Remembering 9/11: Elk Grove Woman Lost Son to War

Editor's note: In honor of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Patch is publishing a collection of memories and photos of people affected by the attacks and the subsequent war on terror. Check back here soon for a link to the national project.

Elk Grove mother Betty Hall is one of many Americans who have lost family members in the decade-old war on terror. Hall’s son, Army Sgt. First Class Bryan Hall, 32, was killed April 10, 2009, in a suicide bombing attack in Mosul, Iraq. Here she stands among pictures of her son in the hallway of her home.

“He was an outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish. And he was just a nice person. All mothers would say that, right?

I would give him little trinkets to give to the children, pencils and crayons and stuff. But then he went to Mosul a few months before he came home on leave and he said that was not a very good place to be. There were all kinds of factions and you just never knew who you could trust.

He was actually here for his wife’s birthday and his daughter’s second birthday. Then he went back to Iraq, and four days after getting back to his post of duty he was killed.

I think it’s a terrible thing that we have had to lose all these lives, not only on 9/11, but everything that’s happened since then. But we have to preserve our freedom.

Our daughter started a 5K walk to remember him. It’s a fundraiser. We split the money between education funding for his daughter and scholarships for Elk Grove High School students and other organizations that support military activities.

I think it’s drawn us closer because we understand how important each individual in the family is. There’s a big hole there. I know they say time heals everything, but when you lose a child it gets easier, but it’s still there.”