I realized that it had been some years since I had seen the movie, but I was–frankly–skeptical that the man sitting before me that afternoon had anything to do with it.

The conversation we were having occurred just before Memorial Day, as I recall now. The college for which I was working at the time was nearly deserted–the students were all gone between graduation and the start of summer school, and most of the administration and faculty were off campus, too.

The man with whom I was speaking had apologized that he was dressed so casually. He explained that he had not intended to be meeting anyone, but had been driving on the interstate that morning when he spotted the college name on the exit ramp. On a whim he had simply taken the exit and stopped by the reception desk, asking to speak to someone who could accept a donation which he thought might be valuable to a Catholic college. The front desk buzzed me and I immediately came down from my office to meet him.

He spotted my class ring right away and asked about it when we shook hands. “Air Force Academy, Class of ’84,” I told him.

That’s why (I supposed) he suddenly asked me if I recalled that particular movie and then launched into his story as we walked to the empty college coffee shop to talk.

“So, that morning after everyone else left following Mass,” he said, “I decided to outlast whoever it was. I had asked around for a few days, and nope–no one knew who he was. No one had any idea, because he came by himself, early, and just kept kneeling there until after everyone had left. He was just there when we came, and there when we left.”

We all know that the congregation for daily morning Mass in most parishes is primarily older folks, retired, some families, and perhaps a smattering of working men and women. After Mass, the kids in the families run and play a bit while the moms talk until it really is time to be getting home to get on with the day. The older folks chat a bit, maybe going off together in groups for a longstanding coffee or breakfast routine, the others having rushed off to their jobs right after Mass.

Especially in small parishes, most of “the regulars” have at least a nodding acquaintance with the others who frequent daily Mass.

Yet not even the priest knew who this man was.

“Always in the same pew, same spot, kneeling after Mass, obviously praying, always alone, always there long after we’d all vacated the church,” he continued, “And no one had ever been around to see him leave. Summer mornings in Georgia get hot pretty fast, so as I waited outside the church, I found some shade that gave me a good view of all the doors through which he might exit. I waited quite some time. Then he came out the front door.”

“When he came out, I just walked up to him, introduced myself, and asked his name. He replied,’Hal Moore.’ The name didn’t mean anything to me–but you recognize it, right? From the movie?”

“Ah–yes,” I replied. I hadn’t made the Catholic connection until now.  The movie he had mentioned starred Mel Gibson as Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore of the US 7th Cavalry. We Were Soldiers showed how Moore’s training and leadership resulted in his men winning the first major battle between the US and North Vietnamese armies, despite being outnumbered about 10-to 1. Moore’s men had been mistakenly dropped right into the middle of dug-in North Vietnamese soldiers, but they held on for days, surrounded and cut off, never accepting defeat, and finally forced the Vietnamese to abandon the field.

“So, I came right out with it to him. ‘Hello! I always see you here at morning Mass, so I thought today, I’d stay long enough to meet you’–he just smiled and said, ‘Thanks,’ or something to that effect–and I then said, “I hope this is not out of line, but you are always here so long after Mass. Do you mind if I ask what you are doing?”

“Before replying, he pulled out of his pocket a thick stack of old 3×5 cards with handwriting on them.”

“I’ve written on each of these cards the name of a man who died under my command,” Moore said. “I pray for each one, by name, after every Mass, before I leave the kneeler.'”

The college did not accept the particular donation that man offered us that morning.

But in the years following our conversation, I would often think of what he told me about Hal Moore, of the faith which inspired that retired General every morning at Mass, which compelled how he used the moments after his every Communion.

I told my son, Trey, about the conversation at the time, and we’ve spoken about it several times since then. It spurred us to watch the movie together a couple times, and we bought the book, too. From seeing it around the house now and then, I see that several of my other children have read and re-read it.

Over the years, I would periodically check online to see if Hal Moore was still alive. Trey would ask me to check sometimes.

Then, in the spring of 2017, as I sat at my desk one morning, something prompted me to check again. This time I read that General Hal Moore had died and had recently been buried at Fort Benning.

As I drove Trey home from swim practice that afternoon, I told him the sad news.

Trey did not even hesitate: “Well, I’m sure he had a lot of people who had been anxiously waiting to see him again there to greet him in Heaven.”

My son has the same perspective Hal Moore’s son said was his father’s.

H. Gregory Moore said in his eulogy for his father:

“Someone once asked [my father], ‘General, what do you consider your most important accomplishment?’

He replied, ‘It hasn’t happened yet. My most important accomplishment will be when I cross that line at St. Peter’s gate and meet my God and my [wife] Julie.’ “

May we follow this example: to never forget, and to never tire in the remembering.

Pray for us. We’ll pray for you. Here’s hoping that Hal Moore is anxiously waiting for us all.

PS Holy Heroes always offers free shipping (every day, year round) to all active duty military and veterans. Just add a note when you complete your order, and we’ll refund the shipping when we process the charge. We also upgrade shipping (free) to Priority Mail to all overseas US military (I know from experience how long it can take otherwise for mail to reach you).