Staff Sgt. Maurice H. Moore, of Baltimore, Md., attended the Baltimore City Public Schools and graduated from Edmondson High School in June, 1965. After high school, he enrolled and was accepted to Coppin Teacher's College to become a Special Education Teacher. As a child devoted to God, he was baptized at Macedonia Baptist Church in Baltimore. Maurice, better known as "Reese" was the 2nd oldest of a total of nine siblings. Eugene, the oldest and Maurice stuck together like "peas in a pod" and had many friends. The two sheltered their younger sisters and brothers. Growing up, Maurice loved the outdoors and cared deeply for animals, especially pigeons and would build pigeon coups to house them and feed them, then let them go. He named his favorite pigeon "Agnes". When he couldn't go out because of bad weather, you could find him in his bedroom playing with little green plastic soldiers spread out on the bed. He obtained his first job while in high school at the Bonnie View Country Club as a Chef's Helper, where at that time very few blacks were employed and continued after high school, at night and on the weekends. After school and work, he would find fun, excitement and relaxation on Pennsylvania Avenue, attending shows at the Royal Theatre and going to the movies. Afterwards, he let his hair grow, had it processed and waved and soon resembled Little Anthony in the Imperials (singing group). Maurice met Madeline Laurence and they had a daughter. Lisa A. Moore was born on April 24, 1965. At age 3 1/2, Lisa contracted a rare blood disorder and died October 3 1968 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. During the interim period of transferring from Coppin to Morgan State College, Maurice was drafted into the United States Army on February 17, 1967 and started his basic training at Fort Bragg, NC. He was recommended by his lieutenant to enter leadership school because of his exemplary behavior, efficiency and fidelity in service. This, he gladly accepted and looked forward to returning home as a buck sergeant, which meant a raise in rank and pay. Maurice was called to active duty soon after his training during the Vietnam conflict in Southeast Asia in January, 1968. He stayed in close contact with his family and friends by written correspondence; inquiring about his sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews and a special friend Patricia. Maurice began counting off on the days when he could be reunited with his family. Only 90 more days remained when he was killed in action. Nearly 40 years ago, representatives from the Army pulled up in two cars at a West Baltimore home and informed a married couple that their second-eldest child was missing in Vietnam. The soldier had been lost in combat after an attack on his platoon in May 1968. At the behest of his father, Moore was declared dead nine years later, but his remains were not found until 2007. He was one of nine children born to James and Georgia Mae Moore. When Maurice was reported missing, his mother became inconsolable, began drinking heavily and died of a brain tumor nine years later. The aftermath of his missing status took its' toll on his family. One of Maurice's younger brothers turned to drugs and died of an overdose in 1986. One sister became an alcoholic and essentially drank herself to death in 1993. And another sister has been in jail for the past 26 years for her part in a murder-for-hire scheme. The family was completely traumatized by it. Had he lived, things might have been different. Maurice wasn't the oldest, but he may have been the strongest. He was the one who protected his younger sisters, all five of them from boys and made sure they got to school safely. He wanted to become a special education teacher and had made plans to achieve that goal before he was drafted. Outside of playing with toy soldiers as a child, Maurice had little interest in the military. He was called to active duty in January 1968, about five months before the attack that took his life. After the Army officials relayed the news of Maurice's disappearance, his mother never accepted the likelihood that her son died in battle and her drinking took a toll on the younger children, three of whom were in elementary school at the time. She was the matriarch of the house. So the structure just fell apart. His father was working, so he wasn't home a lot of the time. That left nobody with the younger kids. Maurice disappeared after Ngok Tavak, an old French fort, came under heavy fire by a North Vietnamese infantry battalion. At least 39 Americans and an unknown number of South Vietnamese military and civilians died during the fighting there and at nearby Kham Duc. There were a dozen letters sent from the Army during the late 1960s, none of which sounded optimistic about the chances of Maurice's survival. "This slow and seemingly fruitless task will continue throughout all areas of Vietnam until the status of each of our missing members can be resolved," read one letter dated Feb. 26, 1969. But about 2005, the Army found Maurice's identification tags, belt buckle, wallet and raincoat, buried deep in the ground. His sister was asked to give DNA samples to see whether there was a match with the remains found near the items. Maurice's father has not said much about his son's remains coming back home. James Moore, 80, has internalized his son's death and didn't want to comment publicly. Maurice is honored on Panel 59E, Row 8 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. He was buried next to his mother who died in 1976, and a sister. He is also preceded by a brother, Rodney Moore in 1982, a another sister, Sandra Moore in 2003.

Army
Company E
1st Infantry Regiment
2nd Batallion