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TRIBUTE TO OUR MILITARY
Michael C. Hardegree
Villa Rica, Georgia
September 10, 2007
1st Squadron
73rd Cavalry Regiment
2nd Brigade Combat Team
82nd Airborne Division
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
DOD - April 26, 2007
The Department of Defense announced today the death of seven soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Sept. 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered from a non-combat related vehicle rollover. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Yance T. Gray, 26, of Ismay, Mont.
Staff Sgt. Gregory Rivera-Santiago, 26, of St. Croix, Virgin Islands.
Sgt. Michael C. Hardegree, 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.
Sgt. Omar L. Mora, 28, of Texas City, Texas.
Sgt. Nicholas J. Patterson, 24, of Rochester, Ind.
Spc. Ari D. Brown-Weeks, 23, of Abingdon, Md.
Spc. Steven R. Elrod, 20, of Hope Mills, N.C.
Michael C. Hardegree
An 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper died of wounds sustained when the truck he was traveling in rolled over near Baghdad, Iraq. Sgt. Michael C. Hardegree, 21, of Villa Rica, Ga., was a Cavalry Scout with 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
Hardegree joined the Army June 2004. He completed Infantry One Station Unit Training in October 2004 and the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. He arrived to the 82nd Abn. Div. in December 2004 and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment as an Infantryman.
Hardegree had one previous deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from July 2006 to December 2006.
Hardegree’s awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and the Parachutist’s Badge.
Hardegree is survived by his parents Stan and Cynthia Hardagree, of Villa Rica, Ga.