Military wife portrayed in "We Were Soldiers" dies at Auburn

<p>Julia Compton Moore, a military wife whose care for the families of soldiers killed in war was portrayed in the Mel Gibson movie "We Were Soldiers," has died of cancer at age 75.</p><p>Moore, who died at home Sunday, was the daughter, wife and mother of soldiers who served in a succession of wars over the past century.</p><p>Her husband of 55 years, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Harold G. Moore, was wounded in Korea and Vietnam and later wrote the book based on his combat experience, "We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young," which Gibson turned into the 2002 movie. Her father fought in Europe in World War II and one of her sons fought with the 82nd Airborne Division in Panama and the Gulf War.</p><p>By her family's account, Mrs. Moore challenged the Army's practice of delivering combat death notices by taxi to wives and families in small apartments or trailers. She urged the Army to deliver more compassionate notices with uniformed personnel and she became active in building support networks for families of slain soldiers.</p><p>"I was a stay-at-home Mom, volunteering with the Red Cross and Army Community Service. My main love and focus has always been the Army family and especially our Child Care Centers," she wrote two years ago.</p><p>Born in Fort Sill, Okla., she married Harold Moore in 1949. His book and the movie depicted a 1965 battle in Vietnam, with its impact felt at home at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., where Julia Moore was raising five children, attending every funeral of slain soldiers and personally comforting their families.</p><p>Funeral services are schedule Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Auburn. Survivors include her husband and their five children.</p><p>___</p><p>Information from: Opelika-Auburn News</p>