Ronald (RJ) Moore
US Army 1970-1972
Vietnam
I was born 5 February 1951 in Des Moines, IA. I lived there until I was about 12 when the state of Iowa removed me from my home and made me a ward of the state. Then I lived in foster home and juvenile homes until I graduated high school in 1969. I married my wife that same year when I was 18.
I tried college and working, that didn’t work. I ran into a recruiter. They said GI Bill and I enlisted thinking I would not go to Vietnam because I was married and had a child by that time. I went to Vietnam in early June of '71 and served there until Feb '72 when the military discharged me. Now I have a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa in urban and regional planning. I have lived in Iowa City since 1973 when I came up here to go to the University.
I served on the Veterans Affairs Commission from June 1, 2009 to May 31, 2016 while serving as Chairperson from 2012 through 2016. I enjoy doing it. I spent a lot of years after Vietnam hiding hermit style. At some point in my life I decided I need to change that. It wasn’t just because of serving in Vietnam. A lot of people mix that up but as I have noted, I had an estranged child hood as well. That coupled with military experience kind of led me astray for a while until I decided to be more active. I think my participation in the Veterans Affairs Commission made me feel good about helping other vets. I still bear the scars and the hurt from coming home from Vietnam and the way society treated us. I do not want that to happen to our Veterans today. They do not make the choices about where they go or what they do, they just do what they are asked and I think the American public needs to keep that in mind. They also need to respect them for their ability and willingness to make those sacrifices for us. I think that is a good part of the reason that I participated in the Veterans Affairs Commission.
Now in retirement, I enjoy golfing, riding a big butt Harley Trike, and most importantly spending time with my family to include my wife, two children, and two grandchildren, a boy and a girl. I was a member of the committee that helped site the memorial.
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