ROTC at A-State to Induct Three Members into Hall of Heroes in 32nd Annual Ceremony

JONESBORO – The Department of Military Science at Arkansas State University will induct three members into the ROTC Hall of Heroes during its 32nd annual ceremony.  

Lt. Col. Jeremy (Matt) Weeks, professor of military science, said the three to be honored with the prestigious recognition are:  
 
Brig. Gen. Sandra K. Martin, deputy commander, support, 412th Engineer Command Mission Support.

Retired Col. John E. Hall, former chief executive officer, Defense Commissary Agency.  
 
Lt. Col. Herbert E. “Gene” Moody, inducted posthumously, retired in 1974 after a celebrated career in the U.S. Army.  
 
The induction ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Cooper Alumni Center. Family members and friends of the honorees are invited to pre- and post-ceremony social hour events.  
 
Brig. Gen. Sandra K. Martin, deputy commander, support, 412th Engineer Command Mission Support
 
A West Memphis native, Martin comes from a military family. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering in 1998 as a distinguished military graduate and was commissioned into the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  
 
Martin was selected to serve as the commanding general of the 100th Training Division beginning next summer. She led soldiers and organizations on missions ranging from reconstruction in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom and critical border-road improvements with Joint Task Force 6. She was the first woman to be selected to command both the 100th Division, 368th Forward Engineer Support-Main. Outside of the military, Martin is a senior program analyst at Intuitive Research and Technology.  
 
In her spare time, she has been an eagle project adviser for Boy Scout Troop 351, a court-appointed special advocate, and founder of nonprofit organization Shoulder to Shoulder.  
Martin lives in Madison, Ala., with her husband, with whom she shares five children. 

Retired Col. John E. Hall, former chief executive officer, Defense Commissary Agency

Hall, a native of Joiner, graduated from A-State in 1977 with a bachelor's degree and was a distinguished military graduate from the Military Science program. He served in the U.S. Army for 27 years, including three combat deployments. He was deputy commander of the Third Corps Support Command during Operation Iraqi Freedom.  
 
He served for more than 18 years in senior executive service for the Department of Defense, where he was chief executive for the Defense Commissary Agency. In 2021, part of his duties was the coordination of more than 200 million vaccines and therapeutics during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was essential in transitioning this effort from the Department of Defense to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  
 
He has been honored with multiple awards, including the Army Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service, Legion of Merit Bronze Star Medal, and Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg Legacy Award. 

Lt. Col. Herbert E. “Gene” Moody, inducted posthumously, retired in 1974 after a celebrated career in the U.S. Army 
 
Moody, a Brookland native, graduated from what was then known as Arkansas State College in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in pre-law. While on campus, he served as regimental commander of the ROTC unit and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the infantry. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Alabama and taught economics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  
 
He held many roles during his time of service, including with the 28th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division; with the 8th Division in Germany; with the 1st Division at Fort Riley, Kan.; as a platoon leader and company commander. Moody served as an instructor of military science before completing Command and General Staff College in 1965. He was deployed to Vietnam twice, first in 1965 as a senior adviser to the 33rd Regiment, 21st Infantry Division, and again in 1971 as G3 of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.  
 
Moody returned to the classroom as a professor of military science at the University of Central Arkansas in 1972, retiring from the military in 1974. He was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal, among many other awards and badges.