The Toledo Blade February 20, 2011
Perrysburg sergeant dies in Africa
By Jim Sielicki
A member of the Army's Special Forces, Staff Sgt. Bradley C. Hart, 25, of Perrysburg, died Thursday at his base at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa, from injuries sustained in a noncombat incident, the Defense Department said Sunday.
The Army said Sergeant Hart was stationed in the Horn of Africa in support of the war in Afghanistan and was assigned to the Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C.
The military did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding the incident that led to his death beyond noting that he died "while performing his official military duties."
A spokesman at Fort Bragg said deaths from noncombat incidents would trigger an investigation.
Sergeant Hart's death is the third this year of area members of the armed forces.
Since 2003, 32 area service members have died as a result of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sergeant Hart was born June 18, 1985, in Perrysburg to Charles and Darlene Hart and graduated from Penta Career Center in Perrysburg Township.
He enlisted in the Army as a mechanic in August, 2003.
He attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and volunteered for airborne training and the Ranger program at Fort Benning, Ga., in 2004, the Army said.
After his training, he was assigned as a paratrooper and mechanic in Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 2nd Battalion, 82nd Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg.
Over the next four years, Sergeant Hart served as the noncommissioned officer in charge and as a recovery vehicle operator, the Army said.
He was deployed for a year in Afghanistan, where he received the Army Commendation Medal for his actions.
In May, 2008, Sergeant Hart was assigned to the Special Operations logistics support element at Fort Bragg.
While there, he served as a vehicle maintenance sergeant and was called on to support different joint Special Operations task forces.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his wife, Katherine.
His mother, Darlene Hart, declined to comment, but she noted that the family is proud of him and his service to his country.
Since 2002, Djibouti has allowed the United States to station 800 Special Operations soldiers where they could be used to hunt for al-Qaeda terrorists in nearby Yemen, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a public-policy organization in Washington.
The U.S. Navy stations vessels and aircraft at Djibouti's facilities.
The republic of Djibouti, about the size of Massachusetts at the juncture of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has been independent from France since 1977.
Djibouti also has France's largest foreign military base, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
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