Army Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Hughes

Remember Our Heroes

Army Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Hughes, 41, of Newark, Ohio

SFC Hughes was assigned to 528th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 24, 2011 at Camp Brown, Afghanistan, from injuries sustained in a noncombat incident.

Hughes was an armament-maintenance sergeant who previously served in Germany several times and Korea. He had been deployed to Iraq twice. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan, having deployed in December.

A graduate of Newark High School, SFC Hughes first enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 1989 and enlisted in the Army in February 1994.

Jennifer Kinney was 6 when she met Hughes, who lived near her family in Newark. They played together almost every day and her family started calling him Red because of his red hair. “He was literally like a brother to me,” she said. “He was part of the family.”

Even as a young teen, Hughes talked about joining the military and serving his country, Kinney said. “He knew pretty early on that was the path he was going to take".

After Hughes joined the Marines, he and Kinney stayed in touch and she would always spend time with him when he came home for a visit.

Hughes married his wife, Leslie, in 2008 and was devoted to her and her two sons, Kinney said. “From day one, he was very involved,” she said. “He took them under his wing immediately. That was the kind of guy he was.”

Family friend Kim Bell said Hughes always was at the baseball field when he was home, watching his stepsons play. “He was the sweetest man,” Bell said.

Although he loved serving his country, Hughes had planned to retire from the Army in December to spend more time with his family, Kinney said. “He was really looking forward to his last deployment so he could start the next phase of his life,” she said. “He and Leslie had a big vacation planned.”

Kinney said she will never forget Hughes’ love for his family, the outdoors and the Ohio State Buckeyes, but most of all, she’ll remember his positive attitude.

“Regardless of the situation he would always find the silver lining,” she said. “He would always see the good in every situation.”

SFC Hughes is survived by his wife, Leslie; mother, Carol, Father, Larry Hughes of Granville and stepsons Jordan and Chandler

Army Sgt. 1st Class Bradley S. Hughes was killed in a non-combat related incident on 4/24/11.