World War II Veteran
Harold Hall
1924 - 2020
Interviewed by:
Ben Niggel and Vanessa Vincent
1943
Harold Hall (bottom right), 18, is presented with his rubber boat crew.
2015
Harold Hall, 91 in front of his War Accolades (behind his left shoulder).
"I think the Military should be a requirement for anyone getting out of high school.
... the discipline you learn is just tremendous."
~ Harold Hall, 31:16
Name:
Harold Hall
Date of Birth / Death:
August 1, 1924 -
September 11, 2020
Dates of Service:
June of 1943 - 1946
Location of Military Service:
Pacific Ocean and Camp Peary
Residence at Time of Interview:
Eastham, Massachusetts
Veteran Harold Hall - Interview Transcript
Harold Hall's Story
After growing up in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Mr. Harold Hall was desperate to leave the United States. The best idea Mr. Hall had was to join the Military.
In 1942, Mr. Harold Hall and several of his senior classmates traveled to the Fargo Building, located in Boston, with the intention of signing up for the Military. To their dismay, they were all told to go home and finish high school, and then come back and enroll in their branch of choice. Soon after Mr. Hall’s class graduated, he and his male classmates received, as he puts it, “greetings from the government.” The young men then went back to the Fargo Building and chose their branches of service; Mr. Hall chose the Navy.
After joining the Navy, Mr. Hall was one of the few men left without an assignment. He waited patiently for his first assignment, which unfortunately, was to clean the toilets in Camp Peary, a training camp, in Virginia. One day, Mr. Hall spotted a poster, stating that there was a need for 100 volunteers for a demolition crew. He immediately signed up to be a volunteer; soon after he was put on a rubber boat crew.
One of the many missions Mr. Hall took part in was to sweep coral reefs for mines in the Pacific. One day, Mr. Hall’s team, led by Draper Kauffman, was moving toward the shore of an island, when mortar shells began to blow up near and under the team of swimmers. Mr. Hall himself was blown clear out of the water and survived, but the rest of the (five) other members of his team suffered internal injuries.
**
After his Navy years, Mr. Hall attended Brown University. After a long and successful civilian career, he retired to Cape Cod and lives happily in Eastham, Massachusetts.
Presented in this picture are Mr. Harold Hall's War Accolades:
Top Left - WWII Victory Medal
Bottom Left - American Campaign
Top Right - Asiatic Pacific Campaign
Bottom Right - Philippine Liberations Medal
Middle Star - Bronze Star Medal
Middle Bottom - Battle Stars/ Service Stars
An example of a Rubber Boat Crew in the Navy
Mr. Harold Hall's Discharge Papers from the Navy.
Camp Peary, Virginia
Mr. Harold Hall trained for the Navy at this Training Camp and his first assignment, to clean toilets, was at this camp.
Presented in this picture is a letter Mr. Hall received with his Bronze Star Medal.
The letter is from The Secretary of the Navy and reads...
"The President of the United States take pleasure in presenting the Bronze Star Medal to
Harold Thornton Hall
Gunner's Mate Third Class
United States Naval Reserve..."