A few years before my husband joined the military, we went to the movies to watch the 2002 film We Were Soldiers. What I really enjoyed about this movie was that we not only got the story of Lt. Gen Harold G. Moore, played by Mel Gibson, but we also got the story of his wife, Julie Moore, played by Madeleine Stowe. As we watched scenes of the men going off to Vietnam, we also watched scenes of the wives at home at Fort Benning. Even back then, before I knew I would be a military spouse, I could see what these spouses went through and how they needed one another.
As the years went on and I, too, became a military spouse, I could relate even more to these women. Although my husband served in a different war during a different time, my time in Germany was similar to that of the women portrayed in this movie.
My favorite scene of We Were Soldiers is a deleted scene. As we start to watch, we see helicopters flying, and then the camera goes to the chapel back at home. One of the wives starts to sing the hymn “On the Solid Rock I Stand” but is unable to finish because she is trying to hold back her tears. Julie Moore and the other members of the congregation help her by starting to sing the song, too. The movie then goes back to the helicopters.
What I love about this scene is that it gives us an example of the military community and how we can step in to help each other. Especially in a time of war, we need each other more than ever. You can also catch the real Julie Moore and her daughter sitting behind Keri Russell.
On May 11, 2023, Fort Benning became Fort Moore to honor Hal and Julie Moore. Maj. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Moore commanding general stated, “Together, Hal and Julie Moore embody the very best of our military and the very best of our nation. They were dedicated to their country, committed to their family, and inspired generations of Soldiers to follow in their footsteps.”
Hal Moore served in the military for 32 years after graduating from the US Military Academy in 1945. He wrote the book, We Were Soldiers Once…and Young which the movie was based on. We Were Soldiers depicts the first major battle of the Vietnam War in the la Drang Valley. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after that fight.
His wife, Julie Moore, who he married in 1949, was an Army brat born at Fort Sill. In the movie, another powerful scene is when a taxi comes to Julie Moore’s door with a telegram, and she knows exactly what it means. She answers the door to see that the taxi driver just needed help finding the correct address and wasn’t there about her own husband. She gets very upset, rightly so, and then asks to take the telegram to the new widow herself. She also tells him to tell the taxi company to bring all of the rest of the telegrams directly to her.
Julie supported her fellow Army wives and families by changing how the Army delivered the casualty messages. As you can see in the scene, the Army was not prepared for all of this. Because of Julie, the Army changed its policy to what we see today: uniformed soldiers delivering the notices.
Julie wrote a letter to the director of We Were Soldiers in 1996 about her experiences as a military spouse. In the letter, she says, “It is really hard to describe the special closeness that Army wives have to each other. Even though I was lucky enough to end up a General’s wife, I never forgot that I started out as a lieutenant’s wife and the burdens they carried of raising young children with never enough money or husband.” You can read the rest of the letter here.
The change to Fort Moore recognizes both Hal and Julie Moore, who are both buried at Fort Benning Cemetery.