Sergeant Faith Renee Hinkley was born July 16, 1987, in Alamosa, Colorado, and attended Monte Vista High School. Here, she was a cheerleader and a member of the State Champion marching band. She also served on her student council and mentored young girls through an association called the Rainbow Girls. She was described by her grandmother as sweet and gentle.
Hinkley graduated in 2006 and attended the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for a year before she enlisted in the Army. Her father later shared that when she told him that she had decided to enlist, she “cited the values of duty, honor, and courage.”
She reported to Fort Jackson, S.C., for basic training, was assigned to the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion of the 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, and later attended advanced training in her specialty, human intelligence.
On August 7th, 2010, in Baghdad, Iraq, Sergeant Faith R. Hinkley was killed during an insurgent attack. Sergeant Hinkley was 23.
Reflecting on her service, Brigadier General Jim Pasquarette said of Hinkley, “Faith stepped up when her nation needed her. Faith Hinkley was a cut above.” A neighbor, Myrna Wartman, said of Sergeant Hinkley, “I can’t say enough good. She’s everything you would want in a person.”
Sergeant Faith R. Hinkley is buried at Colorado State Veteran Center at Homelake Cemetery, Monte Vista, Colorado.
Sources:
https://www.militarysurvivor.com/honorwall/faithrhinkley
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56847672/faith_renee-hinkley
https://coloradofreedommemorial.com/tellustheirstories/honor-roll-directory/155169/hinkley-faith-r/
https://www.chieftain.com/story/news/2010/08/11/monte-vista-soldier-dies-in/8570275007/
https://thefallen.militarytimes.com/army-sgt-faith-r-hinkley/4741459
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