Fallen Soldier: David E. Hickman

Specialist David Hickman, 23, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. On November 14, 2011, while on a police-type patrol in Baghdad, Hickman was killed by a roadside bomb that tore through his armored truck. He was the last American soldier killed in the Iraq War.

Spc. Hickman was born on January 16, 1988, and was a lifelong resident of Greensboro, N.C. He graduated from Northeast High School in 2006. He was an All-Conference outside linebacker and served as team captain. He was also an accomplished black belt in the art of Taekwondo.

“U.S. combat operations in Iraq officially ended months before Hickman’s unit shipped out from Fort Bragg in May. His platoon spent most of its deployment on ‘presence patrols’, walking through Iraqi neighborhoods to remind insurgents that the U.S. military was still there,” said Spec. Zack Zornes, who served in Hickman’s platoon.

His military awards and decorations included the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.