Blake Hall

Thanks, Patrick. I think you're always formed by your childhood first, and I grew up around amazing people in my life.

Thanks, Patrick. I think you're always formed by your childhood first, and I grew up around amazing people in my life.

My grandfather was a war hero in World War II, fought and landed at Anzio as a 17-year-old Browning automatic rifleman, standing guard on the Rhine when Germany surrenders, won a Bronze Star with valor for crawling out in front of three German machine gun nests as he was splicing a line that allowed the forward observer to call in artillery that beat back a Nazi counterattack that was about to wipe out his battalion.

My grandfather was a war hero in World War II, fought and landed at Anzio as a 17-year-old Browning automatic rifleman, standing guard on the Rhine when Germany surrenders, won a Bronze Star with valor for crawling out in front of three German machine gun nests as he was splicing a line that allowed the forward observer to call in artillery that beat back a Nazi counterattack that was about to wipe out his battalion.

which today would probably be a different medal, but was a bronze star with Valor in World War II. And then my dad served for 30 years, West Point graduate, was brigade commander. And so I think the lens I grew up in was really about purpose and around service, like a full appreciation of America. that what we enjoy in this country is quite rare in terms of our freedom.

which today would probably be a different medal, but was a bronze star with Valor in World War II. And then my dad served for 30 years, West Point graduate, was brigade commander. And so I think the lens I grew up in was really about purpose and around service, like a full appreciation of America. that what we enjoy in this country is quite rare in terms of our freedom.

And those freedoms are supported by the bravery of young men and women who are willing to sacrifice everything at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

And those freedoms are supported by the bravery of young men and women who are willing to sacrifice everything at Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

And so for me, I didn't actually want to go into the military, but I felt I needed to in order to serve and learned a lot of lessons along the way that we can talk about, but really grateful for that upbringing because I think it gave me a context and appreciation for what we enjoy as far as our way of life that I might not have had if I'd grown up in a different way.

And so for me, I didn't actually want to go into the military, but I felt I needed to in order to serve and learned a lot of lessons along the way that we can talk about, but really grateful for that upbringing because I think it gave me a context and appreciation for what we enjoy as far as our way of life that I might not have had if I'd grown up in a different way.

I went through ROTC at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. And in 2000, it was peacetime. It was just a way to pay for school. And then 9-11 happened. And overnight, I realized that when I graduated in 2004, I was going to go to war. And I figured if you're going to go to war, you might as well play with the varsity. So I resolved, I wanted to be an army ranger.

I went through ROTC at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. And in 2000, it was peacetime. It was just a way to pay for school. And then 9-11 happened. And overnight, I realized that when I graduated in 2004, I was going to go to war. And I figured if you're going to go to war, you might as well play with the varsity. So I resolved, I wanted to be an army ranger.

And my mom's from Queens. So growing up, my grandfather on my mom's side had driven me around the city and showed me the Twin Towers and the Chrysler building and everything as a kid. So it was super personal to me, as I'm sure it was to a lot of Americans. And I wanted to defend the country after we had been attacked in that way. I commissioned, I went

And my mom's from Queens. So growing up, my grandfather on my mom's side had driven me around the city and showed me the Twin Towers and the Chrysler building and everything as a kid. So it was super personal to me, as I'm sure it was to a lot of Americans. And I wanted to defend the country after we had been attacked in that way. I commissioned, I went

past airborne school, so to be a paratrooper, ranger school, had a rifle platoon for five months, then was selected to be the scout sniper platoon leader, which is the most senior platoon leader position in an infantry battalion. Ultimately, we deployed to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.

past airborne school, so to be a paratrooper, ranger school, had a rifle platoon for five months, then was selected to be the scout sniper platoon leader, which is the most senior platoon leader position in an infantry battalion. Ultimately, we deployed to Iraq from 2006 to 2007.

So I fought in Mosul, every neighborhood in Baghdad, Karbala, outskirts of Fallujah and Lake Tartar, so got the full tour. And our mission over there, right before we went into combat in Mosul, We had some three-letter agencies come in and say, hey, listen, forget everything that you guys have learned about reconnaissance and precision engagement.

So I fought in Mosul, every neighborhood in Baghdad, Karbala, outskirts of Fallujah and Lake Tartar, so got the full tour. And our mission over there, right before we went into combat in Mosul, We had some three-letter agencies come in and say, hey, listen, forget everything that you guys have learned about reconnaissance and precision engagement.

You're just going to be running kill capture missions against senior Al-Qaeda leadership. And we're going to give you some equipment and some intelligence assets to help you do that. And the next like 15 months, that's all that we did was run down mostly Al-Qaeda vehicle bomb networks. I was 23 years old at the time. And so it was quite a lot of responsibility.

You're just going to be running kill capture missions against senior Al-Qaeda leadership. And we're going to give you some equipment and some intelligence assets to help you do that. And the next like 15 months, that's all that we did was run down mostly Al-Qaeda vehicle bomb networks. I was 23 years old at the time. And so it was quite a lot of responsibility.