Honorary Chairmen
General Omar Bradley (1893 – 1981)
General Omar Bradley
Known as “The Soldiers General,” Omar Bradley came from humble beginnings and learned the value of hard work and self-reliance early in life. In 1911, he was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy and graduated in 1915 as part of “the class the stars fell on.” At the beginning of WWII he was the first member of his class to reach the rank of General. Deployed to North Africa, he became the first eyes and ears of General Dwight D. Eisenhower and would soon become Commanding General of II Corps, which he led during the invasion of Sicily.
Two months after landing on D-Day on June 6, 1944, Bradley was given command of the newly formed 12th U.S. Army Group. It was the largest single command of American troops ever fielded, which he would lead until victory was achieved in 1945. General Bradley was next appointed Director of the Veterans Administration and later became the very first chairman of the newly organized Joint Chiefs of Staff. On September 22, 1950, he received his final promotion and became the General of the Army. He would prove to be the last Five Star General, a true American icon and a true profile of strength and courage.
General Hal Moore
Harold Gregory Moore, Jr. was a United States Army General and author. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the U.S. military’s second-highest decoration for valor, and was the first of his West Point class to be promoted to Brigadier General, Major General, Lieutenant General and General.
Moore is remembered as the Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, at the historic Battle of Ia Drang in 1965, during the Vietnam War. The battle was detailed in the 1992 bestseller We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, co-authored by Moore and war correspondent Joe Galloway which was made into the film We Were Soldiers in 2002, and starred Mel Gibson as Moore.
Moore was awarded the Order of Saint Maurice by the National Infantry Association as well as the Distinguished Graduate Award by the West Point Association of Graduates.
General Hal Moore (1922 – 2017)