Army sergeant killed at Georgia base identified as Plum resident

Associated Press
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 6:06 p.m. | Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 6:06 p.m.

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Brittany Franitt

Nathan Hillman of Plum with his daughters, Aroura (left) and Lilyan.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fort Stewart, Ga.

AP

Four soldiers with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division walk to the end of a long line of armored vehicles on rail cars at Fort Stewart, Ga.

FORT STEWART, Ga. — The Army on Tuesday said a soldier who was fatally shot at a Georgia base was a sergeant whose nearly eight years of military service included a deployment to Afghanistan.

Sgt. Nathan M. Hillman, 30, of Plum was killed Monday by a gunman at Fort Stewart, according to a statement from the Army post. The shooting happened at the building complex for the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division. Hillman was a soldier assigned to the brigade.

The Army says 30-year-old Sgt. Nathan Hillman died in yesterday’s shooting on Fort Stewart. Hillman was a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist. He was from Plum, Pennsylvania. The shooter has not been identified, and remains in police custody. @wsav pic.twitter.com/MZnQbnNsWD

— Brett Buffington (@BrettWSAV) December 13, 2022

Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson declined Tuesday to give further details about the killing, citing the active criminal investigation. Police arrested a suspect soon after the shooting, but that person’s name has not been released.

Hillman grew up in Arizona and lived in Plum for the past five years before being stationed in Georgia, according to his sister-in-law, Brittany Franitti of Plum.

“He and my sister (Nichole) met in Tennessee and fell madly in love,” Franitti said. “Nathan was an amazing guy. He loved telling jokes and loved his family, his daughters and my sister so much.”

The Army post’s statement said Hillman was a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist who joined the Army in February 2015. He had deployed once to Afghanistan and had been awarded two Army Commendation Medals and two Army Achievement Medals.

Hillman joined the 2nd Brigade at Fort Stewart in July 2021.

Located about 40 miles southwest of Savannah, Fort Stewart is the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River.

Hillman’s mother, Tina, who lives in Florida, posted a PayPal link to donate online and support his family.

“My heart goes out to my sister and his beautiful daughters,” Franitti said. “It’s terrible the girls have to grow up without their loving dad.”