University of Mississippi Alumnus, Soldier Reunites with Family During Georgia Game

Veteran and Military Services honors military spouse, family

For eight months, Tierra Hall has carried the burdens of a family while her husband trained Ukrainian soldiers in Europe. For eight months, she handled every doctor’s appointment, changed every diaper and chased away every nightmare.

On Saturday, November 9, 2024, in a crowded Vaught-Hemingway Stadium full of roaring Rebel fans, she saw her husband for the first time in nearly a year.

Tierra, Lt. Col. Rodney Hall and their two children – Reagan, 6 months, and Tripp, 3 years old – were the University of Mississippi‘s most recent recipients of Ole Miss Wish. The philanthropic effort of the Office of Veteran and Military Services seeks to give military families incredible experiences.

“This was absolutely a dream come true,” Tierra Hall said. “From start to finish, this will be a moment I never forget.”

For the first time in the history of the Ole Miss Wish program, Saturday’s military recognition was focused not just on the homecoming of a soldier, but on the work that a military spouse must do at home.

“Military spouses always do the invisible work of a military deployment,” said Andrew Newby, director of veteran and military services. Newby coordinated the military homecoming during Saturday’s home game against the Georgia Bulldogs.

“Everything that parents do to make sure that a family stays afloat and gets to and from where they need to be, and that the lights stay on, and that the pantry is full, and the fridge is full, and the water works, and the trash is taken out – all of that continues to happen while the service member is gone.

“The unsung part of military life is that somebody’s got to stay home and keep the fire burning. That’s what she’s done for 10 months by herself.”

Juggling work and taking care of a 6-month-old and a 3-year-old starting pre-K have made the last 10 months difficult, Tierra said. She works around the seven-hour time difference every morning and night to make sure the kids get to talk to daddy. That’s the unseen work of a military spouse, she said.

“It’s been tough, especially on the babies,” she said. “Spouses go through so much. Behind the scenes there is a lot of work and dedication and loyalty that goes into being a military family. I think it’s easy to forget that.”

Both military children, Rodney and Tierra first met in the early ’90s in Germany when they were 5 years old. They were fast friends on the military base while their fathers were on active duty.

Rodney’s mother often joked, “That’s going to be my daughter-in-law one day,” Tierra recalled.

Nearly 20 years later, Rodney and Tierra reconnected as adults while Rodney was deployed in Syria and Tierra was living in the state of Washington.

“And now we’ve been married five years,” Tierra said.

Coming from a military family, Tierra knew there would be times when her husband would be away for weeks or months at a time. When Rodney got the call to deploy in early 2024, she said she reminded herself to be patient.

“I tell myself to be patient,” she said. “Patience is what gets me through this.”

A graduate of the UM School of Law, Rodney Hall spent the last eight months in Europe and Africa training Ukrainian soldiers. He commissioned as an infantry officer in 2008 with The Mississippi Rifles – the 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team – and has since trained as a U.S. Army paratrooper and has served as platoon leader, company commander and battalion executive officer.

Hall has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, Afghan Campaign Service Medal, and the Patrick Henry Leadership Award.

While serving in the military, Hall has also worked in Washington, D.C., as a legislative director for Rep. Trent Kelly. In 2024, he was elected as the first Republican African American in the Mississippi House since Reconstruction.

“There are these heroes that live amongst us every day,” said Master Sgt. Anthony Douglas, operations coordinator for veteran and military services. “And I’m not just talking about the deployed soldier. I’m talking about a mother with a 3-year-old and a 6-month-old.

“That’s what I hope people see out there. Nobody else knows what that feels like.”

While deployed in Europe, Hall juggled the demands of the Mississippi National Guard, his orders and the constituents of Desoto County.

But he’s also a father.

“There are things my father instilled in me that I want to give to my son,” Hall said. “This time is precious, and I know that. You can’t replicate that; you can’t substitute it for something else.

“Getting back to my family was really important to me. My wife, I wanted to tell her I love her. I wanted to hold my kids.”

On Saturday, Rodney got to do just that, lifting little Tripp in the air in front of record-breaking crowd of more than 68,000 rowdy football fans welcoming him home. Despite the rain, the moment was perfect, he said.

“There is nothing like Ole Miss, nothing like Mississippi and nothing like being home,” he said. “I could feel it the moment I saw her. I am so happy to be back.”

By Clara Turnage