A Veterans Day Tribute to America’s Heroes
This Veterans Day carries special meaning as we remember those who’ve served across generations. Previously, I wrote about my grandfather’s brother, Walter ‘Bernie’ Sheehan, who gave his life earning the Silver Star in the Battle of the Bulge.
Today, I honor my grandmother’s brothers: The Hall twins, who risked everything at Pearl Harbor and Iwo Jima.
These are the Americans who make our freedom possible.
The Day That Changed Everything
The story of Richard and Harold Hall, twin Marine brothers from Kansas City, captures what service really means.
On December 7, 1941, when Japanese torpedoes slammed into the USS West Virginia, these 19-year-olds made a choice that defined heroism. As their battleship burned and listed, they were among the only Marines who went back aboard to rescue trapped sailors.
Picture this: oil-slicked decks, Japanese planes strafing overhead, fires spreading toward the magazines, and these young men hauling wounded sailors up ladders in complete darkness, guided only by the moans of the injured. They stayed until the very last second, until fire was literally buckling the deck beneath their feet.
Richard would later say simply:
“There were men down there still moaning. We knew we were denying someone assistance, but it just wasn’t possible. We had to go.”
From Paradise to Hell
The Hall brothers’ war didn’t end at Pearl Harbor. They went on to fight at Iwo Jima, where Harold landed on D-day and Richard hit the beach on D+4, just as the flag was being raised on Mount Suribachi.
When Richard and Harold reunited briefly on Iwo Jima, Harold simply said:
“How you doing? Just wanted to say hello.”
Then, under fire, he scurried back to his own foxhole.
No dramatics. No speeches. Just brothers looking out for each other in hell. They survived the bloodiest fighting in Marine Corps history.
Richard spent 48 days total on that volcanic island, watching mortars tear apart fellow Marines, working beside pyramids of severed limbs stacked on the beach for graves registration. Yet he kept going, disposing of unexploded ordnance even after most Marines had left the island.
Their fellow Marine, Tom Coffey—who’d been with them at Pearl Harbor—wasn’t as lucky. He was killed at Tinian. The war took so much from so many.
Their Living Legacy
Today, veterans of our recent conflicts carry forward the same spirit Richard and Harold showed at Pearl Harbor. They volunteer, knowing exactly what they’re signing up for. They serve multiple tours. They come home changed but unbroken.
Some bear visible scars. Others carry wounds we cannot see. All have given us something precious—years of their lives in service to something greater than themselves.
A Simple Thank You
This Veterans Day, when you see a veteran, remember Richard Hall on that burning battleship, covered in oil and seawater, pulling wounded sailors to safety. Remember Harold Hall, landing on Iwo Jima’s black sand beaches under withering fire.
Remember Bernie Sheehan in the frozen forests of Belgium. Remember today’s veterans standing post in places most of us can’t even pronounce.
They didn’t do it for glory. Richard once said about his Bronze Star:
“I don’t remember doing anything special to earn it.”
That’s how heroes think—what they did was just their duty, nothing special. But we know better. What they did—what all our veterans have done—is extraordinary.
To Every Veteran
You stood watch so we could sleep peacefully. You missed birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays so we could celebrate ours in freedom. You wrote a check to America payable up to and including your life.
From the bottom of our hearts: Thank you. Your service mattered. Your sacrifice was not in vain. And we will never forget.
God bless our veterans, and God bless America.
The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views. This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
