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Master Sergeant Hoise Bell

Hoise Bell wearing his Army dress uniform.
  • Date of Birth: August 14, 1930
  • Entered the Military: November 23, 1948
  • Date of Death: May 9, 2012
  • Hometown: Caldwell, Texas
  • Place of Death: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Award(s): Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section 90, Grave 510. Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, Dallas, Texas
Contributed by The Plano East History Club Officers
Mentored by Mr. Rhett Carter and Dr. Joe Russell
Plano East Senior High School (Plano, Texas)
2024/2025

Early Life

Hoise Bell was born in Burleson County, Texas, on August 14, 1930, to Moses Bell, Sr., and Ophelia West Bell. He was one of eight children and a twin to his brother, named Moses Jr. The family had an agricultural background, and by age 18, Hoise Bell worked on his father’s farm. 

In the 1950 U.S. census, the Bell family lived in Ellis County, Texas. National Archives and Records Administration.
In the 1950 U.S. census, the Bell family lived in Ellis County, Texas (continued). National Archives and Records Administration.

Homefront

As a child, Bell’s family relocated to the area near Italy, Texas, where he was educated at the William Hobart Stafford School. Italy was a tight-knit farming community on the southern side of the emerging Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Still, the ugliness of segregation and racial division marked an otherwise idyllic community of hard work and faith. 

Italy was an early experiment in Black autonomy where the African American population elected their own mayor and city council to govern their affairs. Motivated by concerns about poor infrastructure, the “Colored Council” was elected alongside the all-White council on ballots, and their leadership was later proclaimed as “Texas’ First Negro Mayor” by Ebony Magazine.

Postcard of the train depot in Katy, Texas, 1946. Texas Escapes.
A group of African American local leaders gather in front of the Colored City Hall in Italy, Texas. City of Italy, Texas.
A historical marker noting the location of the Colored City Hall in Italy, Texas, December 6, 2022. City of Italy, Texas.

Military Experience

In 1948, 18-year-old Hoise Bell enlisted in the U.S. Army. 

Bell served from 1948 to 1974, so we cannot request his military files for privacy reasons. We cannot confirm the unit Bell served in during the Korean War. It is unlikely that he served in Korea, because his records do not show that he received either a Korean Service Medal or a United Nations Service Medal.

We know that Bell trained as an infantryman and later served with the 25th Infantry Division in the 1960s.

Records indicate that Bell’s first deployment was with the 14th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Infantry Division in Germany from June 6, 1962, to July 28, 1965. In late 1966, the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, deployed to South Vietnam.

Bell was a career soldier who remained in the service, moving around the world with his beloved wife, Zelma, and their growing children, Lyle, Robert, and Le Norice. They traveled to whatever duty station the realities of the Cold War required. He continued service until his retirement in 1974, for a total of 26 years of service.

Sergeant Bell as a young soldier. Find a Grave.
Sergeant Bell in his dress uniform. Find a Grave.
The 25th Infantry Division prepares to depart Japan on the way to Korea, c.1950. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 348336349).

Veteran Experience

After being honorably discharged in 1974 after a long service career, Bell continued serving his nation and community. He became a Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) post officer at the University of Texas at Arlington and a teacher of military science at MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas. 

Bell received his clergy credentials from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and became a founding minister of Berea Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Today, the prayer chapel still bears his name.

Aerial view of Preston Hall on the campus of Arlington State College, which later became the University of Texas at Arlington, 1965. University of Texas at Arlington Libraries (10003074).
Article in the Grand Prairie Daily News naming Bell to the University of Texas at Arlington ROTC staff, August 21, 1969. Newspapers.com.
Reverend Bell, after his time in the Army. Find a Grave.

Commemoration

Sergeant Hoise Bell died on May 9, 2012, and is buried at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

Sergeant Hoise Bell’s headstone at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas. April 1, 2025.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

The 25th Infantry Division prepares to go to Korean War from Japan. Photograph. c.1950. National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 348336349). https://catalog.archives.gov/id/348336349. 

Airview of Preston Hall on campus of Arlington State College (A. S. C.). Photograph. 1965. University of Texas at Arlington Libraries(10003074). https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery/img/10003074. 

“First Shot.” Irving Daily News [Irving, TX], August 29, 1975. Newspapers.com (51431040).

“Hoise Bell (1930-2012).” Star-Telegram, May 10, 2021. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dfw/name/hoise-bell-obituary?id=13541248. 

Hoise Bell, DD-214, Department of the Army. National Cemetery Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Hoise Bell. Texas, U.S. Birth Certificates, 1903-1932. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. Texas, U.S., Newspapers.com Stories and Events Index, 1800s-current. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. Texas, U.S., Select County Marriage Records, 1837-1965. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. https://ancestry.com.

Hoise Bell. U.S. Veterans’ Gravesites, ca.1775-2019. https://ancestry.com.

“In the Path of the Plow.” The Caldwell News and The Burleson County Ledger [Caldwell, TX], October 3, 1952. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth176032/m1/2/?q=Italy,%20TX.

Negroes Share in City Affairs. WBAP-TV, July 28, 1953. https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1818652/.

“ROTC Staffers Named.” Grand Prairie Daily News [Grand Prairie, TX], August 21, 1969. Newspapers.com (15331640).

Texas. Falls County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestry.com.

Secondary Sources

Ford, Ashley. “History of Italy.” City of Italy, Texas. Updated February 21, 2019. Accessed November 17, 2024. https://ci.italy.tx.us/community/history/.

“History of the 25th Infantry Division.” U.S. Army Garrison Hawaii. Accessed April 29, 2025. https://home.army.mil/hawaii/5215/4941/3783/25th_ID_History.pdf.

“Hoise Bell.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed October 1, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ngl/NGLMap?ID=8602465. 

“Hoise Bell.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed February 28, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/HOISEBELL/41B98FB. 

“The Korean War Era.” U.S. Army Center of Military History. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://www.history.army.mil/html/bookshelves/resmat/korea/intro/index.html. 

“Rev. Hoise Bell.” Find a Grave. Updated October 5, 2021. Accessed November 11, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98341008/hoise-bell. 

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.