LTCOL THOMAS HENRY HALL SEPTEMBER 17, 1948 - JULY 29, 2021 - GOOD SHEPHERD PARISH

LtCol Thomas Henry Hall
September 17, 1948 - July 29, 2021

                          LtCol Thomas Henry Hall, Jr,
                          USMC, Retired, age 72 of
                          Winchester, Tennessee
                          has been assigned to his
                          final duty station on 29
                          July 2021 and tasked,
                          like all Marines, with
                          guarding the Pearly
                          Gates. He fought a long 36-
                          year battle with Parkinson’s
                          Disease and a short campaign with
                          aspiration pneumonia after a fall. He
                          passed peacefully from complications of
Parkinson’s at the Nashville VA Hospital surrounded by his family
praying and singing. We’re hoping he’s guarding a back door that
he can hold open for us, because we broke a lot a rules getting into
his hospital room every day.

Born on 17 September 1948 in Paducah Kentucky, the second of
four children, to Capt Thomas and Ann Hall. The family struggled in
government housing after Tom Sr left his mother, who, with an 8th
grade education and three jobs, struggled to raise her children. She
emphasized the importance of education, determination and
fortitude. All four of her kids went to college, two earned masters
degrees. It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish. Even as a
kid, Tom was motivated to help his family. In middle school, he
worked two paper routes and cut grass, and later in high school as
a Little League Umpire and at Griff’s Burger Bar, where we suspect
he ate more than he made. He once bought a pack of cigarettes
until he did the math and realized how much money it would take to
buy a pack a week for the rest of his life. He was cheap when it
didn’t matter, and generous when it did. He bought the family’s first

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car and gave it to his mother after he graduated from high school
because he felt she needed it more than he did.

He excelled in sports, but basketball was his favorite and he was a
natural. To see him play was like watching art. His coach said, “I
had a favorite player…a flat-footed, slow runner that couldn’t jump
and I wish I had a whole team of Tom Halls!” His love for the sport
never dwindled. He played daily when possible, coached Marine
intramural teams, was a referee for the USMC leagues, Kim’s high
school and Millie & Ronnie’s middle school and somehow every
year managed to pick the winning March Madness bracket.
1966 - barge welder and a deck hand on his father’s boat on the
Mississippi River, started night school at Memphis State University

25 July 1967– enlisted in the US Marine Corps

26 September 1967 –graduated Private First Class, Awarded
Outstanding man in the Platoon Award, 1st TRBN, RTR, MCRD,
Parris Island, South Carolina

27 September 1967 – 1st Infantry training MCB Camp Lejeune,
North Carolina

05 November 1967 – helicopter mechanic school, NATTC NAS
Memphis, Tennessee

03 Jan 1968 – promoted to Lance Corporal

17 April 1968 – H&MS-56, 3d MAW, MCAF, Santa Ana, California
June 1968 – NCO Leadership School, NCAS, El Toro, California

10 February 1969 – OCS, MCDEC, Quantico, Virginia

18 April 1969 – Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant

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18 April 1969 – Company “K”, Basic School, MCB Quantico,
Virginia

22 October 1969 – Republic of Vietnam 81mm Mortar Platoon
Commander, Co A, 1st BAT, 1st MAR

02 November 1969 – 81mm Platoon Commander Company B, H&S
Company, 1st BAT, 1st MAR

04 February 1970 – Bronze Star Combat V

26 February 1970 – Rifle Platoon Commander

17 March 1970 – Platoon Commander

01 July 1970 – promoted to First Lieutenant

05 October 1970 – G-3 Training Officer and Commanding Officer,
H&S BN, FMFLANT, attended night school at Old Dominion
University

01 July 1973 – promoted to Captain

August 1975 - Degree Completion Program, Bachelor of Business
Admin, Memphis State University

August 1975 – Commanding Officer of H&S Company 3d Shore
Party Bn, Okinawa, Japan

30 August 1976 - Executive Officer and subsequent Commanding
Officer, MCRS, Nashville, Tennessee.

01 July 1979 – Promoted to Major, Advance Infantry School, Ft
Benning, Georgia

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19 June 1980 – Operations Officer Marine Barracks, 1st Marine
Brigade, 2nd MarDiv, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Marine Barracks Sunset
Parades Commander of Troops and COT honoring returning MIA
from Vietnam

June 1982 – Masters of Business Admin, Pepperdine University

July 1983 – Executive Officer, HQBN, 2d MarDiv, FMF, Camp
Lejeune, North Carolina

27 December 1984 – Executive Officer, Infantry Training School,
MCES, MCB, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

12 July 1985 – promoted to Lieutenant Colonel

14 February 1986 – Inspector Instructor of 2dBN, 23DMAR,
4thMARDIV, Encino, California, second Meritorious Service Medal

14 January 1988 – United States Marine Corps Retirement

1989-May 1993 – Statistics and Finance Analysis for Department of
Mental Health, State of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee

He was respected by his troops for being a “Mustang Marine”,
starting enlisted and rising to the rank of an officer through his own
grit and tenacity. In Vietnam he received a Bronze Star with
Combat V for inspiring leadership, cohesive and proficient fire
support during combat patrols and uncovering vast quantities of
ordinance and valuable intelligence of the Viet Cong Infrastructure.
He also earned two Meritorious Service Medals and countless
accolades and awards. His Fitness Reports are a credit to his
character and constant ambition for improvement and perfection
often required to do jobs above his pay grade. Each one a more
glowing account than the last, noting his exemplary service,
meticulous manner, quiet demeanor, unassuming intellect, fierce

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loyalty to his men, rigid standards, constant adaptability and as a
tremendous asset to the Corps.

As kids, we were his little platoon, often doing things that we didn't
realize were Marine-like things until Millie went to Parris Island.
After dinner we would read the Marine Corps Officer Handbook and
learn about the characteristics of an officer. Bring your kid to work
day consisted of us blowing up tanks at the Camp Geiger School of
Infantry night fire shooting range. We often joke that he is a mix of
the characters from the movies Heartbreak Ridge, The Great
Santini, Hoosiers and Blazing Saddles.

He made us feel invincible. As kids we never questioned or
wavered when he gave us commands, I mean chores. We always
felt that if he thought we could do it, then we must be able to. He
was annoyingly fair, never favoring one of us over the other (except
there may have been a little extra peacocking when he spoke about
Millie’s Marine Corps service). When he watched our basketball
games he used to clap for the other team if they made a good
shot. He told the other parents he was more interested in teaching
us to appreciate athletic talent and sportsmanship than winning.
Needless to say he didn’t exactly get the team parent award, but
looking back, I realize that every moment was a life lesson with
him. How to be fair or kind or generous or humble. Every lesson
seemed to stem back to that handbook, honor, courage,
commitment, integrity, maybe not so much tact…he may have told
Kimmy and her seven-year-old friends that Santa didn’t exist and
clean his shotgun when we went on dates. If we complained about
anything he used to say, “at least they’re not shooting at you”.
Every other problem was insignificant compared to that.

Married to Mercedes Mszanowski on 11 October 1969, they
honored and respected their marriage vows better than anyone I
know. Over 51 years, through war, deployments, moving, kids,
loss, and disease they were unwavering in their commitment to
each other. They faced so many obstacles even before he became
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sick and Mercy held the fort together then and now. While she
admits he wasn’t always the best gift giver (an iron for Christmas),
the things she’s going to miss the most are how confident and
beautiful he made her feel, his compliments, holding hands, having
him close and seeing the twinkle in his eyes when he smiles at her.
As constant companions, it is because of their devotion for each
other and Mercy’s perpetual caregiving, that he was able to stay
home for so long, even in declining health. Their story is one of
loyalty, admiration, love and commitment.

He used to play golf on Sunday mornings when we went to church.
After we moved to Winchester, his interest in golf diminished and he
started to get bored at home by himself. We suspected he was just
hungry and wanted to join us for brunch after mass. He started
asking questions about all the knelling and standing and other weird
Catholic rituals. Eventually, he converted and became a devout
man of faith and belief. He often could explain things better about
the church than the rest of us and always made a point to follow the
Golden Rule, to treat others the way he wanted to be treated. He
never blamed God and his trust in the Lord is admirable. He often
told Mercy that his priorities were God, Country, Corps, Family…in
that order. We are comforted that he received Last Rites and we
prayed over him in his final hours.

We still see him as a hard-charging devil dog, but if you met him
later in life you might have only noticed the Parkinson's Disease.
Slight symptoms started in his early 30s, but it took several years to
officially diagnose. He spent half his life suffering with a body that
wouldn’t cooperate, and while we never knew of his frustrations or
worry or anger we found some journal entries that were
heartbreaking to read. He never complained to us and I don’t think
we will ever truly understand the torment he went through on a daily
basis. His perseverance is a reminder to all of us to improvise,
adapt and overcome.

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He is survived by his wife of over 51 years, Mercedes Mszanowski
and three daughters, who he all called “Sugar” because we’re
pretty sure he couldn’t tell us apart, Kimberly Hall (Geoff Zerbe) of
Hillsboro, Oregon, Melanie Hall (John Morris) of Belvidere,
Tennessee and Veronica Hall (Johnathan Winstead) of Savannah,
Georgia. As “Col Grandpa”, he became an unrecognizable softy
with his six grandchildren, Daniel, Abraham, Cecelia, Grant and
Naomie Morris and Damon Zerbe. The torch has been passed and
his siblings are now tasked with tattle-telling on each other about all
of their childhood antics, Lawrence Hall of Nashville, Tennessee,
Cynthia Hall Allison of Antioch, Tennessee and Stanley (Joyce) Hall
of Bluffton, South Carolina. He is preceded in death by his parents
Tom Hall and Ann Graznak and infant son Daniel Aaron Hall.

In his ultimate act of service, he generously donated his body for
medical research, because as he put it “who wouldn’t want all
this?” While we were unable to donate his entire body, after 28
hours and up against the clock, we were lucky enough to honor his
wishes with his brain going to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville,
Florida for Parkinson’s Research. He despised flowers, cards and
wrapping paper because he was cheap, and growing up poor he
always saw them as a “frivolous waste of money”. So in lieu of
wasting your money, the family requests charitable contributions to
be made to:

“In memory of LtCol Thomas H Hall, Jr USMC”
Brain Support Network
PO Box 7264
Menlo Park, CA 94026
https://www.brainsupportnetwork.org/donate/

A Celebration of Life is planned for Saturday, 18 September 2021 at
1030 a.m., Good Shepherd Catholic Church, Decherd, Tennessee
with lunch following at Tom & Mercy’s House. Feel free to wear red,
his favorite color or a Marine Corps shirt. His ashes will be buried

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with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
Virginia at a later date.

Comments and desserts are welcome, prayers are needed, but
inappropriate Marine Corps jokes are expected.

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