The funeral for retired Lt. Gen. Harold "Hal" Moore, a famous Vietnam veteran and Auburn local, will be held Friday in Auburn.
Moore's funeral will begin at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Auburn after a full Catholic mass, which is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday. A funeral procession will take him to Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia, for a memorial ceremony to be held there later in the day.
At around 10 a.m., Moore's procession will travel on North College Street to U.S. Highway 280. Delays and traffic backups are expected along the roads as the procession makes its way through the city.
The Lee County Emergency Management Agency said residents should avoid areas as needed as the procession travels along U.S. 280 to Gateway Drive in Opelika, then onto Interstate 85 and finally back onto U.S. 280 to Columbus.
Moore became a local hero after saving most of the soldiers in his unit in the first major battle between the U.S. and North Vietnamese armies. He died at his home in Auburn on Feb. 11 at age 94.
Moore was best known for his actions at the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang, where he was a lieutenant colonel in command of the 1st Battalion and the 7th Cavalry Regiment, according to The Associated Press.
His actions were later reflected in the movie "We Were Soldiers." Actor Mel Gibson portrayed Moore. A few months ago Gibson, who had become friends with Moore, and Vince Vaughn traveled to Auburn to visit Moore, according to The Opelika-Auburn News.
Many of Moore's family members, including his five children, were in Auburn last weekend to celebrate what would have been his 95th birthday on Monday.
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