Soldier from Bowie dies in Iraq

hilty
Sergeant 1st Class John Hilty’s death was announced by the Department of Defense on Wednesday. (Courtesy Fort Hood Press Center/U.S. Army)

A soldier from Bowie, Maryland, died in a noncombat incident in Iraq, the defense department said.

The Department of Defense said Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty died Monday.

Hilty, 44, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas.

He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in Erbil, Iraq.

According to a story in Army Times, his career started in 1999 and he was deployed to Afghanistan three times before starting his most recent deployment to Iraq in October 2019.

The Department of Defense told Army Times on Tuesday that complications from coronavirus are not considered a cause of death. The incident remains under investigation.

Dan Friedell

Dan Friedell is a digital writer for WTOP. He came to the D.C. area in 2007 to work as digital editor for USATODAY.com, and since then has worked for a number of local and national news organizations.

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