WEST VIRGINIA (WOAY) – Serving in the U.S Army for 27 years, Chris Hardy, a Princeton West Virginia native, spent most of those years as an Army Ranger in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
Now, Hardy is to be inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame, which preserves a legacy of America’s most extraordinary rangers. Along with that, it is an achievement of a lifetime, as fewer than 200 rangers have been selected since 1992.
“One, it’s an extreme honor and privilege but it’s very humbling,” says Hardy. “None of us really go into a career, a profession thinking it’s going to turn out that you’re going to get inducted into some high honor like the Ranger Hall of Fame.”
Hardy’s nearly 30-year army career began in January of 1986 in Princeton.
He was first deployed to Somalia with Task Force Ranger. Following that, Hardy was deployed numerous times to support the efforts of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, along with serving in every enlisted duty of an Airborne Ranger Rifle Company.
He has been recognized for the National Infantry Associations Order of St. Mauria, The U.S Armor, and Calvary Association’s Order of St. George, among several other awards and recognitions.
In addition, Hardy provided oversight for the completion of over $3.5 billion in the largest army training facility that is Fort Benning.
“While myself and the other inductees are being recognized as individuals, none of us got there as individuals,” Hardy says. “It’s clearly with the support of our teammates, the support of our families and our friends.”
After retiring from a successful career as the CSM for the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning in 2013, Hardy now serves as the Senior VP of Operations at Yorktown Systems Group.
Hardy was to be inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, at Fort Benning Georgia.
