KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) – A fallen soldier from Kingsport will be honored this Memorial Day weekend by NASCAR at the Coca-Cola 600.
The name of Sergeant First Class, Jason Omar Bradley Hickman will be featured on the windshield of 2018 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano’s vehicle.
Logano’s vehicle is No. 22 Team Penske Ford, according to NASCAR.
SFC Hickman is being honored as part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, during which 40 fallen members of the U.S. Armed Forces will be displayed on vehicles.
SFC Hickman joined the U.S. Army in 1999 and served at Fort Lewis, Washington before being transferred to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
He was deployed in February 2003 and safely returned home before spending almost three years on recruiting duty.
SFC Hickman then reenlisted, and he and his wife Tiffany went to Fort Richardson, Alaska. He was deployed to Afghanistan in February 2009 for one year as the platoon sergeant, according to the NASCAR release.
In January 2010, SFC Hickman was killed by an improvised explosive device just a few weeks before he was to return home.
The release says SFC Hickman earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart among other accolades over the course of his career.
SFC Hickman has three sons, Hayden, Landon and Clayton, whom he loved dearly.
His son, Landon, is a fan of Joey Logano and wrote a letter to the driver around Christmas to thank him for an autograph and mentioned he hoped to go to the Coca-Cola 600 someday to see the names of the soldiers on the vehicles.