Robert E. Hall
11th Sergeant Major of the Army

Robert E. Hall was born in Gaffney, SC, on 31 May 1947.

He entered the U.S. Army in February 1968 and attended basic training at Fort Bragg, NC, and advanced individual training at Fort Bliss, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management from Park College, Parkville, MO.

A career Soldier, Hall has held many leadership positions within the Department of the Army and Unified Command environments. Throughout his 32-year career, Hall held every key leadership position including: squad leader, 2nd Infantry Division, Korea; platoon sergeant, battalion operations sergeant and battalion intelligence sergeant, 1st Armored Division, Germany; first sergeant, B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 59th Air Defense Artillery, Germany; and drill sergeant, Fort Bliss, TX. His military education includes Drill Sergeant School, Advanced Noncommissioned Officers Course, First Sergeants Course, and the Sergeants Major Academy, where he served as an instructor upon graduation from Class 26. He also served on the staff of the Training and Doctrine Command, Fort Monroe, VA. His experience and expertise distinguished him as the 1979 Army Drill Sergeant of the Year and selection and induction into the prestigious Sergeant Morales Club and the Sergeant Audie Murphy Club.

Hall demonstrated his personal commitment to the Army and his Soldiers as he advanced to positions of higher responsibility. He held a variety of important positions culminating in his assignment as Sergeant Major of the Army. He held the senior enlisted position as Command Sergeant Major of the U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, FL. Other assignments he held as Command Sergeant Major were: the 1st Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery, Fort Stewart, GA; Commandant, 24th Infantry Division Noncommissioned Officer Academy, Fort Stewart, GA; the 24th Division Artillery, Saudi Arabia and Iraq; the 2nd Infantry Division, Korea; and First U.S. Army, Fort Meade, MD.

Robert E. Hall was sworn in as the 11th Sergeant Major of the Army on 21 October 1997 and served until June 2000.

As Sergeant Major of the Army, Hall served as the Army Chief of Staff's personal advisor on all enlisted-related matters, particularly in areas affecting Soldier training and quality of life. The SMA devotes the majority of his time to traveling throughout the Army observing training and talking to Soldiers and their families. He sits on a wide variety of councils and boards that make decisions affecting enlisted Soldiers and their families and is routinely invited to testify before Congress.

Medals, Awards & Badges

Defense Superior Service Medal
Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster
Bronze Star Medal
Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Meritorious Service Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Army Commendation Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters
Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Good Conduct Medal with 5 Silver Loops
National Defense Service Medal with Service Star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars
Army NCO Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral 4
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral 3
Kuwait Liberation Medal
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Department of the Army Staff Identification Badge
Drill Sergeant Identification Badge