87-year-old Pekin veteran, tuba player for the Army, is taking off on next Honor Flight

Mike Kramer, Pekin Daily Times
·3 min read
Jack Hall, 87, of Pekin plays the tuba, one of three instruments he played as a member of the 298th Army Band. He also played the sousaphone and string bass.
Jack Hall, 87, of Pekin plays the tuba, one of three instruments he played as a member of the 298th Army Band. He also played the sousaphone and string bass.

When Pekin Army veteran Jack Hall, 87, boards his Greater Peoria Honor Flight on Thursday morning, he will leave behind two of his most cherished companions: his wife and his tuba. Hall’s wife, Margarete, said she made the choice to remain in Pekin for simple economic reasons.

“I’m excited he’s going, and I would like to go also,” she said. “But at $500, it’s just not in our budget right now.”

Additionally, spouses are not allowed on Honor Flights.

Hall himself acknowledged that fellow Honor Flight passengers may not be an appreciative audience for a tuba recital. However, his main reason for leaving the instrument behind is not something as altruistic as concern for his fellow veterans’ sanity.

“It’s just too heavy to lug around,” he said.

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'I followed my love'

Having earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in business administration from Bradley University before joining the Army in the 1950s, Hall could have parlayed his education into a commission. But he decided he would rather be an Army musician than an Army officer.

“I followed my love, and that was to play in a band,” he said.

Hall’s choice of military music over military rank was a life-changing one. Had he not become a member of the 298th Army Band, he would not have been posted with the band in West Berlin. And had he not traveled to Germany, he would not have met Margarete.

“It was a Friday night and a friend told me there was something going on at the park that was about a five-minute walk away,” Margarete Hall remembered. “My friend had just won a little teddy bear when here came a band and Jack was in it.”

Margarete Hall added that she spoke little English, and Jack Hall spoke little German. In spite of, or perhaps because of the language barrier, they began dating and married on Jun. 27, 1958. Nearly 65 years, two children, two grandchildren and four great-grandchildren later, the Halls are residents at Cedarhurst of Pekin assisted living facility.

“Jack and his wife are very active in the community,” said Kim Swise, Cedarhurst director of sales and marketing. “They do a lot of activities. They’re just a pleasure to be around. He's a little bit quiet and she's a little bit more outspoken but together, they make a great team.”

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Ready to return to D.C.

While he could not provide a specific timeline, Hall said he has been interested in participating in a Greater Peoria Honor Flight since the first time he heard of the program. He had applied previously and was just waiting for his name to be selected.

“I’d been to Washington, D.C. before,” he said. "I went to the White House and I saw the monuments and I enjoyed it all. This is a good chance to see them again.”

The Honor Flight is a national network of independent hubs working together to honor veterans with one-day, all-expenses paid trips to visit the memorials in Washington, D.C. Future Greater Peoria Honor Flights are scheduled for Sept. 6 and Oct. 11. More information is available at honorflight.org.

This article originally appeared on Pekin Daily Times: Pekin veteran, a former Army musician, picked for next Honor Flight