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Sayward
Newton “Pete” Hall, Jr. was born in Thomaston, ME, to Sayward N. Hall, Sr. and
Barbara Knight Hall. Pete graduated from Thomaston High School in 1947 and
enlisted in the Army in the same month. He served in the Infantry in the
occupation of Korea and earned a promotion to sergeant. On the recommendation of
his commanding officer, he took the West Point entrance exam and won an
assignment to the United States Military Academy Preparatory School at Stewart
AFB, NY. From there he was appointed to the Academy by his congressman in 1950.
During his
time at West Point, Pete was known for his quiet friendliness. He had a Maine
dry humor, was even-tempered, and a man of his word. He was a member of the
Russian Club and Chess Club, and he always knew where he was going when he
graduated. A roommate remembers that whenever academics got too tough, Pete
would open his desk drawer, pull out a Blitz cloth, polish his Infantry crossed rifles, and say that he didn’t need to compete for the Engineers, he was going
back to his beloved Infantry. On Christmas leave to Maine in 1951, Cliff Landry
’53 introduced Pete to Mary T. Cowhig of Boston, who was to be the love of his
all-too-short life.
After
graduation, Pete went to Airborne School and Ranger School. In 1955, he married
Mary, and they had five children: Sayward, III, Nancy, Michael, Stephen, and
Matthew. After Ranger School, his first assignment was as a tank platoon leader
and troop executive officer at Ft. Carson, CO. Following this assignment, Pete
headed for Ft. Rucker, AL, to attend aviation training. He trained on both fixed
wing and rotary wing aircraft but spent the rest of his time flying choppers.
Upon
completion of flight training, Pete was assigned to the 17th Infantry in Korea
from1960 to 1961. He then returned to the 82d Airborne Aviation Company at Ft.
Bragg, NC, where he became the flying aide to MG John Throckmorton, commander of
the 82d Airborne Division. From there, Pete was briefly assigned to the Army
Combat Development Command in 1964.
In
November 1964, Pete took command of the 119th Aviation Company, Pleiku, Republic
of Viet Nam. He commanded the 119th until 7 Feb 1965, when he suffered
fragmentation wounds as a result of an enemy attack on his unit. Seventy-three
days later, on 21 Apr 1096, MAJ Pete Hall died of his wounds in a hospital in
the Philippines. He was 36 years old. He had been awarded two Bronze Stars for
Valor, two Purple Hearts, and three Air Medals.
Pete is
survived by his widow Mary, their five children, and ten grandchildren. Mary
remembers, “We met under the Christmas tree one memorable holiday season. Pete
will always be remembered as a kind and loyal husband. He loved his family and
always felt fortunate that he was able to be present as his five children entered
the world. True to the West Point tradition of Duty, Honor, Country, he
distinguished himself by personally directing the relief and evacuation of men
of his command, who were wounded in the Viet Cong attack at Camp Holloway,
before falling to mortar fragments himself.
He has never been forgotten
and always is missed."
We all
miss you, Pete.
—Sayward N.
Hall IV, Mary Hall
Stone, and a roommate
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