Richard Hall
Age 86
World War II/Korean War/Vietnam War Vet.
Born on the family farm in Dunnell, MN in
1929
Currently lives in Dunnell, MN
When you meet Richard Hall, and take
just one glance at this veteran of three major wars, you know he's a
U.S. Marine. He's still has that steely look in his eyes. And as they
say: “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”
Hall admits his most favorite movie is
the 1949 John Wayne classic Sands of Iwo Jima. “I was in that movie
(as an extra).” he proudly says.
Hall was just 17 years old in 1946 when
he joined the Marine Corps. World War II was just winding down, but
Hall received military credit for being part of the military during
that war. He trained at Camp Pendleton to operate amphibious tractors
and other military vehicles. He worked moving troops and supplies on
and off LST's, or Landing Ship, Tank. These ships were designed in
1942 to land battle ready tanks, vehicles, soldiers, and supplies
directly onto enemy beaches. “We carried everything. We even worked
with submarines,” he recalls.
His outfit also shipped out to Alaska
in 1947 to guard fuel convoys crossing the isolated wilderness areas.
In 1950, at the age 21, he was called
back into service to fight in Korea with the Marines with "Dog
Company" 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st
Division. Hall manned a 30 caliber light machine gun and spent 13
months in Korea. His company was based and fought at the “Punch
Bowl” area on the Korean front lines. “We were on the front 133
days,” Hall remembers. “That was longer than any outfit in war
history.”
“It was very, very cold. The wind was always blowing, the ground
was frozen, and our food rations were
frozen. And if there wasn't any trees or wood on that hill, you
didn't have fire to cook your food.” But the aging Marine stops
there with the war story reminiscing. "No way do I want to start on
this," he says. You sense by looking into his eyes there are a lot of painful memories of
the wars fought still locked-up in his soul.
After his tour in Korea ended in 1951,
Hall stayed in the Reserves until being called up in 1964 to go to
Vietnam. His MOS, or “Military
Occupational Specialty,” job code in 'Nam was as a crew chief
on a Marine UH-34D
Sikorsky helicopter
gunship, known as the
“Ugly Angel” or “HUS” by fellow Leathernecks. “I flew 94
combat missions in Vietnam,” he states. The UH-34s were used
extensively during the Vietnam war. (Note: A bloody combat mission of
one such UH-34 gunship crew was featured in a LIFE Magazine photo essay in
1965 entitled “One Ride with Yankee Papa 13.”)
Hall ended his tour
of duty in Vietnam in 1965, then was stationed in South Carolina for
a while before finally heading back home to Dunnell, Minnesota. “I've
been half way 'round the world, and there's no better place than
Dunnell.”
Photographs by Joseph Kreiss © 2015
My uncle William Musegades from Alpha, MN went into WWII with the Jackson, MN Guards & fought with the Rangers in Italy and survived to come back to the US. He came back home & settled in Fairmont, MN with his new bride he had had met in FL upon his return. He became a city Policeman in Fairmont until he was elected Martin County Sheriff in'50 & was never defeated. This awesome sherriff died while still in office Nov. 11, 1971 while golfing at the Rose Lake course at the age of 50 from heart issues.
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