Private, US Army, Harold H. Moon Jr.

Born: March 15, 1921, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Died: October 21, 1944, Leyte the Philippines

Private Harold H. Moon Jr. was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Harold Moon and Hazel Marie McPherson. He joined the Army in 1942 after a stint in the Springer Reform school for “Juvenile Delinquency.”  On October 21, 1944, Private Harold Moon alone manned and defended his forward position covering Company G, 34th Infantry, 24th Infantry Division’s retreat. For more than four hours at Pawig, Leyte, Philippine Islands, he repelled attack after attack from his foxhole. In a final display of bravery, Private Moon stood up to throw a grenade at a machine gun that had opened fire on the right flank. He was hit and instantly killed by machine gun fire.  The next day, Private Moon’s body was recovered, and nearly 200 dead Japanese soldiers were found surrounding his foxhole. Later, it was said to have been one of the most remarkable stories of heroism seen during the war.

IMAGES AND DOCUMENTS

Notes:

Wikipedia, “Harold H. Moon Jr.,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harold_H._Moon_Jr.&oldid=1079875267 (accessed June 21, 2023).

RPD2. Harold Moon biography, Find-a-Grave. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9845/harold-herman-moon

 Prepared by Eloy Garcia, PhD., Central New Mexico Community College

Featured Image:

Harold Moon in uniform. Find-a-Grave. Photo added by: George Bacon on 03 Dec 2003. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/9845/harold-herman-moon#view-photo=710279https://www.findagrave.com/