Army soldier dies in Iraq, identified as Maryland native
FORT HOOD, Texas — An Army soldier originally from Prince George's County, Md., died Monday in Erbil, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense.
Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty, 44, from Bowie, Md., died in a non-combat related incident supporting Operation Inherent Resolve.
Hilty went to Riverdale Baptist Church in Upper Marlboro, MD. ABC7's Scott Taylor spoke to one of his classmates, Adam Sisk, who had this to say about Hilty:
He and I went to school together and lost contact for years. It wasn’t until recently that we reconnected on a regular basis via FB messenger. He loved his wife, daughter and son, he loved his mom and he loved his country. His famous tag line was #Merica. We had plans on getting together after he retired in June to have “many beers” together and catch up. My wife and I responded to a Facebook post he put up around Thanksgiving about how he had 50 or so soldiers under his command and they wouldn't mind some things to help remind them of home. He made sure that we knew that 30-40% were women, just so it wasn't all "guy stuff. He was a thoughtful husband, father, son, and Leader.
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The incident is currently under investigation.
Operation Inherent Resolve is a U.S. military Joint Task Force Operation working with regional partners in the Middle East to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
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Hilty was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
