<p>
<em>Sayward Newton “Pete” Hall, Jr.</em> 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.</p>
<p>
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.</p>
<p>
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.</p>
<p>
Upon completion of flight training, Pete was assigned to the 17th Infantry in Korea from 1960 to 1961.</p>
<p>
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.</p>
<p>
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 1965, 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.</p>
<p>
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 <em>Duty, Honor, Country,</em> 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.”</p>
<p>
We all miss you, Pete.</p>
<p>
<em>—Sayward N. Hall IV, Mary Hall Stone, and a roommate</em></p>