Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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CSM Michael Hall

| 75th Ranger Regiment

Command Sergeant Major Michael Hall reviews the list of posts and commands from his 34 year career in the Army Rangers. (3:03)
War movies had convinced young Michael Hall that he wanted to be a Marine, but when he visited the recruiting offices, he found something that might be even better, the Army Rangers. After a short stay in the regular infantry, he secured the assignment to the Rangers, where his life was changed the very first day. (5:44)
Retired Command Sergeant Major Michael Hall recalls the strong physicality of the Ranger battalions in his day and relates that to the bond of respect and responsibility that connects all Rangers. His intent was to serve his four year enlistment and go to college, but he kept coming back for one more tour, one more tour. (5:13)
He was happy as a platoon sergeant in a Ranger rifle company, so when he was considered for Command Sergeant Major, Michael Hall was ambivalent. Would he be removed from close relationships with the men? But in a series of assignments at that job, he found great professional satisfaction. (5:15)
The Army Rangers were formed not only as an elite strike force but also as a crucible to spread field experience and knowledge throughout the military. In his long career, Michael Hall found many instances of this in many different organizations. The experiment had succeeded. (8:50)
What are the basic sustainable standards when training an elite force? As GEN Stanley McChrystal's Command Sergeant Major, Michael Hall helped him develop the Big Four; four standards that all Rangers must master. They are marksmanship, physical training, medical training, and small unit battle drills. (11:45)
What do the Big Four training standards enable the Ranger force to do? There are two primary missions, according to Retired Command Sergeant Major Michael Hall. The first is forced entry into a denied country to establish an airhead for follow-on forces and the second is the special operations combined forces raid. (2:25)
The Ranger Creed is not just a poem that you recite at PT. Longtime Ranger Michael Hall explains what it means to live the Ranger Creed. (2:06)
The Ranger experience affects the man throughout his life. Michael Hall's life was changed his very first day as a Ranger and, whether you served thirty years or just a few, the lessons learned there made you a better man. (4:07)
Curt Beckham

WWII | USS Shangri-La

You didn't see many sailors in Atlanta but Curt Beckham and his friends joined the Navy regardless. After a rather disjointed training experience and after serving with a couple of radar units, he was assigned to the USS Shangri-La as a cook. (5:35)