General Quits Over Falsified Flight Test

Lt. Gen. Royal N. Moore Jr., commander of nearly two-thirds of the Marine Corps’ fighting force, has submitted his resignation after a reprimand by Pentagon officials who discovered that he falsified a flight test and lied about his actions.

Moore, the top Marine aviator during the Persian Gulf War, had a junior officer take a substantial portion of a flight test that qualified him for a particular aircraft and passed it on as his own work, said Maj. Nancy LaLuntas, a Marine spokeswoman.

The flight test was submitted in August, 1990, when then-Maj. Gen. Moore was in command of the El Toro-based 3rd Aircraft Wing, which was deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

The three-star general commands the 60,000-member Fleet Marine Force Pacific, headquartered at Camp H.M. Smith, near Pearl Harbor. He is a highly decorated officer who was honored with the Distinguished Service Medal for his part in the Gulf War.

Moore, who took command of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific in August, 1991, will resign effective July 1, LaLuntas said. No replacement has been named.

Lt. Col Ron Stokes, a spokesman for the Fleet Marine Force Pacific, said Moore was traveling and unavailable for comment.

Moore is the third top Marine official to step down after allegations of abuses of rank while at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station. Brig. Gen Wayne T. Adams and Col. Joseph Underwood retired after investigations revealed that they used military aircraft for personal purposes.