Alum gives gift of U.S. flag
that played unique role
in liberation of Afghanistan

by Tom Parisi

In early 2004, U.S. Army Reserve Lt. Col. Thomas A. Hall sent a gift of an American flag to the NIU Department of Political Science. On Monday, Sept. 12, he visited the campus of his alma mater to tell the flag's story.

A native of Highland Park, Hall graduated from NIU in 1983 with a degree in political science. He enlisted in the U.S. Army a year later and left active duty as a major in 1998. He was reactivated in 2003, served in Afghanistan as an intelligence adviser and executive officer, and later was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

“No one I know who went to Afghanistan and served there left the country thinking that we weren't there for the right reasons,” Hall said during a small flag presentation in the political science office at Zulauf Hall, where his gift is prominently displayed. “Afghans are pretty positive about (the American) presence because they realize we ended the Taliban (rule).

“When I first got to Afghanistan, if you drove around the city of Kabul, you could count on one hand the number of women who were not wearing burkas,” he added. “By the time I left, 10 months later, less than 10 percent of women were wearing them. There were huge social changes in the country during the time I was there.”

The American flag presented to NIU was initially carried on a U.S. Marine Corps Harrier fighter jet during a combat air mission in support of U.S. and coalition troops on the ground in Afghanistan. It then was flown in the Bagram Collection Point, the military confinement facility where captured enemy combatants were detained prior to evacuation to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

All throughout the facility, American flags were flown, each for nine days, 11 hours and one minute, commemorating the survivors and victims of Sept. 11, 2001.

“Every waking moment of the day, (detainees) would have to look at the American flag,” Hall said. “That was so they would never forget why they were there.”

Hall also carried the flag with him during a combat operation in southern Afghanistan while attached to an Italian Alpine parachutist regiment. Finally, the flag was flown above the American Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan 's capital. With the exception of the combat operation near the Afghan-Pakistani border, certificates authenticate the locations where the American flag was flown.

Hall, who has numerous military awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal, said he wanted to give the flag as a gift to NIU because the university laid the foundation for his military and civilian careers. He now lives in Seoul, South Korea, and works in civilian service for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, serving as senior command representative to U.S. forces in Korea.

The DIA is the primary intelligence agency serving the Secretary of Defense.

“A big part of when I was growing up was being an NIU student,” Hall said. “The education I received at Northern was very beneficial, and it did help me considerably when I went into government, both in the military and after as a civil servant.”

Following the flag presentation, Hall met with students in an introductory course on international relations, taught by Daniel Kempton, political science chair.

“It was a very valuable experience for the students,” Kempton said. “Being able to talk to somebody who's involved day to day in foreign policy decisions was a bit of an eye opener. Lt. Col. Hall was very frank with the students, both in terms of the fascinating parts of his job and the daily monotony of it.

“His gift of the American flag is a very meaningful contribution to the department,” Kempton added. “It will allow students to reflect on their predecessors and colleagues at NIU who have gone on to serve their country in the armed forces around the world.”

9-26-05