The Halls Pass Along Their Love Of Country To Family Members

By Naomi Hatch
   Charlie and Donna Hall are proud to be citizens of the United States of America and they gladly share those feelings. Charlie is a Marine Corps veteran of World War II, and Donna has had several family mem-bers serve in Afghanistan or Iraq. Her son, Major Scott Gibson, recently retired after serving several tours of duty in the War on Terror.
   The Halls headed a committee to honor all veterans who left from Taylor to serve their country. Donna organizes the Veteran’s Day patriotic program each year where tribute is paid to each of those who served and all the names are read as part of a very moving program.
   In 2005, Major Gibson was the guest speaker for the Veteran’s Day program sponsored by The Snow-flake-Taylor Community Values Committee, and Charlie was speaker the following year.
   Donna encourages all to fly their flag, especially for occasions such as Flag Day, which was celebrated on June 14.
   The Halls are currently flying a flag that was given to them by a friend of their granddaughter who re-cently returned from his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. Sgt. Robert McGann sent them a flag that flew on Sept. 12, 2006, over a memorial for young men who died in Iraq.
   Donna, who feels no one is ever too young to learn patriotism and to love the flag, told her children and grandchildren at a special ceremony held on Monday, June 15, in honor of Flag Day that, “Grandpa was 19 when he went to war to fight for his flag, country, freedom and rights.” She gave a brief history of the flag and taught them flag etiquette.
   As Charlie prepared to raise the flag he told his family, “When I was in the Marine Corps if we didn’t put the flag up right, you’d get thrown in the brig.” He said they were real careful how they posted the col-ors. He and grandsons Cody Bateman and Castle Douglas Wilson then posted the flag that had flown in Iraq.
   The Halls’ family knows the love they have for the flag and America, and so they have been the recipi-ents of several flags. One flew on a mission on a Blackhawk helicopter on Aug. 15, 2005, and was pre-sented to Donna’s son when he received the Bronze Star.
   One flew over the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004.
   One flew over the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on May 10, 2008, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was sent by Donna’s grandson, who guarded the embassy. He is the son-in-law of Kent and Becky Gibson of Snowflake.
   One flew at Camp Phoenix in Afghanistan on Dec. 7, 2003, during Operation Enduring Freedom.
   One flew on Dec. 26, 2001, over the memorial in Hawaii as a tribute to the American fighting men who were killed on the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
   The Halls each shared their love of country and their love of the flag with their family.