In Memoriam

For some people, it can take a lifetime to figure out their purpose on earth. Cpl. Brandon M. Hardy had it figured out by the time he was 10 years old.

Fifteen years later, he has done just that.

Hardy, 25, of Cochranville, was killed last week while patrolling against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He had been stationed 390 kilometers northwest of Baghdad, in the Haditha Dam area. Hardy served as an amphibious assault crewman and had been promoted to corporal on April 1.

"I cannot stress emphatically enough how much Brandon loved serving his country," Jill Hardy said, noting that despite the dangers, Brandon never wavered one bit in pursuing that childhood goal.

Since graduating from Octorara High School in 1999, Hardy served his country -- first in the Air Force, then in the Marines. He enlisted in the Air Force during his senior year and left home a month after graduation to begin his service.

After five years in the Air Force, including three deployments to the Middle East, and time stationed in Germany and Spokane, Wash., he decided to enlist in the Marines instead, so that "he could be doing what he wanted to be doing in Iraq," Jill Hardy said.

"He started over at the bottom and gave up his seniority and took a cut in pay," Jill Hardy said. "But he took it more seriously then anyone I’ve ever known."

Brandon Hardy was a family-oriented "country boy" who liked hunting and fishing, his mother said. He listened to country music and liked wearing cowboy hats and boots. He enjoyed sports, especially Penn State football and baseball, which he played at Octorara.

He was a Christian, worshipping at Community Bible Fellowship in Oxford, his mother said.

It was at church that he met his fiancee, Samantha DiGrazio, 23, of Nottingham -- although he had no idea at the time she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"We met nine or 10 years ago at church," DiGrazio said. "We were younger and I had a big crush on him, but I didn’t talk to him. I got his address when he went to the Air Force and started writing him. We became pen pals for six or seven years."

Then one day, Hardy surprised her, arriving on her doorstep with flowers. DiGrazio was so shocked, she said, she slammed the door in his face.

"My mom actually had to come out and get him," she said. "That was the joke for a while -- he finally brought me flowers and I slammed the door in his face!"

DiGrazio said her relationship with Hardy really took off after she got a new cell phone, and sent the number out in an e-mail to all her friends.

One day Hardy called, and from there the two began talking on a daily basis. He invited her to a Marine Corps ball in California and she flew there to attend.

"That’s when we first kissed," she said. "That’s when we fell in love and realized we wanted to be together forever."

Hardy surprised her by coming home for Christmas this year, and in February, just before he was to leave for Iraq, the two became engaged.

"My family always thought he was very honest," DiGrazio said. "He always let you know where you stood with him and how he was feeling about something. He didn’t hold anything back. They loved him. They already considered him a son."

For DiGrazio and the rest of Hardy’s family -- he is survived by his parents, Warren and Jill; two sisters, Kristin and Keri; and a brother, Chad -- there is a tremendous sense of pride in the way he chose to live his life, accompanied with the requisite grief caused by the death of a loved one.

Jill Hardy’s voice cracked with emotion and pride as she read aloud an e-mail the family recently received from her son’s platoon leader.

"‘Your son is a hero,’" Jill Hardy read. "‘He was one of the bravest and hardest-working Marines in my platoon. ..Brandon was a talented war fighter, but more importantly, he was a proven leader. You have now gained 50 more sons. Chad, Kristin and Keri have gained 50 more brothers. Samantha has gained 50 more friends.’"

"As a parent, our hearts are aching, but they’re bursting with pride as well," Jill Hardy said. "We couldn’t be more proud of Brandon. I know he died doing what he felt God called him to do. And he did it above and beyond his abilities."

Funeral services for Cpl. Brandon Hardy will be held on Friday, May 5, at 10 a.m. at the Calvary Monument Bible Church, 1660 Mine Road, Paradise, with Pastor Tony Jackson presiding. Interment will follow at the adjoining cemetery.

A viewing will be held on Thursday, May 4, at the church from 6 to 9 p.m. and on Friday from 9 a.m. until the time of the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Cpl. Brandon M. Hardy Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Octorara School District, 228 Highland Road, Suite 1, Atglen, PA 19310.