Bob Moore’s service to this country extends far beyond his tour of duty during the Korean War.
From 1952 to 1953, this The Orchards of Habersham Grove resident spent nearly 13 months of front line duty helping restore peace to North and South Korea’s unrest. Arriving as a Private, a rank lower than the most commonly seen Private First Class, Bob served in the machine gun squad of the 45th Division’s 180th Regiment Item Company. He had many different responsibilities as he rose through the ranks to become a squad leader and then an Assistant Platoon Sergeant. Before returning to American soil, he earned the job of Item Company Platoon Sergeant. His ultimate rank was Master Sergeant.
Now, Bob is one member of a six-to-eight-man team with different challenges. As a member of the Korean War Veterans Association (KWVA), he has the task of educating students on the “Forgotten War” in which he fought. “Amazingly enough, some schools teach close to zero information on it, and others just a few pages or paragraphs,” he said.
“It gets worse as we go on, because the number of people with the information to pass on is diminishing,” he said.
Recognizing this, the KWVA started a nationwide educational campaign to make the Korean War unforgettable. Bob is a part of this initiative, “Tell America,” which provides a basic curriculum schools use to educate students on the Korean War.
In the past year, Bob and colleagues toured 10 schools in the Marietta and Atlanta area. By showing films, telling the history of the war’s beginning, conflict and resolution, as well as sharing personal experiences, these veterans pass their knowledge on, educating tomorrow’s leaders.
“We feel very encouraged about the program because we’ve gotten a 100 percent, great response from every school,” he said.
Bob and his KWVA colleagues from the Georgia chapter are also willing to visit other organizations in addition to schools.
In fact, they often travel to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to assist soldiers returning from and going to combat overseas. As a part of this USO initiative, Bob and his colleagues greet younger soldiers returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, providing them money for phone calls and necessities they do not have upon arrival at home in the U.S. He added that Kroger has also been generous in donating food to veterans fresh off combat.
Like any proud patriot, Bob will be celebrating Independence Day. This year, he is celebrating the Fourth of July with his neighbors in Habersham Grove. Bob is “serving” in a different way