Pentagon IDs Soldier Who Died During Iraq Deployment

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty died in a "non-combat-related incident," while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Erbil, Iraq, according to a Pentagon statement. (Facebook)

Military.com | By Matthew Cox

Published April 01, 2020

The Pentagon on Wednesday released the name of a 1st Cavalry Division soldier who died March 30 in Iraq.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty died in a "non-combat-related incident," while supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Erbil, Iraq, according to a Pentagon statement released Wednesday.

The 44-year-old Bowie, Maryland, native's death remains under investigation but is not related to the novel coronavirus, according to a March 31 announcement from Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.

Hilty was assigned to the 1st Cav's 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, at Fort Hood, Texas.

Military.com reached out to Fort Hood officials for more information on Hilty but did not receive a response by press time.

As of March 30, 93 U.S. service members have died in Operation Inherent Resolve -- 21 killed in action and 72 in non-hostile actions, according to Defense Department casualty figures.

Two soldiers from the 1st Cav's 1-227 died Nov. 20, 2019, in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan's Logar Province.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 David C. Knadle and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kirk T. Fuchigami Jr. were both identified as AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Army Iraq Global Hot Spots Military Casualties Fort Cavazos

Matthew Cox

Matthew Cox has been a defense reporter since 1998. During his time with Military.com he covered all the services, with a close eye on Army weapons development and procurement, body armor testing, camouflage, ammunition as well as readiness and training issues. He previously worked for 12 years for Army Times. He traveled to Afghanistan and Iraq numerous times from 2002 to 2008, covering Stryker and light infantry units in combat. He also spent four years in the U.S. Army during the second half of the 1980s, serving as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division. Read Full Bio

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