Colonel Hart is a native of Unity, New Hampshire, served as an enlisted Marine from 1985 – 1997, attained the rank of Staff Sergeant, and was commissioned via the Meritorious Commissioning Program in December 1997. Command assignments include Platoon Commander, Weapons Platoon, 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division; Company Commander, Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division and Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
Staff assignments include Company Executive Officer, Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division; Tactics Instructor, Warfighting Section, The Basic School and the Infantry Officers Course; Operations Officer, 3d Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division; Marine Officer Instructor, Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit, University of Notre Dame; Executive Officer, 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) Battalion, 1st Marine Division; Assistant Operations Officer and Operations Officer, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division. Operations Officer, Joint Staff (J3, J35, Joint Operations Division Central Command (JOD-CENT), Syria and Iraq portfolio); Infantry Section Head, Ground Combat Element (GCE) Branch (POG-30), Operations Division, PP&O, HQMC and GCE Branch Head (POG), Operations Division, PP&O, HQMC.
He has deployed in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD/STORM (Saudi Arabia/Kuwait); Operations SHINING HOPE (Albania), NOBLE ANVIL (Serbia), JOINT GUARDIAN (Kosovo) and AVID RESPONSE (Turkey); Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (Iraq); Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (Afghanistan) and Operation INHERENT RESOLVE (Iraq).
He is a graduate of The Basic School (1998), Infantry Officer Course (1998), Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (2006), Marine Corps Command and Staff College Distance Education Program (2010), and the Marine Corps War College (2017). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Park University (2002), a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma (2008), and a Master of Strategic Studies from the Marine Corps War College (2017).
His personal decorations include the Legion of Merit, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Joint Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (with one gold star), Air Medal with “2” strike flights, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat “V” (two gold stars), Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three gold stars), and Combat Action Ribbon (one gold star).