(Image above: Bruce Hart's first fighter squadron aboard the USS Hancock aircraft carrier in 1968, on duty in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of what was then North Vietnam. Hart is fifth from the left in the top row.)
Bruce Hart spent 26 years serving in the U.S. Navy, including 16 years in the cockpit. He flew fighter jets, patrolled the skies over Saigon when the U.S. evacuated in April 1975, and helped prepare a new generation of aircraft for the fleet.
Today, the 83-year-old veteran is helping Israeli soldiers build their futures through Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the official authorized U.S. partner of the IDF, caring for the needs of soldiers, from hygiene kits to scholarships to PTSD therapy.
Hart and his wife, Carolyn, give monthly to FIDF and contribute $5,000 every year toward an IMPACT! scholarship for a former Israeli combat soldier from an economically disadvantaged background to pursue higher education. Their commitment brings together two convictions that have shaped his life: respect for those who serve and a Christian faith that calls them to stand with Israel.
“We’ve never regretted a dime that we’ve given to FIDF,” Hart said. “And we’ll continue to give to them, Lord willing.”
His appreciation for Israel’s military began long before he became a donor. During his naval career, he held the Israeli armed forces in high regard.
“I and my compatriots always admired the Israeli forces,” he said. “And October 7th (2023) just made it very clear that we needed to support the IDF.”
Hart’s history with aviation began with his dad, a World War II test pilot, who taught him to fly. Eager to begin his own career, Hart skipped his college graduation so he could begin aviation officer candidate school in Pensacola, Florida.
He flew the F-8 Crusader and later joined VF-1, the Wolfpack, one of the Navy’s first F-14 squadrons. Flying the F-14A, he flew patrols over Saigon during the evacuation of American personnel in 1975. His career also included squadron command, service in the Central Command’s Pentagon liaison office, and test pilot training, which allowed him to fly over a dozen different models of tactical and fighter aircraft in his career. He is familiar with loss. During his flying career, fifty-six of his aviator friends did not make it back from their missions.
At Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego (site of the Top Gun school for movie fans), Hart led the fleet introduction team preparing the base for the F-14D, coordinating work with simulators, engines, and avionics.
Hart was horrified and angered by the atrocities against ordinary people—moms, dads, children, babies, the elderly —when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. As he followed the war, he also thought about the pilots flying repeated missions and the soldiers facing incredible losses. “Those men and women had to be exhausted,” he said.
The Harts began supporting Friends of the IDF in the year following the attacks. The opportunity to help a former soldier pursue an education really appealed to them.
The scholarship soon became a personal connection. They exchanged letters with their recipient, and FIDF arranged a Zoom conversation. Bruce and Carolyn heard about the soldier’s family and his educational plans. “The video conference really brought it home to us,” Hart said, describing him as a “marvelous young man.”
For Hart, giving is also an expression of his faith. He became a Christian in 1974. Later, a pastor and former missionary pilot mentored him through early Saturday-morning Bible studies, teaching him how to follow Christ in his daily life.
That experience shaped a ministry of his own. Since the early 1980s, Bruce and Carolyn have discipled others using materials from the Navigators, a Colorado Springs-based ministry that reaches college campuses and the members of the armed services.
Married for 60 years, they approach their giving with the same desire to put biblical convictions into practice. “The Lord wants us to bless Israel,” Hart said. “And I feel strongly about soldiers.”
For the former Naval Aviator, supporting Friends of the IDF is a way to express that conviction to people whose service he understands and respects.
“I would support them as much as I support our own soldiers,” he said.