Born: May 31, 1947, Gaffney, South Carolina

• 1968 Inducted into service, Basic Training, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
• 1968 AIT, Ft. Bliss, Texas
• 1968-70 Switchboard Operator, Launcher Crewman, Assistant Section Chief, Battery D, 4th Battalion, 59th Air Defense Artillery, Ft. Story, Virginia
• 1970-72 Squad Leader, Battery D, 8th Battalion, 61st Air Defense Artillery, Ft. Bliss, Texas and Republic of Korea
• 1972-74 Squad Leader, Battery C, 5th Battalion, 67th Air Defense Artillery and Battery C, 3d Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, Ft. Bliss, Texas
• 1974-77 Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Operations and Intelligence Sergeant, 2d Battalion, 59th Air Defense Artillery, 1st Armored Division, Schwabach, Germany
• 1977-79 Instructor, Senior Drill Sergeant, Battery C, 4th Training Battalion, Ft. Bliss, Texas
• 1979-80 Army Drill Sergeant of the Year, Headquarters, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Ft. Monroe, Virginia
• 1980-82 Operations and Training Staff NCO, Deputy Chief of Staff for Training, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, Ft. Monroe, Virginia
• 1982-85 First Sergeant, Battery B, 2d Battalion, 59th Air Defense Artillery, 1st Armored Division, Schwabach, Germany
• 1985-86 Student, Class #26, Sergeants Major Academy, Ft. Bliss, Texas
• 1986-87 Instructor, Sergeants Major Academy, Ft. Bliss, Texas
• 1987-89 Command Sergeant Major, 5th Battalion, 52d Air Defense Artillery, 24th Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, Georgia
• 1989-90 Commandant, Noncommissioned Officers Academy, 24th Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart, Georgia
• 1990-91 Command Sergeant Major, Division Artillery, 24th Infantry Division, Saudi Arabia and Iraq
• 1991-93 Command Sergeant Major, 2d Infantry Division, Yongson, Republic of Korea
• 1993-94 Command Sergeant Major, 1st United States Army, Ft. Meade, Maryland
• 1994-97 Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Central Command, MacDill, AFB, Florida
• 1997-2000 Sergeant Major of the Army

Significant Accomplishments as SMA
One of the five finalists for selection as the 10th Sergeant Major of the Army, Hall assumed his duties to a vacated office. He set out to reestablish the prestige of the office of the Sergeant Major of the Army and encouraging the Army noncommissioned officer corps. He reemphasized values and the Soldier’s Code. Through his reports to Congress, he emphasized quality of life and morale, welfare, and recreation issues telling the members that, “Our nation owes its soldiers a quality of life commensurate with that of the private sector…” Seven years in the making, Hall was the first SMA authorized distinctive “positional” colors.


Selected Decorations and Awards:

• Defense Distinguished Service Medal
• Distinguished Service Medal
• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Legion of Merit with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
• Bronze Star Medal
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Meritorious Service Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters
• Joint Service Commendation Medal
• Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
• Army Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster
• Good Conduct Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• Southwest Asia Service Medal
• Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
• Kuwait Liberation Medal (Government of Kuwait)
• Drill Sergeant Badge