Hall, David, Former Staff Sergeant, U.S. Air Force (1996-2001)

David Hall joined the Air Force on March 6, 1996, following in the footsteps of his father and step-father, who each served over 20 years in the Air Force.

After basic training, Hall graduated from tech school with the second-highest score in his class and was assigned to the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, Virginia.

At Langley, Hall was one of the top airmen in his flight. He worked as a weapons loader, winning several loading competitions and the Airman of the Quarter award. While based at Langley, Hall did a three-month assignment in Saudi Arabia, and was handpicked to go to Kuwait to help fix aircraft.

In the summer of 1998, Hall was assigned to Elmendorf Air Force Base outside of Anchorage, Alaska, where he was selected to work at the Weapons Standardization Section, which employs highly qualified airmen to train and evaluate the load crew on the base. While at the Weapons Standardization Section, Hall won several medals and Airman of the Quarter awards.

In his spare time, Hall began taking classes at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, where he met and began dating fellow student Jack Glover.

Glover encouraged Hall to join the Air Force ROTC.

After receiving a strong recommendation from his active duty commander, Hall was honorably discharged as an enlisted member from the Air Force in August 2001 following his acceptance to the Air Force ROTC in May 2001. At that time, Hall had served five years and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-5) with an Aircraft Armament Systems specialty.

During his active duty service, Hall received numerous awards including, the Air Force Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Award, Air Force Training Ribbon, NCO Professional Military Education Ribbon, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Ward, and Air Force Good Conduct Medal.

With Glover, Hall helped create a local Arnold Air Society chapter. Hall was named the chapter’s Vice-Commander.

In March 2002, Hall received a coveted slot to train to be a pilot—an honor given to approximately 500 cadets nationwide each year. At the time Hall received this honor, he had the highest ranking of all the Air Force ROTC juniors in his detachment. In recognition of his talent and dedication, Hall was named a Cadet Captain and flight commander, soon advancing to the position of Operations Officer, Cadet Major, another leadership position.

In June 2002, after returning from Field Training, Hall was called in to speak to a Judge Advocate General and a Staff Sergeant, who told him that they knew of his relationship with Glover.

Hall refused to comment about his relationship with Glover, and an investigation ensued. He was disenrolled and honorably discharged from the Air Force ROTC on August 21, 2002.

At the time of his disenrollment and discharge, Hall was ranked first in a class of over one hundred cadets. He had served one year in the Air Force ROTC.

In an effort to speak out about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell', Hall has interviewed with 20/20, Windy City News, Alaska Public Radio, and the Anchorage Daily News.