According to a press release from the National Guard’s public affairs office, Captain Eric Richard Hart died on Dec. 28. The Department of Defense and National Guard indicated Hart’s death was the result of a “noncombat-related incident.”
Capt. Eric Richard Hart, 34, of Indianapolis, Indiana, died Dec. 28, 2024, in Iraq as a result of a noncombat related incident. The incident is under investigation.
Hart was assigned to Headquarters & Headquarters Battalion, 38th Infantry Division, Indiana National Guard, Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Indiana National Guard released this statement, “The Indiana National Guard extends our heartfelt and sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Capt. Eric Hart who died in a noncombat incident while overseas serving with the 38th Infantry Division in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Our thoughts are with them and the soldiers who worked and served alongside Capt. Hart. He was an integral part of our team and the Cyclone Division team as well. He will be missed. His death is under investigation, there is no additional information available at this time.”
The 38th Infantry Division, headquartered in Indianapolis and also known as the Cyclone Division, traces its lineage to 1917 and is one of eight National Guard divisions.