Sgt. 1st Class Michael Cogborn, of the 2nd Military Intelligence Battalion, salutes the display following a memorial service for 2nd Lt. David J. Hartig in the chapel on Wiesbaden Army Airfield, Germany, on Tuesday. Hartig was found dead in his home earlier this month. The cause of his death is under investigation.

Mark Patton / S&S

WIESBADEN, Germany — A memorial service was held Tuesday at the Wiesbaden Army Airfield chapel for a 66th Military Intelligence Brigade officer who was found dead in his off-post residence on June 11.

Second Lt. David J. Hartig recently arrived in Germany and had been serving as the battalion adjutant with the 2nd MI Battalion for the past month. Hartig was pronounced dead by German doctors after they were summoned to his off-post residence by members of his unit.

Capt. Matthew Hartman, Hartig’s company commander, acknowledged that although Hartig had only been with the unit a short while, his impact was felt immediately. Hartman spoke to the 200-plus crowd about Hartig’s interest in politics.

"He was very interested in helping the world and very much cared about President [Barack] Obama and positive change," Hartman said.

Capt. Jessica Moe, whom Hartig was scheduled to replace, said that he had been in contact with her since January and seemed excited about his upcoming arrival to Germany. Moe said she decided to sponsor Hartig after he informed her that his assigned sponsor failed to answer his e-mails.

Moe said this was characteristic of the 23-year-old lieutenant.

"He wasn’t about to be put off, he wanted the answers right away," Moe said. "He was persistent and tenacious."

The death remains under investigation by German authorities and the Criminal Investigation Command, according to 66th MI spokesman Paul Bednar.
 

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