Hilty, John-david Randolph

Also known as: SFC, COMPANY E, 1ST BATTALION, 227TH AVIATION REGIMENT, COMBAT AVIATION BRIGADE, FORT HOOD, TX

Combatant

Male Verified

DiedMarch 30, 2020

Age44 years old

Location of DeathERBIL, IRAQ

Cause of DeathNon-combat related incident (under investigation)

Conflict Operation Inherent Resolve

U.S. Army Sergeant First Class John-david Randolph Hilty, 44, of Bowie, Maryland, was killed in action in Erbil, Iraq, on March 30, 2020, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment.

Their Story

Sergeant First Class John-david Randolph Hilty, 44, was a U.S. Army soldier from Bowie, Maryland. He was assigned to Company E, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Hood, Texas, and deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.

Hilty died on March 30, 2020, in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region. According to a U.S. Central Command statement, he was killed in a non-combat related incident. The incident was under investigation, and no further operational details were released.

Operation Inherent Resolve is the U.S.-led military intervention against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. It began in August 2014 after ISIS seized large territories, including the city of Mosul. The coalition mission included advising, assisting, and enabling local partner forces.

The Department of Defense announced Hilty's death on March 31, 2020. His death was reported by several U.S. news outlets, which noted he was the second U.S. service member to die in Iraq that month.

Hilty is memorialized on the U.S. Department of Defense casualty list for Operation Inherent Resolve. His unit, the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, is an attack helicopter battalion historically involved in multiple U.S. military campaigns.