Colonel Hugh Benton Moore (1874-1944)

Hugh Moore earned the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army in 1918, during World War I. He served under General Pershing as the general superintendent of the Army Transport Service in France. During the war, Moore used his experience in the transportation industry to direct the transport of over 2 million men and supplies, including munitions and daily shipments of coal, to France. As a result of his service during the war, Colonel Moore received the Distinguished Service Medal from the U.S. government and the Legion of Honor medal from the French government (Funeral, 1944).

Col. Moore was also a key player in convincing the U.S. Army to establish the Army Camp and First Aero Squadron in Texas City. On March 5, 1913, a small group of officers and enlisted men were organized into the 1st Aero Squadron (Provisional) and assigned to the 2nd Division, commanded by Signal Corps Captain Charles de Forest Chandler. The squadron had nine airplanes. Initially consisting of five officers and 21 enlisted men, the squadron was formed into two companies. Airplanes at this time were considered cutting-edge technology, and most of the models had had little scientific testing.Texas City had been selected as the location for this first fledgling aero squadron in part because of easy water front access for sea planes.

Post 89 Commander: Emmitt Arredondo