Mother of Soldier Killed on Fort Stewart Mourns: 'I Hope People Are Being Kind'
Sgt. Nathan Hillman, 30, from the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Spartan Brigade," 3rd Infantry Division, was killed Dec. 12, 2022, on Fort Stewart, Georgia. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.
The soldier killed in a shooting on Fort Stewart Monday, Dec. 12, was Sgt. Nathan M. Hillman, a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist. Army officials released Hillman’s name Tuesday. Hillman was a member of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart.
Hillman was shot by a fellow soldier at the 2nd ABCT complex on Fort Stewart, officials said. No motive for the shooting has yet been released.
A suspect was arrested and is being held by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Since learning of her son’s death, Tina Hillman told Coffee or Die Magazine she couldn’t even speak a sentence “without breaking down.”
A "Spartan Brigade" soldier died at the hands of a shooter on Dec. 12, 2022, on the post. Photo courtesy of Spartan Brigade Facebook.
After her son’s name was made public Tuesday afternoon, Tina Hillman said she was initially scared to look at social media.
“I hope people are being kind,” she said.
Eventually, Tina Hillman posted that her son is “so extremely missed beyond words.”
Base officials released Hillman’s identity Monday, but most other details on the fatal shooting remain unclear. Garrison officials said that emergency services responded to a report of a shooting at the 2ABCT “Spartan Brigade” complex at 9:57 a.m. Monday and arrived on the scene at 10:04 a.m.
The Hinesville Police Department stated the lockdown on 2ABCT was lifted just after 11 that morning and that there was no threat to the public.
Emergency Services on Fort Stewart continue to probe the incident.
Nathan M. Hillman, 30, was born in Plum, Pennsylvania, and enlisted in the Army in February 2015. He arrived at Fort Stewart in July 2021. On Tuesday, Col. Ethan J. Diven, commander of the Spartan Brigade, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, said in a prepared statement emailed to Coffee or Die. that the unit had “lost one of our own in a tragic and unexpected way. Our hearts are with the families and units involved in the incident.”
Hillman deployed once to Afghanistan. During his military service, he was awarded two Army Commendation Medals and two Army Achievement Medals. He also earned the Air Assault Badge.
Soldiers of Class 30-22 pose for a graduation photo at The Sabalauski Air Assault School on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, July 13, 2022. Sgt. Nathan Hillman of the "Spartan Brigade" earned his Air Assault Badge during his time in the military before he was killed on Fort Stewart, Georgia. US Army photo by Spc. Robert Faison.
Combat units like the Spartans keep service weapons in their armories under lock and key and supervised by armorers. Yet, military bases are not immune to shootings.
In 2009, Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and wounded 32 on Fort Hood, Texas, in what became known as the worst mass murder at a military installation in the nation’s history. He was sentenced to death four years later.
In December 2019, two incidents in the Navy left five dead on military property within three days. Machinist’s Mate Auxiliary Fireman Gabriel Antonio Romero, 22, shot and killed two Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers and wounded another with his M9 pistol service weapon before taking his own life on Dec. 4, 2019.
In another incident, Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, a member of the Royal Saudi Air Force, killed three sailors at a classroom building at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, before he was killed by a sheriff’s deputy on Dec. 6, 2019.
Coffee or Die Magazine will continue to provide updates as they become available.
Read Next: Soldier Killed in Shooting at Fort Stewart ‘Spartan Brigade,’ One Arrested
Noelle is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die through a fellowship from Military Veterans in Journalism. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and interned with the US Army Cadet Command. Noelle also worked as a civilian journalist covering several units, including the 75th Ranger Regiment on Fort Benning, before she joined the military as a public affairs specialist.
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