Listening to his father speak at a 9/11 ceremony in 2015 was a time Aaron Hall felt proudest to be a military child. Hearing his dad tell the audience that serving and inspiring others to serve are among the best ways to honor the lost lives made an impact on Aaron, and he has heeded that call to action ever since.
“It allowed me to realize that my father’s experiences were different than others and how important military service is,” Aaron said of that speech in Oakhurst, California. The following year, while he was a high school freshman, the 2018 National Guard Military Child of the Year® recipient planned the first annual baseball Military Appreciation Game and dinner in O’Neals, California, for local service members and veterans that also benefited a veterans service organization.
Now it was his dad’s turn to be proud. Col. David Hall watched the game on FaceTime from Kuwait, where he was deployed at the time. Aaron, the varsity baseball team captain, has kept the annual event going, while serving the community in many other capacities, participating in other sports and maintaining an off-the-charts grade point average, proving, as he says, “whenever you do something you should give it your all.”
If Aaron, a junior now, attends the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, he would follow in the footsteps of his brother, Grant, and father, who has served on active duty for more than 20 years. In the meantime, he welcomes every chance to educate civilians about the ups and downs of military life, especially noting that National Guard kids who live in remote areas away from military installations need adequate support. Aaron considers it a privilege to “bring a story to the table that those around me don’t understand or have” because he knows firsthand what it’s like to miss a parent who’s away on military service, possibly in harm’s way.
“It is important that Americans learn about the life of military families,” he said. “Sometimes well-intended questions have a negative effect because they just don’t know what it is like.”
In that same spirit, when asked about family traditions, Aaron mentions praying for all fallen soldiers and their families, as well as those serving overseas during the holidays. “It is important to realize how lucky we are to be together in peace and who is providing that for us,” he said.
Like his dad, Aaron’s mother, Christina Hall, has had a strong influence on her son’s life. Guidance some teenagers might call hounding (think: finish your homework; do your chores; don’t argue with your sister), Aaron recognizes as helping him become a better person. “She is the type of person who tells you to stop whatever you are doing,” he said. “Then 5 minutes later, tells you to stop whatever you are doing again when you didn’t fix it. And then again.”
“She is never afraid to get involved when it comes to conflicts that raise question of right or wrong because she always ensures that “right” is persevering,” Aaron continued. “When I start to fall back into a bad habit, she is always there to correct and help me … showing love and compassion … Without her, I would not nearly be the person I am today.”
See highlights from Aaron’s long list of achievements:
Meet all seven Military Child of the Year® recipients and be sure to join us on Facebook on Thursday, April 19 at 7 pm EST for a live feed of the very special awards gala honoring our outstanding Military Child of the Year recipients. Thank you to our presenting sponsor United Technologies for making it possible. We’re also grateful to the following additional sponsors: Booz Allen Hamilton, Procter & Gamble, Microsoft, MidAtlantic Broadband, La Quinta Inn & Suites, Veterans United Home Loans, Under Armour, Tutor.com and Military Times. #MCOY2018
