Two and a half days. That’s how long reservist Hannah Hall spent as a chief petty officer before being meritoriously advanced to senior chief. It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tenure at E-7, but for those who know the now Senior Chief Hall, it was an inevitable milestone and the perfect coming together of her civilian and Coast Guard lives. Her sprint through the upper enlisted ranks owes itself to a quirk of timing. It began in October 2022, when Hall, still a first class petty officer, sat for the servicewide exam for chief boatswain’s mate. At the same time, her command had submitted her packet for the Enlisted Person of the Year – Reserve Component, or REPOY. Then fate took over. Within the span of a few weeks, Hall was notified that she made the cut for chief, and could officially put on anchors May 1, 2023. That wasn’t the only good news. She had also was selected as the REPOY, and was invited to attend the award ceremony on May 3 in Washington, D.C., with the commandant. “I was so excited about that,” said Hall. “I thought, ‘I’ll have the commandant pin chief on me. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’ll be amazing!” After Hall arrived in Washington, however, the surprises kept coming. Prior to the pinning ceremony, the Commandant, Admiral Linda L. Fagan, had contacted the boatswain’s mate rating force master chief and Petaluma boat forces and cutter operations, as well as members of Hall’s command, to receive an endorsement to pin Hall with senior chief. Here’s what didn’t surprise anyone: they all granted the endorsement. “I was quite honored, to say the least,” said Hall. “I was so thankful for my command for giving me this opportunity and for giving me my star.” As she received her star and anchor from the commandant, Hall reflected on her own career in the Coast Guard, taking heed of the commandant’s words of encouragement: Today, we are tomorrow’s Coast Guard. “I really took that to heart,” said Hall. “I truly believe we are making tomorrow’s Coast Guard today, and I will pay that forward.” Hall is quick to praise those who paid it forward so that she could pursue a life in service. It all begins with family. Both of her parents were Air Force pilots, and her grandfathers and great-uncles flew bomber aircraft in World War II. In high school, she considered following her family’s career path, although her interest was in building planes rather than flying them. She was accepted to the Florida Institute of Technology on a fully funded scholarship to study aerospace engineering, but as her admission decision approached, something else called to her: the ocean. Hall was an avid swimmer and talented surfer, and as she advanced through high school, her love of the ocean placed itself front and center in her mind. So she decided to channel her love for all things aquatic into a career plan that harnessed both sea and service. After graduating high school in 2007, she walked into a Coast Guard recruiter’s office with her state swimming championship trophy and a copy of her scholarship offer and plunked them on the recruiter’s desk. “This is what I’m giving up,” she told the recruiter. “That’s how much I want to join.” Petty Officer 1st Classs Hannah Hall, left, with her shipmates underway abaord a response boat-small at Station Georgetown. Photo courtesy of Senior Chief Petty Officer Hannah J. Hall 16 Reservist . . Issue 3 • 2023 Issue 3 • 2023 Celebrating Celebrating 70 70 years of the Reservist years of the Reservist
