Indiana Army National Guard Soldier Dies in Iraq Due to Non-Combat Incident

WASHINGTON—A 34-year-old Indiana National Guard soldier stationed in Iraq has tragically passed away in a non-combat incident, as announced by the Army on Monday.

Capt. Eric Richard Hart, originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, died in Iraq on Saturday, according to a statement from the Army National Guard. He was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion of Indiana’s 38th Infantry Division. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death is currently underway.

Although U.S. combat operations in Iraq have concluded, a contingent of 2,500 U.S. troops remains in the country to support the Iraqi military in counter-Islamic State initiatives and training. These forces have faced repeated attacks over the past 14 months, particularly following Hamas’s assault on Israel, which ignited a broader and more lethal response from Tel Aviv.

In the past year, Iranian-backed groups have utilized one-way attack drones, rockets, and missiles targeting U.S. facilities in Iraq as a reaction to Israel’s military actions in both Gaza and Lebanon.

In September, the U.S. government reached an agreement with Iraq to conclude the American-led coalition’s military operations against the ISIS terrorist faction in Iraq by 2025. U.S. troops have begun withdrawing from various long-established bases as part of a two-decade military presence in the region.

The U.S. has maintained a continuous military presence in Iraq since its invasion in 2003. While all combat troops withdrew in 2011, thousands returned in 2014 to assist the Iraqi government in its efforts to combat IS.

Since the extremist group lost its control over the areas it had occupied, Iraqi officials have intermittently called for the withdrawal of coalition forces, especially following a U.S. airstrike in January 2020 that eliminated Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad airport.

Prior to Monday’s announcement, the total military casualties in Iraq since the onset of the 2003 Operation Iraqi Freedom campaign reached 4,419, which includes 3,482 combat deaths and 937 non-combat fatalities, based on the latest data from the Defense Department. Furthermore, 31,993 troops have sustained injuries in combat within Iraq.

It is important to note that the Defense Department’s figures do not account for all veterans who returned from combat with subsequently diagnosed conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or health issues related to toxic exposure.

By Tara Copp