Obituary of Colonel James M. Moore

A hometown hero finds final resting place in Vermont A Celebration of Life service for Colonel James M. Moore will be held at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 16 Church Street, Peabody, Mass. at 9 a.m. December 21. Moore died Nov. 29 in a helicopter crash near Fort Hood, Texas, where he was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division as the commander of the Division Support Command. Another Celebration of Life service will be held at the Norwich University Chapel, 158 Harmon Drive, Northfield, Vt. at 1130 a.m. December 22. The 10th Mountain Division Honor Guard will render military honors as he is laid to rest at the university cemetery. Moore graduated from Norwich University in 1980 where he received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting and was commissioned as an Ordnance Corps officer. Moore began his military career 24 years ago at N.U., and it is only befitting his final resting place be at the university cemetery. N.U. has enjoyed a fine tradition of providing officers of the highest caliber to the military since 1819 - Col. Jim Moore was no exception. Moore’ s two passions in life were his family and the Army; the love and support of his family allowed him to do the job he loved - to serve and lead Soldiers. His loyalty to his Soldiers and comrades knew no bounds and he was well respected by all that served with him. His natural leadership skills and compassionate nature made him an exemplary officer. He was a very gentle, loving husband. His best friend was his wife, Amy, whom he met while they were both stationed in Germany. He was a devoted father, loyal son and brother. He was active in all aspects of his children’ s lives. Education was very important to him and he took every opportunity to support their academic endeavors. He also supported their athletic endeavors by watching them play sports and helping coach his son’ s baseball team, playing off his own love of sports. He was an avid golfer, which he depended on to pass the time while he was on a one-year tour in Korea and separated from his family. As a Red Sox and Patriots fan, he was able to see both teams win the championship this year. He enjoyed a very close relationship with his parents, brother and sisters and truly cherished the time he could spend with them. Moore is described by a good friend and classmate as the kind of guy that always knew the right thing to say and when to say it; easy going and liked by everyone. He said Moore seemed to have found his stride at N.U. and after that, easily found his stride in all that he did, evident with his many accomplishments. In 1990, he received his Masters of Science degree in Human Resources from Golden Gate University, Langly AFB, Hampton, Va., and attended the Naval War College in 2002, graduating with a Masters of Arts degree in National Security and Strategic Studies. He traveled extensively throughout his military career. After receiving his commission from N.U., he attended the Ordnance Officer Basic Course at Aberdeen Proving Ground and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was then assigned as a platoon leader in the 22nd Maintenance Company, 1st Maintenance Battalion, Heilbronn, Germany, subsequently serving as the company executive officer. Upon completion of the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course, Moore was reassigned to the 3rd Armored Division, Frankfurt, Germany, where he served in the Division Support Command Headquarters, Materiel Management Officer, and Commander, Company B, 503rd Forward Support Battalion. Returning to the United States in 1988, he was assigned to Training and Doctrine Command in the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Training (DCST). In 1991, he was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division Support Command (DISCOM) Headquarters as Support Operations Officer. Moore was reassigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina in August 1992 and became the Support Operations Officer for the 189th Corps Support Battalion and subsequently served as the S3 for the 46th Corps Support Group. He attended Command and General Staff College and upon graduation reported to the Combined Arms Support Command, Fort Lee, Virginia. From March 1999 to May 2001, he commanded the 325th Forward Support Battalion (Light), 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The next year he attended the Navy War College in Newport, Rhode Island. In July of 2002, he reported to III Corps and Fort Hood to serve as Chief of the Testing Division in the Corps G3 section. His next duty assignment was as Commander, DISCOM, 4th ID (M) Tikirit, Iraq, which he assumed on 21 June 2003. Moore’ s military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal (with five oak leaf clusters), Army Commendation Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters), Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, The Army Service Ribbon and Army Parachutist Badge. Moore is survived by his wife of 18 years, Amy (Perkins) Moore of Brattleboro, Vt.; his daughter, Meghan, 13; son, Sean, 10; father, William Moore of Peabody, Mass.; sisters, Ellen McLaughlin of Swampscott, Mass. and Janet Williams of Reading, Mass.; brother, Daniel Moore of Peabody, Mass. and numerous nieces and nephews in Virginia, Florida and Massachusetts. He is predeceased by his mother, Margaret (Duggan) Moore of Peabody, Mass. who passed in 1982. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 6931 Arlington Road, Bethesda, Md. 20814. Amy has requested that if anyone has a special memory of time spent with Jim to please share it with her. She is preparing a memory book for Meghan and Sean. Please address to: Amy Moore, 6776 24th Street, Fort Hood, TX 76544