Family and friends of Brian Bill started the process of saying goodbye to the fallen Navy SEAL Thursday.
Bill, 31, of Stamford, was one of 30 Americans killed when their helicopter was shot down by insurgents in Afghanistan Aug 6.
A wake for Bill was held Thursday from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 2900 Summer Street in Stamford.
Hundreds of family, friends and complete strangers stood in a long line that wrapped around the building to say goodbye and show their support for Bill's family.
"I thought he was a wonderful boy who grew up to be a wonderful man," said Dr. Paul Weinstein, of Stamford.
A 1997 graduate of Trinity Catholic High School in Stamford, Bill attended Norwich University in Vermont before enlisting in the Navy in 2001. He had a life-long dream of becoming a Navy SEAL, according to his family.
"The hardest thing to think about is the 'what if?' He had so much promise as a young man. He really found his niche in life as a Navy Seal, but his life was just beginning. When any young person dies it's just a disaster," said Dr. Sherman Bull of Stamford.
Local
A funeral mass will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Church of St. Cecilia, 1184 Newfield Avenue in Stamford.
He will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.
