Colonel Howard “Chip” Hall is a Pennsylvania native who graduated from Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA in 1992. He majored in Mathematics and Physics before earning his commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1994.
Trained as an Assault Amphibian Vehicle Officer, he first served in the Third Assault Amphibian Battalion in Camp Pendleton, CA where he commanded an AAV platoon while deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked on the USS Harpers Ferry on a WESTPAC deployment. Transferring to Marine Barracks, Washington DC in 1998, he Commanded B Co at 8th&I while also serving the Clinton White House as a Military Social Aide.
In 2001, he graduated the Marine Corps Command and Control Systems Course with top honors for writing before assuming command of C Co, Second Assault Amphibian Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC. During this tour, he deployed to Iraq in support of OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. Upon his return, he transferred to Tampa, FL to assume duties as the Assistant Inspector-Instructor for the Fourth Assault Amphibian Battalion. As an Individual Augment, he returned to Fallujah, Iraq in 2005 to serve as the Deputy Senior Advisor to the 1st Brigade of the Iraqi Intervention Forces.
Following this tour, he attended the Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico and departed as a Distinguished Graduate before returning to the Third Assault Amphibian Battalion in 2007 to serve as the Executive Officer. During this tour, he again deployed as an Individual Augment serving as the Operations Officer for Regimental Combat Team 5 in Al Asad, Iraq. Following this deployment, he entered the Legislative Fellowship Program in Washington, DC and served as the Military Legislative Aide to Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher. After completion of that program, he transitioned to Quantico to serve as the Operations Officer for the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. He then returned to the Third Assault Amphibian Battalion to serve as its Commanding Officer from 2011 to 2013.
Graduating from the National War College in 2014, he served as the Readiness Division Chief for the Joint Staff J-35 / Deputy Director for Regional Operations. Departing the Pentagon in 2017, Colonel Hall completed a one-year deployment to Bahrain where he served as the Director of Operations for Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51 / 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
In July 2018, Colonel Hall assumed command of Weapons Training Battalion in Quantico, VA where he also serves as the Captain of the Marine Corps Shooting Team and provides oversight to the Regionally Aligned Commands of MARDET Ft. Lee, VA; MARDET Ft. Meade, MD, the Judge Advocate General Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, VA; the Marine Corps Civil-Military Operations School in Quantico, VA; and the Cyber-Intelligence detachment in Woodbridge, VA.
Colonel Hall’s personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two gold stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with two gold stars, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with gold star, and Combat Action Ribbon as well as a Silver Medal in the 2013 All-Navy Matches and a Bronze Medal in the 2012 Pacific Fleet matches.