Alfred Judson Force Moody

Brigadier General Alfred Judson Force Moody (4 March 1918 – 19 March 1967) was a United States Army officer who served with SHAEF during World War II, and as the Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division during the Vietnam War.

A 1941 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, ranking first in his class, Moody served as a staff officer with the Operations Division (OPD) of the War Department General Staff, in the China-Burma-India Theater, and with Central Pacific Base Command and the 7th Infantry Division on Okinawa.

After duty as the Military Assistant to Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense, he learned to fly helicopters, and he was appointed the Assistant Division Commander of the 1st Cavalry Division. Just a week after he arrived in South Vietnam, he died of a heart attack.

Early life Alfred Judson Force Moody was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on 4 March 1918, the son of Ilna Force and Wilfred Hamilton Moody. He had a sister, Ilna. He joined the Army and was posted to Fort H. G. Wright, and then to the area prep school at Fort Preble, Maine. He was accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point, which he entered on 1 July 1937. The West Point Yearbook noted that he "came to West Point from the Army with a determination to do his best in whatever he attempted. We can see from his record that his best was exceptional."

Moody was ranked first in his class, which graduated and was commissioned as second lieutenants on 1 July 1941. He was survived by his father, and his wife and four daughters. His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery on 24 March 1967 with full military honors. His name was subsequently inscribed on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. His decorations included the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart.