Soldier and MC grad strives for MBA degreeMarch 18, 2019

After two deployments in Afghanistan and one to Iraq, U.S. Army Veteran and Midland College (MC) grad Benjamin “Jake” Hall decided it was time to come back to Midland and raise his family. The 36-year-old husband and father of two is a Midland native and Greenwood High School graduate.

“I graduated from high school in 2000,” explained Hall. “That was before 9/11, but I knew from an early age that I wanted to serve my country and join the military. So, on August 1, 2000, I headed to Basic Training in Ft. Benning, GA.  After Ft. Benning, I was stationed at Ft. Bragg with the 82nd Airborne Division, where I later deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.”

Hall thought that he was ready to leave the military and head back to West Texas in 2003.  He worked in oilfield production for a short time, but soon discovered that he wasn’t finished with military service.  He re-enlisted in the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in January of 2009, and was stationed in Fort Campbell, KY. A little over two years later, he transferred to the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team in Vicenza, Italy. During this time, he deployed to Logar Province in Afghanistan.

“During my second deployment in 2010, we spent almost 13 months in Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border,” said Hall.  “During that time, we patrolled the mountains day and night and were constantly bombarded with mortar and rocket fire. In addition to fighting the Taliban, we were also fighting Al Qaeda affiliates and foreign-born fighters from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and elsewhere.  A lot of them were in their teens—just young boys.”

During his time with the 173rd Airborne, Hall met his wife Brittany, and the two were married in April 2012 while he was home on “leave.” Shortly after their marriage, Ben was once again deployed to Afghanistan in July of 2012. This time, however, his third deployment was short-lived due to enemy ambush, where his platoon suffered multiple casualties. Hall was attempting to pull his fellow soldiers off a hill under machine gun fire when he was shot in the left leg. He was transported to Germany for recovery and later back to Vicenza, Italy.

After being honorably discharged at the rank of Sergeant E5, Ben and Brittany moved to Midland in 2014 just before their first son Joseph was born.  Hall had various jobs in the oil and gas industry, and in November of 2016, the couple’s second son Morgan was born.  Ben decided that in order to better support his growing family, he needed a college degree.  So, he enrolled in Midland College in the spring term of 2016, and in just one year, graduated with an associate degree. 

“I really enjoyed the time I was at MC,” stated Hall. “I became involved with the Midland College Veterans Association. I still keep in touch with friends I met through the Association. It was nice being able to share stories with people from all branches of the military, and it was also a great support system.”

Hall also fondly recalls several MC faculty members who offered him guidance.  Among those are Dale Westfall in the Accounting department and Math Professor Alma Brannan who assisted him with an Honors project in Calculus related to Economics.

After graduating from MC, Hall immediately enrolled in the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) majoring in business management.

“During the last year I attended UTPB, I also lost my dad Mike Hall, said Ben.  “He passed away on January 31, 2018 in Dallas. That was really tough and shocking, but I was determined to finish my degree by all means necessary; I was deeply committed.”

On August 3, 2018, Ben graduated from UTPB with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management.  This past August, he enrolled in a hybrid MBA program at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore, Maryland. 

“My goal is to finish the MBA program in roughly two years or so,” explained Hall. “Most of the coursework is online, but there are several residency components where I will attend weekend courses at JHU’s Carey Business School. Fortunately, Brittany ‘holds down the fort’ while I’m out of town during my residencies.”

Thanks to a special scholarship fund established at Midland College for military veterans who transfer to other institutions, Hall is able to help pay for expenses associated with his residencies including airfare and hotel. 

“Midland College helped me transition from the Army to the next phase of my life,” said Hall.  “Thanks to the academic support offered at Midland College, I was able to succeed here every semester. The next goal was to stay motivated through my Bachelor’s degree and start focusing on graduate school.”