Hiester, Michael Thomas
Male
Verified Master Sergeant Michael Thomas Hiester, 33, of Bluffton, Indiana, was a U.S. Army National Guard soldier serving with the 76th Infantry Brigade. He was killed in a hostile incident in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 26, 2005.
Their Story
Michael Thomas Hiester was a 33-year-old Master Sergeant from Bluffton, Indiana. He served in the U.S. Army National Guard as a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 76th Infantry Brigade, part of the 24th Infantry Division, based in Indianapolis.
On March 26, 2005, Hiester was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his death was the result of a hostile incident. Specific operational details of the event were not widely released in public reports at the time.
Hiester's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2005, the conflict had entered a phase of continued counter-insurgency operations, with NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) responsible for security in the Kabul region where he was stationed.
The Indiana National Guard publicly confirmed Hiester's death. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, according to military records and local news coverage from Indiana.
Master Sergeant Hiester is memorialized on the Indiana Fallen Heroes website and at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, which honors those killed in the building and in the subsequent wars. His name is also inscribed on the Wells County Veterans Memorial in his hometown of Bluffton.
Explore Further
Master Sergeant Hiester was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
