David Emanuel Hickman was born in January 1988 in Greensboro, North Carolina. After graduating from Northeast High School in 2006, where he was a football star and Taekwondo black belt, Hickman joined the Army in 2009.
Hickman was a specialist in the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team at the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. His unit served in Iraq as a “presence patrol,” a group tasked with deterring enemy insurgents in the area.
Hickman was killed in action after his armored truck struck a roadside explosive device while on patrol near Baghdad in November 2011. He was 23 years old. A month later, U.S. operations in Iraq concluded, making Hickman the last of 4,474 American soldiers killed during the war in Iraq.
Hickman was buried at Lakeview Memorial Park in his hometown of Greensboro.
Among his friends and family, Hickman was known for his jokes and fun personality, and it was said that hearing his name would “just bring out a smile to your face.” He never doubted his choice to join the Army and “was looking forward to getting his work done and getting home.”
For his service and sacrifice, Hickman was awarded a National Defense Service Medal, a Purple Heart, an Iraq Campaign Service Medal, a Bronze Star Medal and a Good Conduct Medal, among other decorations. In 2011, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Knauf team honored Hickman by placing his name on their car during the Coca-Cola 600 Miles of Remembrance race.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran for Honoring Veterans
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s Honoring Veterans social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Prompt Engineer: Tommy Desiano
Writer: William Beterbide
Editors: Lillian Williams, Kinsey Spratt
Researcher: Paola Negron
Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley
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