Flight Of True Love

I had Shelly Hall on my show who has an incredible story written about her and her late husband Lt. Kelly D. Hall in the Military Extra. A publication you can pick up at Ft. Benning.


Take the time to read her story and I hope it touches your heart as we thank those who serve to keep us free during God Bless Ft. Benning Day.



Feel free to post your thoughts.

Flight of True Love
written by:
Maylinda Jane
November 2nd, 2006
www.militaryextra.com



Hello, I want to tell you a story that will seem like a fairy tale, but yet it is as real as real can be. The reason I said it would seem like a fairy tale is because of the love that is intertwined in this story. A love that so many people only dream about, or watch in the movies, yet it does exist. I will prove it to you and yes I do believe in love such as this. I waited at the back of the restaurant to meet a young lady by the name of Shelly Hall. A mutual friend had told me that I needed to meet her and listen to her story, it is heart felt and moving, one that should be shared. We had given each other a description of what we each would be wearing and what we looked liked but I knew who she was as soon as she walked through the door. She's very petite yet she stands so tall full of strength and motivated to move on with a new life, but always remembering and treasuring the life she has lived. I know you may think it's not possible to see something like that in a person when you first meet them, but I did and you will agree with me once I tell you this story.


Shelly and Kelly met at college in Muskegon, Michigan and immediately fell in love. Kelly had just finished his first tour with the army and was attending criminal justice classes. One evening they were watching the TV and saw the Panama Invasion with the 82nd Airborne Paratroopers landing. Shelly said that Kelly immediately voiced with such dedication in his voice, "I wish I could be there." She looked at him and said, "Follow your dream, I fully support you."
Their journey was just beginning; they decided to elope and were married January 11, 1990. Soon after voicing his dream, Kelly talked with a recruiter and within one week he was at the MEPS Station for testing and to re-enlist.



Kelly was sent to Fort Benning for AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) for three months. Shelly came down from Michigan to attend his "Turning Blue" ceremony and his graduation. During jump school they were able to be together, and after Kelly received his Jump Wings they were transferred to Fort Bragg. Kelly's unit 1/504th was one of the first units to be sent to Desert Storm. This was a difficult time for them because they had always been together, never separated from one another. When you saw Shelly there was Kelly, I mean their names sound alike, how could you not think of one and not the other. They were the couple that everyone envied; the aroma of their love was visible to everyone around them.




Kelly left for Desert Storm August 2nd and did not return home until April 8th. She said that it was the longest eight months of their lives, she wrote over THREE HUNDRED letters to Kelly, and he wrote TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY letters to his love Shelly. This does not include cassettes, faxes, and five phone calls which came to over $1,000.


Can you see now what I was trying to tell you about a love that is so undeniably visible, I mean most people don't write that many letters in their entire lifetime, and they wrote that many letters to each other in only EIGHT MONTHS!


I sat there writing as fast as I could, not wanting to miss one single syllable, not one word and yet I had to watch the expressions on her face as she unfolded this love story to me. She had so many different emotions during this time that she shared with me of her love, Kelly. She would be laughing, smiling and eyes wandering into the corners of her heart and soul pulling more of his memory out to share with me and I was sitting on the edge of my seat anticipating her every word. Tears flowed down her cheeks and even though this was the first time I had ever met her, I would never get to meet the man that had her heart captive even to this day. I could not keep back my tears for it was as if I could actually visualize their life before me like I was watching a movie.

Let me take you back to April 8th, Kelly's homecoming. They had to make a plan; they did not want to spend one more second apart so they put together their plan on how to find each other amidst a sea of people. Kelly would be coming home in the company of over 2,000 troops. There are three planes that are coming in at one time, each plane has 800 soldiers they are bringing home and two hearts that are seeking each other as soon as the plane touches ground.
Shelly told Kelly that she would be as far right as the MP'S would allow her to be and look for her there, she reminded him, Kelly as far right as I can be, find me. At 2:00 o'clock an MP told Shelly he was roping off an area and where she stood would be the furthest to the right that she would be allowed to go. She smiled and said, "Thank you, I'm not moving." This MP saw and knew that this woman was waiting for her soldier and she had told him how to find her, this MP I'm sure had been blessed for his kindness in helping Shelly to find her Kelly.


The planes are coming in; Shelly is the furthest person to the right. The planes land, doors open and soldiers are flowing out of the aircraft like a gentle flowing river rounds a bend, her eyes look up and there she sees him, he had spotted her immediately and was waving with smiles and love. As the soldiers lined up in formation with their units, Kelly never took his eyes off of Shelly. After what seemed an endless amount of time, they released the soldiers to find their anxious family members. There was total chaos and confusion within the crowd of soldiers as they tried to find their loved ones but not for Kelly and Shelly; their plan had worked. Kelly came running across the tarmac coming straight to his love. He picked her up, and they danced in a twirling ring of hugs, kisses, joy, true passionate love that they have always shared, they again were one. Two months later, a baby is on its way.


They had a homecoming celebration, talked about career changes and put a packet in for flight school. Kelly's first packet was denied, he was disappointed and said, "I'm done," and was ready to move to something else. Shelly said "Put the packet in again I know you can do it, you're not done." Kelly did put a second packet in and this one was approved.


February 1992 Tyler Elizabeth Storm Hall was born she was their Desert Storm Baby. I kind of looked at Shelly like, what does that mean, she smiled and said there was a huge baby boom after Desert Storm and then I understood what she had said.



Kelly went to Fort Rucker for Warrant Officer Candidate School and Shelly and Tyler went to Michigan to stay with her parents until Kelly's graduation in December. After graduation the family was together again at Fort Rucker while Kelly attended flight school. In July 1993 Tori was born. Soon Kelly left for Honduras and Shelly went to her parent's house in Michigan. Little Tricia was born September of 1994, Kelly just made it home for her birth, then the whole family was back together again and was transferred to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia.


Kelly's unit was the 224 MI. He flew Huey helicopters until he went to Fixed Wing School at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Upon return of Fixed Wing School, Tony was born in March 1996. When Kelly came back to Savannah to HAAF (Hunter Army AirField) Tanner was born November of 1997.


By this time Kelly was a CW2 (Chief Warrant Officer 2) and had decided to put a packet in for Officer Candidate School and was accepted and left February 1998 for Fort Benning, Georgia. Shelly and the children would travel driving ten hours round trip to spend sometimes only three to four hours with each other and their children. Even though the time traveled to spend time with each other made for a long trip for this mother and her five children, it was more than worth the time that they shared during their short visits. Their love was so strong, so devoted and they supported each other with an unwavering love that gives you chill bumps listening to her talk of this wonderful life they shared.


Shelly sat back for a moment and took in a deep breath, she said there is so much I want to tell you! I myself had to sit back and take a deep breath for myself and rub the cramp out of my writing hand. I told her don't worry, take your time I want to know the whole story and she smiled and then she talked, and I listened.

She said that one night she was sleeping soundly, and for whatever reason she woke up and Kelly was up on his elbows watching her sleep. She said, "What are you doing," and he said "Watching you sleep, you are so beautiful." She takes another deep breath and tells me more.


Shelly said that the stress of their move to Germany and that one of their children was recovering from surgery was pulling at both their emotions. They were living in German housing, on the third floor and she was looking for a particular box. She asked Kelly were did he put the box’s and he replied in the basement. There were words and verbal remarks that we all are guilty of saying back and forth between them and it was basically just a little tiff.

They always had a rule, don’t go to bed mad at one another, but this night I suppose the stress and physical weariness of moving had gotten the best of them both, and they did go to sleep angry at one another. The next morning, Shelly woke up and saw Kelly dressed in his uniform getting ready to walk out the door to work. Their eyes met and he turned, walked out the door to be the soldier that he has always loved being. The door closes and he is gone, then it opens and Kelly walks over to Shelly, took off the uniform and got into bed held his wife and gave her kisses and words of love that they could never deny or forget despite a silly little tiff the night before.

Kelly redressed for work turned to Shelly and said “I kissed all the kids and I want to tell you one more time I LOVE YOU. Shelly’s tears flowing down her cheek, mine right behind hers looked at me and said, Kelly never went to fly when they were angry with one another, they always made things right before he left the ground.

Shelly had to take the kids to the dentist and Kelly was going to meet her so that he could help her with their small team of soldiers. Let me remind you they have a six year old, five year old, four year old, two year old and last but certainly not least an 11 month old. I immediately understood her frustration, because I had what you call DOORSTEPS, and it can be exhausting and frustration trying to keep them all happy and in line.

Kelly did not show for the dentist appointment, Shelly could not believe that he did not make it and after hours wondering where he was, she drove to the flight line and there she saw his car parked in his regular spot. She knew that Kelly was doing a check out ride at 0700 that would not last more than an hour, he should have been back hours ago. She then pulled her car beside Kelly’s vehicle by the flight line and grabbed two soldiers and escorted them to the vehicle with all the kids and said “Watch my children, I will be right back”.

Shelly marched up to the Flight Operations with a stern stride in her step. She approached a CW3 (Chief Warrant Officer 3) who was talking on the phone and before she could get one word out of her mouth, his hand was stiff, palm open in the air and hushes her immediately. The CW3 stated “Safety Team to arrive….” and Shelly knew immediately there had been a serious accident or crash. The man looked at her and said, “Who are you”, she replied “I’m Mrs. Hall”, and she watched the color drain from this man’s face in a brief but slow motion moment. Shelly asked “Survivors or not?”

The phone rang, Shelly wiped her tears from her face and said hello, and it was one of her children. I sat up straight and looked through my tears at this amazing woman and reached for a shriveling napkin that had been assisting me with my tears but was too far-gone to do any good. She said I have to pick my kids up from school, and I’m not finished yet, there’s so much more I want to tell you.

I told Shelly, don’t you worry, I am going to hear the rest of your story, and so will everyone else. Would you mind if we did a continuation in the next publication of the Military Extra? She smiled and as we walked outside I told her what a blessing she has been, we hugged each other and will meet to continue her story sometime next week.