U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman

Remember Our Heroes

U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman, 39, of Somerset, Pennsylvania.

To those who knew him as a young fireman in Collier, the circumstances behind Dale Hardiman's death were indicative of the kind of man he was.

What might have made it all the more tragic, however, was the timing of what happened Sept. 10 near his home in Friedens, Somerset County: The National Guardsman was back on a short leave from Iraq when he was electrocuted while trying to help a stranded motorist who had hit a utility pole.

"He died doing what he loved the most, helping people," said Doreen Ducsay, of Collier, who had served with Mr. Hardiman at the Rennerdale Volunteer Fire Department. The 1985 Chartiers Valley High School graduate joined Rennerdale as a teenager to get experience with ambulance calls.

Rennerdale Assistant Chief John Kripp, who was the department's chief then, echoed Ducsay's sentiment, saying, "He always had a care for his fellow man."

Mr. Hardiman also was a volunteer with Collier's Presto Volunteer Fire Department, which conducts rescue and fire missions.

Those here who knew Mr. Hardiman remembered him as a practical joker and a clown with a heart of gold.

"He tried to make people laugh no matter how bad the situation," Ducsay recalled.

Mr. Hardiman, 39, was due to return to Iraq on Sept. 13, where he had 45 days remaining in his tour of duty. He was a sergeant with the 876th Engineer Battalion of Johnstown and the 103rd Company C in Philadelphia.

He was employed as a corrections officer at the Camp Hill Corrections Institution but had been in Iraq since December.

Funeral services took place Sept. 14 at the Robert H. Halverson Funeral Home in Somerset. Interment was in Somerset County Memorial Park.

Mr. Hardiman is survived by his wife, Christine, parents Ralph and Virginia Hardiman, brothers Ralph and Shawn Hardiman and sister Pamela Lindberg.

U.S. Army National Guard Sgt. Dale M. Hardiman was killed on 09/10/05.