FAYETTEVILLE — Army Spc. Ethan C. Hardin, 25, of Fayetteville, died Friday of wounds suffered during fighting in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced Sunday.
Hardin and a soldier from Texas died when insurgents attacked their unit using an improvised explosive device and small-arms fire, the Defense Department said.
Hardin was a part of Operation Enduring Freedom, operating in the Logar Province in Afghanistan.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, La.
Hardin was a graduate of Fayetteville Christian Schools, affiliated with the Mission Boulevard Baptist Church in Fayetteville.
Kenny Francis, principal of the school, said Hardin had attended school there all his life.
AT A GLANCE
Operation Enduring Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, which is a joint U.S., U.K. and Afghan operation, is separate from the International Security Assistance Force, which is an operation of NATO nations including the U.S. and U.K. The two operations run in parallel, and although it has been intended that they merge for some time, this has not yet happened.
Source: www.answers.com
“He was a good student,” Francis said. “He had a very pleasant, likable, gentle personality. He was always helpful. Always had a ready smile and a laugh.”
Dr. Brian Disney, senior pastor at Mission Boulevard Baptist Church, said he had known Hardin since Hardin was a baby.
“I’ve been his pastor and a lot of times his basketball coach,” Disney said. “The last time he was in, we had lunch together and had a very nice visit.”
Disney, like Francis, remembered Hardin for his personality.
“He had such a kind, gentle personality,” Disney said. “He was the last person you’d think they’d put in special teams doing dangerous assignments. But he had a typical warrior spirit. His dad was a soldier. His brother spent time in Iraq. They had no particular hostilities toward the enemy but had a strong desire to keep their country safe.”
Disney said Hardin’s influence will live on.
“He was an excellent young man,” Disney said. “He was very high on the totem pole in his dedication to Christ. He has a strong influence on the group he was with here and probably with his unit.”
Funeral services for Hardin are pending, Disney said.
According to the website www.answers.com, on Oct. 7, 2001, early combat operations, including a mix of strikes from land-based bombers; carrier-based fighters; and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from both U.S. and British ships and submarines signaled the start of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan.
The initial military objectives of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afhganistan, as articulated by former President George W. Bush included the destruction of terrorist training camps and infrastructure within Afghanistan, the capture of al-Qaeda leaders, and the cessation of terrorist activities in Afghanistan, according to the website.