Benjamin Hall
- BS Social Sciences 2005
Benjamin Hall graduated with a bachelor's degree in social sciences. He served as
the cadet battalion commander in the Tech Army ROTC program and was commissioned a
second lieutenant in the US Army.
A paratrooper and an army ranger, Hall was deployed to Afghanistan with 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Hall was killed in action on July 31, 2007. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for heroism and the Purple Heart.
Born in Texas, the son of army colonel and Tech alumnus John Hall '75, Hall moved around a lot as a child but throughout his life remained fixed on achievement. At Tech, he majored in social science and earned many awards in the ROTC program. He earned the rating of Distinguished Military Graduate, and ranked among the top cadets across the nation when he graduated.
He continued to excel while on active duty. He earned the Army's Combat Infantry Badge and Expert Infantry Badge; was one of only twenty-two soldiers in the 173rd Airborne Brigade to be awarded the title of True Blue; and was instrumental in creating a new infantry company, called Destined, in his regiment.
His family remembers him as "giving and humble - the type of guy people were drawn to." Hall is survived by his parents, two sisters, and a brother, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2008, Hall's family accepted the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in his honor.
Excerpted from Michigan Tech Magazine, Fall 2008
A paratrooper and an army ranger, Hall was deployed to Afghanistan with 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. Hall was killed in action on July 31, 2007. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for heroism and the Purple Heart.
Born in Texas, the son of army colonel and Tech alumnus John Hall '75, Hall moved around a lot as a child but throughout his life remained fixed on achievement. At Tech, he majored in social science and earned many awards in the ROTC program. He earned the rating of Distinguished Military Graduate, and ranked among the top cadets across the nation when he graduated.
He continued to excel while on active duty. He earned the Army's Combat Infantry Badge and Expert Infantry Badge; was one of only twenty-two soldiers in the 173rd Airborne Brigade to be awarded the title of True Blue; and was instrumental in creating a new infantry company, called Destined, in his regiment.
His family remembers him as "giving and humble - the type of guy people were drawn to." Hall is survived by his parents, two sisters, and a brother, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2008, Hall's family accepted the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in his honor.
Excerpted from Michigan Tech Magazine, Fall 2008