Remembering Navy SEAL Nate Hardy ~ NH Heroes
Remembering Navy SEAL Nate Hardy – KIA February 4, 2008 during Operation Iraqi Freedom against an al Qaeda suicide bomb cell.
The following is from his family: “As early as 6th grade, Nate wrote a paper about becoming a Navy SEAL. Through his years on the soccer and lacrosse fields he discovered and developed the fierce competitiveness and team first mentality that would later serve him well on the road to achieving his goal. In his senior year, he was selected by the New Hampshire soccer coaches to the all-state second team. He was elected by his teammates as a co-captain of his high school Boys Lacrosse team. In November 1997, five months after graduating, he enlisted in the United States Navy and began his SEAL journey. It included graduation with BUD/S Class 221, 3 deployments with SEAL Team 8, completion of the eighteen month course in Arabic at the Defense Language Institute, successful screening and selection as the ‘number one draft choice” to the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group (aka Seal Team 6), and a final deployment with DevGru KILO Team.
Nate’s military honors included selection as Distinguished Military Graduate from Quartermaster “A” School, selection as Honorman at tactical entry expert school, two Bronze Stars, Purple Heart, promotion to the rank of Chief Petty Officer and numerous other medals. He seldom talked about his SEAL deployments. He kept his first Bronze Star in a locker at his base and dismissively told his father “Dad, it’s not about the medals. It’s about serving my country and the guys I work with”.
His life was fulfilled in his marriage to Mindi on June 4, 2005 and the birth of their son, Parker on July 16, 2007.
To Honor is to Remember
