Brandon Michael Hardy was born on Sunday, March 8, 1981 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Warren and Jill Hardy.  He would be the oldest of four children, followed by his sisters, Kristin (Kiki), Keri and brother, Chad.  Brandon lived in Cochranville, PA from his birth till his enlistment in the U.S. Air Force following his graduation from high school.  Even though he was in the military for seven years he always considered Cochranville, Chester County, PA his home.

As far back as can be remembered, Brandon loved cowboys.  As a little blonde-haired, blue eyed toddler he would always be seen in cowboy boots and a floppy cowboy hat on his head.  He also loved to play and be outdoors.  He liked to be with people, friends and family, and to talk to anyone who would listen.  Later in his elementary school years, a few teachers would comment to Brandon’s parents of his “socializing skills.” 

As a youngster, he would love to play baseball with his maternal great-grandfather, Robert Myers, a WW II Army veteran.  They would play for hours at the West Fallowfield Community Center playground.  His “Pap-Pap” tells how Brandon made the rules and then changed them as they went along.  He also remembers that Brandon always WON!

At the age of six, Brandon accepted the Lord as his personal savior.  As a youngster he attended Faith Bible Chapel in Cochranville.  And most recently attended Community Bible Fellowship in Oxford, PA.  His faith was important to him, and was evident in his character make up.

Brandon played organized baseball with the Octorara Little League from 8 to14 years of age.  At the age of 12, he started to hunt and fish, trying to quench his desire for the outdoors.  He enjoyed hunting in the mountains of Centre County, PA and around his home in Chester County.  He made several visits to see his Uncle John in Jackson Hole , WY that would ultimately become fishing trips.  He was also a big Penn State Nittany Lion football fan(atic).

Brandon attended Octorara School District from Kindergarten to Grade 12.  On June 11, 1999, Brandon graduated from Octorara High School .  He played baseball in his freshman year at Octorara.  He then enrolled at  CAT-Brandywine Vocational Technical School  in their Culinary Arts program.  Before graduating from CAT-Brandywine he was awarded the 1999 award for Outstanding Culinary Arts Co-Op Student.  From his co-op experience, he worked at Country Gardens Restaurant on Route 30 in Parkesburg, PA, starting at 6 a.m. in the morning.  The early start and hard work was nothing new to Brandon, during his teenage years he also worked at Dutch-Way Farm Market, on Route 41, Gap, PA, the Black Rock Christian Retreat Center, and helped a Church friend at his horse stables.  Brandon had a strong work ethic and always helped out around the house or giving a helping hand to anyone who needed it.

 In his time in the Air Force Brandon had attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, but felt he was still not doing enough for his country.  So in an unusual turn, he decided to forgo his rank and pay, and to basically start over, and enlist as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.  Brandon left for  Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, SC on January 18, 2005.  During the course of his basic training he fell ill with a serious case of double viral pneumonia.  He had to be hospitalized for four days at Beaufort (SC) Naval Hospital.  He spent another six weeks recuperating in a medical unit on Parris Island.  After a medical clearance he was able to continue his training and graduated on June 3, 2005.  Also graduating that day was another Marine named Derrick Cothran from Avondale, LA.  Their friendship would continue, always keeping in touch with each other as they went through their individual training.

After Advanced Infantry Training at Camp Geiger, NC, Brandon moved on to Camp Pendleton where he graduated top of the class at the Amphibious Assault Training School.  He was a crew chief of an amphibious assault vehicle.  He was assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion , 1^st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force  .

While on pre-deployment leave in February 2006, Brandon proposed to his girlfriend, Samantha DiGrazio.  They met at church and had been friends for several years before they fell in love.  He proposed to her while attending a  Trace Adkins concert at the American Music Theatre in Lancaster, PA.  They were to be married in January 2007 upon Brandon’s return from Iraq.

Brandon loved being in the military and served with honor and pride.  He was passionate about the freedom of his beloved United States of America.  His mother, Jill, recollects, once while home on leave from the Marine Corps, he showed her a statement from his Marine Corps manual.  It said, “I am an American, fighting in the armed forces which guard my country and our way of life.  I am prepared to give my life in her defense.”  He said to his Mother, “This is me, Mom, this is what I feel.”

Brandon was deployed to Iraq on March 27, 2006.  His unit, 3^rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, was now attached to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines.  At this time, Brandon finally felt he was doing what he was called to do.  Brandon called home and once talked of the children of Iraq, especially one five-year-old named Raja.  He wanted to bring her home with him.

On April 15, 2006, while serving with the Scout Platoon of the 2^nd Tank Battalion, 2^nd Marine Division  , II Marine Expeditionary Force, in Anbar Province, Brandon’s boot camp friend, Lance Corporal Cothran, along with three other Marines, were killed by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) while patrolling in a Humvee vehicle.  Derrick Cothran was laid to rest in New Orleans, LA on April 28, 2006. 

On that same day, in the early morning hours, at the Haditha Dam area in Anbar Province, Iraq, Brandon was on an aid and assist mission.  His section was sent out to retrieve a disabled vehicle.  After the mission was accomplished and the team now returning to base camp, the vehicle in which Brandon was a passenger, struck an IED.  Three of the five passengers of the Humvee were mortally wounded.   Corporal Brandon Hardy was killed in action along with two other Marines, Sergeant Lea R. Mills, Brookville, FL and Sergeant Edward G. Davis III, Antioch, IL.  Sergeant Davis was posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant.

Brandon's friend and comrade at arms, Sergeant Nick Goodwin, wrote a touching story of remembrance.

On May 5, 2006, Brandon was laid to rest with full military honors at Calvary Monument Bible Church in Paradise, PA.

Slide Show

Click to view a "slide show" of images from Brandon's life

Glossary

Honor Flight

Each group of Air Force recruits are called a "flight".  Among the awards given at the end of recruit training, each flight is evaluated on almost everything they learn; from dormitory inspections to fitness results. The very best flights will be awarded the title of "honor flight." It takes teamwork, dedication and a lot of hard work to get this award.

* Staff Sergeant (SSgt) is E-5 in the U.S. Air Force, just above Senior Airman and below Technical Sergeant. It is the Air Force's first non-commissioned officer rank as well as the first Air Force rank to which promotion is on a competitive basis. Senior Airmen are considered for promotion if they attain that rank on or before February 1st of that testing year. This is so that they will have a minimum of 6 months time-in-grade before the first promotion date of that testing year, however in a normal career progression one achieves this grade after 5 to 7 years in service. Staff Sergeants are expected to be technically proficient and function as first-line supervisors within a work center. After being selected for promotion Senior Airmen must attend Airman Leadership School, which teaches them basic leadership and how to write performance reports. The term of address is Staff Sergeant or Sergeant.

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Lance Corporal (LCpl) is the third lowest enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, just above Private First Class and below Corporal. It is not a non-commissioned officer rank. The Marines are the only component of the U.S. Armed Forces to have Lance Corporals.

From the earliest years of the Corps, the ranks of lance corporal and lance sergeant were in common usage. Marines were appointed temporarily from the next lower rank to the higher grade but were still paid at the lower rank. As the rank structure became more firmly defined, the rank of lance sergeant fell out of use. Lance corporals served in the Corps into the 1930s but this unofficial rank became redundant when the rank of private first class was established in 1917. The lance corporal fell out of usage prior to World War II, to be permanently established in the sweeping rank restructuring of 1958.

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Corporal (Cpl) is the fourth enlisted rank in the U.S. Marine Corps, ranking immediately above Lance Corporal and immediately below Sergeant. The Marine Corps, unlike the Army, has no other rank at the pay grade of E-4. Corporal is the lowest grade of non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, though promotion to Corporal traditionally confers a large jump in authority and responsibility compared to promotion from Private through Lance Corporal. It is also the first Marine rank requiring competition among peers rather than simple "time in grade" promotions and therefore sometimes difficult to attain. Marine Corporals generally serve as "fire-team leaders," commanding a four-man team or unit of similar size. In support units, they direct the activities of junior Marines and provide technical supervision. Because of its emphasis on small-unit tactics, the Marine Corps usually places Corporals in billets where other services would normally have an E-5 or E-6 in authority. Similarly, the term "Strategic Corporal" refers to the special responsibilities conferred upon a Marine Corporal.

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