Elmer Edwards Hall (April 20, 1890 – September 22, 1958) was a brigadier general in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
Battle of Tarawa
The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Am ...
.
Early years
Elmer E. Hall was born on April 20, 1890, in Rocky Bar, Idaho, the son of Nathaniel and Louise (née Lovell) Hall. His family moved to
Baker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, Edward Dickinson Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 20 ...
, when he was a child, where he attended local schools. Hall enrolled at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...
in
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
, and graduated in 1915 with
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree. He later attended
Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...
in
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Oregon, Benton County in central western Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton Co ...
where he received a degree in mining sciences. After graduating, Hall worked in mining for a short time before enlisting as a private in the Marine Corps on May 31, 1917, a few weeks after the
American entry into World War I
The United States entered into World War I on 6 April 1917, more than two and a half years after the war began in Europe. Apart from an Anglophile element urging early support for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British and an a ...
.
Hall trained at the Marine barracks at the
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...
and also played
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
on the unbeaten 1917 Mare Island football team, which went on to defeat the Camp Lewis Army team 19–7 in the 1918 Rose Bowl.
Hall was later promoted to the rank of sergeant and assigned to officer training at the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. He also received the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal for his enlisted service. Hall graduated from the officer course on August 15, 1918, and was commissioned a second lieutenant on the same date. He was subsequently assigned to 13th Marine Regiment and arrived in France by September 25, 1918. Hall did not see combat and was stationed at Brest until the end of the war.
Upon returning to the United States, Hall coached the Mare Island Marines football team, undefeated until their loss to the Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets in the
1919 Rose Bowl
The 1919 Rose Bowl, known at the time as the Tournament East-West Football Game, was a bowl game played on January 1, 1919, at Tournament Park in Pasadena, California. It was the 5th Rose Bowl Game. With the war just over and college rosters depl ...
. The next 20 years were spent in various staff assignments, where he continued to play and coach football for the Marines.
World War II
At the time of the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, as commanding officer of the 2nd Engineer Battalion. He participated in the defense of the island and later in salvage operations and was decorated with the
Navy Commendation Medal
The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fift ...
for his leadership during the attack. The 2nd Engineer Battalion rejoined the 2nd Marine Division and sailed for
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
in May 1942. He was promoted to the rank of
colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
on May 21, 1942, and was the first commanding officer of the 18th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, on September 8, 1942. During the
Guadalcanal Campaign
The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allies of World War II, Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during th ...
, Hall was stationed in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
with the other rear units of the division.
Hall relieved Colonel Richard H. Jeschke as commanding officer of the 8th Marine Regiment on May 4, 1943, and supervised the refitting and further training of the regiment after heavy casualties during the Guadalcanal Campaign. He received orders for combat deployment on November 20, 1943, and sailed for
Tarawa
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati ''
1st Battalion of his regiment, but because of bad communication with divisional headquarters, he and his men remained for over 16 hours in their landing vehicles. Hall and his regiment landed under heavy machine gun and artillery fire. The 8th Marines destroyed several enemy's positions and helped secure the island. For his leadership during the battle, Hall was decorated with the
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...
with Combat "V".
Hall was relieved by Lieutenant Colonel Paul D. Sherman on December 15, 1943, and ordered back to the United States in January 1944. He was subsequently appointed liaison officer in the personnel department at
Headquarters Marine Corps
The Headquarters Marine Corps (HQMC) is a headquarters staff within the Department of the Navy which includes the offices of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps and various staff functions. The funct ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and served in this capacity until the end of the war. During his time there, Hall was promoted to the rank of brigadier general on August 1, 1944 He retired from the Marine Corps in July 1946.
Hall died on September 22, 1958, in
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
.
Decorations
Here is the ribbon bar of Brigadier General Elmer E. Hall:
Honors
Hall Field at
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego (MCRD San Diego) is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former N ...
was dedicated on November 17, 1956, in recognition of his contributions to Marine Corps football. Hall, as a captain, initiated the football program there in 1924.