From the Los Angeles Times

A soldier's final homecoming

In a somber ceremony, a military honor guard escorts the body of an Army sergeant killed in Iraq off a plane at Long Beach Airport.

By Paloma Esquivel
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

January 16, 2008

They stood on a small landing strip for private aircraft at Long Beach Airport. A mother and father, a wife, family and friends. They gathered for the arrival of the body of Army Sgt. David J. Hart, who was killed in combat in Iraq.

There were no speeches, no eulogy. Those will come later. On Tuesday afternoon, there was only the quiet, methodical ceremony of a soldier's final homecoming.

Framed by a clear blue sky, eight members of a military honor guard stood at attention, waiting for a small charter airplane. The group's leaders walked down the line, adjusting hats to sit just so, wiping away the faintest smudge. To their right, police officers and sheriff's deputies stood, hands behind their backs, waiting to lead Hart's casket in a procession from the airport to a Boyle Heights crematory.

Just before the aircraft made its final stop, 47 members of the veterans group Patriot Guard Riders filed out of a terminal reception room and fanned out, forming a long line with fluttering American flags.

Across the way, a group of airport workers in faded gray uniforms left their jobs when they saw what was happening and stood quietly observing, at attention in their own way. Even air traffic seemed to abate as everyone waited in silence.

Hart, of Lake View Terrace, died in Balad of wounds suffered in a firefight with insurgents Jan. 8 in Samarra, north of Baghdad. He was 22.

Two other soldiers also were killed: Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, Calif., and Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill.

They were all assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Hart's family and friends waited just outside the terminal door. His mother, Sheri, stood with her arms wrapped around his widow, Nicole, quietly whispering words of consolation. They watched as the plane pulled up and its door opened.

Army Spc. Richard Gilbert, who served with Hart in Iraq and who escorted his body home, walked out of the plane and stood at attention nearby.

The honor guard's leader whispered instructions to other members, who quietly made their way, marching in lock-step to the plane, where they lowered the flag-draped casket onto a stand.

Arm-in-arm, Hart's widow and mother made their way up. They hesitated for a minute, and then Nicole draped herself over the wooden casket. Her mother-in-law held her.

Soon, they were joined by the rest of the family -- Hart's father, Jack; brother, Daniel; sister, Sarah; and his in-laws, Ruth and Ramiro Gonzalez, and their son, Ramiro Jr. Each of them laid a hand on the casket, every once in a while whispering words to each other. They did not let go until the driver of the hearse gently said it was time to go.

The honor guard, whose members had been waiting quietly at attention, made its way again to the casket and carried it to the hearse.

The last soldier in line closed the door softly. She saluted and whispered final instructions to her group before it marched away. The click-clack of dress shoes on the pavement was the only sound.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com

Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
A military honor guard carries the casket past Jack Hart, left, the slain soldier's father, and Nicole Hart, his widow.

The family of Sgt. David Hart gathers around his widow, Nicole, second from left, as the soldier's remains are returned from Iraq to Long Beach Airport.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the California State Honor Guard prepare to receive the casket of Sgt. David Hart of Lake View Terrace.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Family members grieve as the sergeant's remains arrive.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

An airplane carrying the remains of Sgt. David Hart taxis beneath a snowcapped Mount Baldy.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Nicole Hart embraces Spc. Richard Gilbert, who served with Sgt. David Hart in Iraq and accompanied his remains home.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Nicole Hart leans on the casket of her husband as the soldier's mother, Sheri Hart, comforts her.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Hart's family gathers around his casket.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A military honor guard carries the casket past Jack Hart, left, the slain soldier's father, and Nicole Hart, his widow.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Hart's casket is carried toward the hearse.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Members of the veterans group Patriot Guard Riders escort the hearse away from the airport.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Military: Deaths Possibly Friendly Fire
By LOLITA C. BALDOR – 1 day ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Army soldiers who were gunned down during a three-hour firefight in the Salahuddin province north of Baghdad last week may have died from friendly fire, military officials said Tuesday.

The three 101st Airborne Division soldiers were part of an Army company that was attacked by as many as 15 insurgents on Jan. 8 after the soldiers discovered several large caches of explosives.

Military officials said the incident is being investigated to determine whether the soldiers were killed by shots from the enemy or by U.S. troops, including members of their unit and aircraft called in for backup later in the battle.

A detailed account of the incident was described by several officials to The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is not complete.

The three soldiers were part of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team. They were searching buildings southwest of Samarra early that Tuesday morning when they found more than 1,000 pounds of homemade explosives, two 55-gallon barrels rigged to blow up, a roadside bomb, and bullets and bomb-making materials.

Soon afterward they found that a second building was also filled with explosives, guns, ammunition and a disassembled suicide vest.

According to reports, the soldiers continued searching the area, and later discovered four vehicles loaded with explosives. And at that point they determined that there were at least two insurgents hiding nearby.

When they moved in on the insurgents, reports said the soldiers discovered an extensive tunnel and trench network that was being defended by 10 to 15 of the enemy, who attacked the company with mortars, grenades and guns.

The two sides fought for about three hours, escalating to a massive battle with U.S. aircraft blasting the insurgents with rockets, several 500-pound bombs and .50-caliber guns.

At some point during the fight, soldiers discovered that two members of their unit — Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, Calif., and Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill., had been killed. Three others were injured, and one of them — Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace, Calif. — died later.

The soldiers are based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

The names of the injured soldiers have not been — and are not routinely — released. It is not clear how many enemy insurgents were killed.

Associated Press writer Ryan Lenz in Evansville, Ind., contributed to this report.

01/11/2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gov. Schwarzenegger Issues Statement on Death of Lake View Terrace Soldier

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today released the following statement regarding the death of Sgt. David J. Hart, of Lake View Terrace, CA:

"The loss of Sergeant David Hart is deeply felt by the community of Lake View Terrace and all Californians. Maria and I extend our heartfelt sympathies to his family and loved ones as they grieve the loss of a brave soldier and a true hero. David's legacy of service and dedication to our country will be proudly remembered by all who knew him."

Hart, 22, died Jan. 8 in Balad, Iraq as a result of wounds sustained during combat operations in Samarra, Iraq. Hart was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), United States Army, Fort Campbell, KY. The incident is under investigation.

In honor of Sgt. Hart, Capitol flags will be flown at half-staff.

From the Los Angeles Times
Army Sgt. David J. Hart, 22, Lake View Terrace; among 3 killed in Iraq firefight

By Paloma Esquivel
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

January 27, 2008

He was known as the guy with the random stories. "When I was in Tahiti . . ." or "When I was in Sydney . . .," he would tell his Army buddies, who listened intently, if just the slightest bit skeptically.

They needn't have been. As a young man, Sgt. David J. Hart of Lake View Terrace crisscrossed the globe alongside his missionary parents. He'd been to Tahiti, Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, Romania and Hungary, all before enlisting in the Army at age 18.

The years spent traveling the world made Hart unique among young soldiers, instilling in him a deep understanding of the world's diversity and making him particularly careful when communicating with Iraqi citizens, his father, Jack, recalled recently as he sat in an office at Osborne Neighborhood Church in Arleta.

Even in the middle of a war zone, David Hart believed that respect was vital. Shortly before the rifle team leader died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a Jan. 8 firefight in nearby Samarra, north of Baghdad, he called his father.

"I'm trying to figure out how to honor the elderly," Hart told his father. He believed that he could reach out to the Iraqi seniors he sometimes came in contact with, his father said.

Two other soldiers died in the firefight: Pfc. Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, Calif.; and Pfc. Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill. All three were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Hart was born in 1985 at his parents' home in Burbank. The family moved from city to city, living in missionary communities where they built churches and did evangelical work. During their time off, Hart, his brother, Daniel; sister, Sarah; and other children would put on plays and puppet shows to entertain themselves.

As a teenager, Hart toured up and down the California coast, playing the drums and bass in Christian bands. He did missionary work on Native American reservations and in schools. He was 12 when he met his future wife, Nicole, at church. They quickly became best friends, working together on evangelical performances throughout the state, including an anti-drug show prepared for school assemblies in Southern California. She danced; he did the sound.

Hart was 16 when he told Nicole that he planned to marry her. Four years later, they were married at a country club ceremony in Pico Rivera. They were married for 2 1/2 years. Because of his deployments to Iraq, they spent only about a year of that time together.

"I've never respected a man more than my husband," Nicole said. "He was perfect in so many ways. Not a day went by without him telling me how much he loved me."

While his father spoke eloquently about the compassion his son showed toward others, Nicole remembered the man she married as a "warrior," something she did not want lost on family and friends as they mourned.

"David was not a victim," she told the family's pastor when she learned of his death. "He went to serve his country and serve us, and if it meant dying, he was ready for that."

Hart, who was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, was mortally wounded when he rushed into the middle of the firefight to help an injured soldier. For his actions, he was awarded a Bronze Star with valor, one of the military's highest honors.

paloma.esquivel@latimes.com