Huntsville mourns the loss of a hero

Our thoughts and prayers go out to SSG Hall’s loved ones:

A Huntsville native and Army soldier died serving his country.

SSG Jeffrey Hall of Huntsville was in Afghanistan when he was killed in a roadside bombing. WAFF 48 News was told Hall was a platoon leader and one of three soldiers killed in the IED attack.

This wasn’t Hall’s first tour of duty in Afghanistan. He’s described as a man of high character and morals, and as a decorated soldier who will be greatly missed by his community.

Hall attended Westminster Christian Academy his freshman year of high school and was enrolled at Grissom High School from 1997 to 1998. He spent the next two years up until graduation at Huntsville Christian Academy.

“He’s left a rich deposit into my life personally,” said pastor Dr. Reggie Whitton. “I remember him as if I’d seen him yesterday.”

Whitton recalled the first day he met hall.

“I asked him, ‘What do you want to do with your life after graduation?’ And he immediately said, ‘I’m going to join the Army.’”

On Wednesday Whitton scanned the handwritten student application Hall filled out, where he said Jesus was his favorite character in the bible.

“One of the questions I asked him was, ‘What do you do on weekends?’ He said, ‘I visit my grandparents, who are sick. and I help them with their household things and their yardwork.’”

Hall attended a community college in Syracuse and enlisted in the Army, where he made his way up to a Ranger, one of the most elite and dangerous groups in combat.

His family called his loss one from which they’ll never recover, saying the United States has lost a great soldier and son. He was also a husband and father of a 1-year-old little girl. Finally, he is a hero who many will remember for his dedication and ultimate sacrifice.

“If I could speak to him personally I would just embrace him and tell him how proud and thankful I am for him and of him,” Whitton said. “He’s a hero.”