the passage of discipline and good character throughout the generations of disciplined forces. Successful military leaders also are focused on the long-term effects of their actions on the battlefield.
They never concentrate on immediate benefits to be of their victories. Understanding that soldiers’ work revolves around restoring peace helps visionary army leaders to take actions that will lead to a peace that will exist beyond the end of current hardships. Therefore, they never rush to make decisions but in calculated moves that lead to long-run benefits to their regiments, the army, and civilians. This is shown in the way Lt. Col Hal Moore executed decisions in the Battle of la Drang.
Relation
Successful army leaders understand the value of their fellow soldiers in helping their organization to attain goals. They understand that soldiers are selected from a large pool of individuals and only the most determined and qualified ones make it to the position of becoming members of the disciplined forces. This means that no soldier’s abilities are taken for granted because all know their duties and responsibilities. It is known throughout the army that soldiers are always ready to serve at any given point in time; all they need to be given his orders. This leads to a culture of responsibility and discipline that has continued to characterize soldiers’ lives.
Opinion Paragraph
Lt. Col Hal Moore was truly an excellent leader during his time. He was a man that brought his own morals, and beliefs with him. Lt Col. Hal Moore was a modestly honest man and in good relations with his soldiers.
It can be claimed that today’s military personnel who know about Lt. Col Hal Moore would have loved to have him as my command. Soldiers would have followed him into battle just like his men have. He was a born leader committed to his troops. It is evident that today’s military forces have a problem with corruption among ranking officers. An appeal regarding eradication of corruption in the military should thus be made among today’s military leaders; they should be more or less like Lt. Col Hal Moore because such character would have a big impact on how the military acts now.
Conclusion Paragraph
This research project report has covered various characteristics of Lt. Col Hal Moore, including his personal influence on his soldiers. After you have read this paper you will see and appreciate the loyalty, and courage that was reflected towards his soldiers. Not only was Moore a great leader how he led was inspirational through anyone that meet or knew him. His preparations for battle showed the love for his men knowing that he would spend countless hours learning of his enemy and even of battles like the one he was in. As you become familiar with Moore throughout this paper you will see how he reflected the Army Field Manual FM 22-100. Hal Moore was a great leader that inspired everyone that knew him.
Bibliography
Moore, H. & Galloway, J. (1992). We Were Soldiers Once -and Young: Ia Drang, the Battle that Changed. Corgi: London.
Schmidt, A. (Producer), Wallace. R. (Director). (2002). We Were Soldiers. CA: Paramount Pictures.
United States Army. (2006). Military Manual FM 22-100. Washington DC: United States Army.